Bloc Party "A Weekend in the City" 2007***

I remember listening to Bloc Party's debut Silent Alarm when at first it came out (2005?). At the time I found its combination of post-punk and subtle beats to suit my taste, but it was too similar to other bands of the period which I happened to like better: The Killers, Interpol, Franz Ferdinand etc. Nothing stood out enough for me to warrant repeated listening since my house is choke-full of CD's old and new. I recently got their 2nd album as part of a batch of cheap used CD's from the 90's and 00's. First listen on the car stereo prompted a similar response: pleasant listening while driving but sort of bland compositions and pleasant but nondescript vocals merging the urgency and angst of Joy Division with electronic beats. Some occasional guitar outbreaks bring it close to Muse territory - which is not a bad thing, per se. When I decided to research its making and to listen more attentively for the sake of this blog, I got more hip to the nuances. Interestingly, I had forgotten that Bloc Party's singer was a black guy. Of course what else could he be with a name like Kele Okereke, but I had forgotten it because he doesn't sound particularly black to me. In a world where white singers go to ridiculous lengths to sound black, he doesn't seem to give a damn, just singing the way it comes to him. Not that he shies away from racial matters: e.g. "Where Is Home?" centers on racial violence and the demonization of black and immigrant youths by the media. The subject matter in general is surprisingly heavy for a mainstream album: the mundanity of big city life, alienation, clubbing, drugs, sexuality and entertainment culture, mass media, and -in the case of my favorite here "Hunting for Witches"- the post-9/11 regime of fear and control. It's one of the rockier tracks, with bouncy rhythms, catchy riffs and prominent guitars. Lead single "The Prayer" is more of a departure, featuring more electronic elements and layers of hummed backing vocals. In general, there is a tendency to experiment with instrumentation and song textures - a bit like a half-hearted Kid A, but only intermittently successful: "Where Is Home?", "Song for Clay" and "Uniform" fall into the trap of adding disparate elements in the spirit of experimentation, ending up sacrificing the hooks without sounding especially bold. "On", "Kreuzberg" and "SRXT" are atmospheric and rather subdued, while "Waiting for the 7.18", "Sunday" and 3rd single "I Still Remember" have a more commercial, Coldplay-like, quality. Techno/dance single "Flux" was not originally part of the package but is included in later reissues such as mine. It  sounds a bit out of place here IMO but then I'm not one to complain for free bonus material, am I?

**** for Hunting for Witches, The Prayer, Uniform, I Still Remember

*** for Song for Clay (Disappear Here), Waiting for the 7.18, On, Kreuzberg, Flux, Sunday

** for Where Is Home?, SRXT

Thione Seck "Orientissime" 2005***

Thione Seck may be, next to Youssou N'Dour, one of Senegal's most popular singers but he remains relatively unknown in (what we think of as) the West - which is, to be exact, the North, seeing as Senegal lies to the west of Europe's westernmost point. He served as the lead singer of Orchestra Baobab (1973-1979) but left to front his own band, missing out on the international recognition that came with the release of their Pirates' Choice album in '89. He belongs to the griot caste, West Africa's hereditary troubadours and keepers of oral tradition - his great-grandfather was a court musician for the legendary Wolof king Lat Dior. He usually plays in the popular mbalax style rather than the Cubano-Congolese rumba of Baobab, but this album finds him transcending his roots and fusing West African music with Arabic and Indian melodies. The Arabic influence comes naturally, due to the proximity with the Maghreb as well as Seck's position in the Muslim Murid brotherhood. Apparently, Indian music reached him through the Bollywood film industry whose products were quite popular in Dakar's movie theaters when he was young.

Seck before a Bollywood poster in Dakar

All the songs are credited to Seck, many of them being complete reworkings of previous hits he had with his regular band Raam Daan. The mix is natural and arrangements expertly realized: The backing vocalists are a typical African detail, Seck's smooth and languorous vocals (sung in Wolof) isn't a far cry from Arabic singing, with oriental melodies often played by soaring violins, and Indian music scales prevail. Likewise the instrumentation is mixed: we get the local  xalam lute and sabar drums, Indian tablas and sitars and Arabian oud. "Assalo" is the most Indian-sounding piece thanks to the sitar and guest vocalist Bombay Jay. Egyptian singer Rehab graces two songs here: "Yaye" and "Woyatina". Apparently Seck was impressed with the success of Natasha Atlas' amalgam of Oriental and pop sounds, and wanted to incorporate some of that in his album. While she doubtless has a wonderful voice, I'm more attracted to the Arabian strings, both in these tracks as well as the opener "Siiw", atmospheric closer "Mapenda" and percussion-driven "Blain Djigueul". "Manmignoul" also sports beautiful violin and (flute?) solos. "Mouhamadou Bamba", previously also recorded by Orchestra Baobab, retains the chorus of that version but it's slower with a more passionate and spiritual lead vocal as befits its religious text. "Ballago" is another highlight, featuring wistful sitar and sweet female backing vocals while "Djirim" and "Doom" are among the more upbeat tunes, despite lyrics dealing with suffering children and poverty. The latter is the only song with horns, and the closest to Orchestra Baobab's Afro-Cuban style. Orientissime was a relative commercial success with the "World Music" audience, coming on the heels of other successful syncretic attempts (the Irish/techno/African grooves of Afro Celt Sound System, Afro-flamenco amalgam of Songhai, Afro-Blues collaboration between Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder, etc.). To be honest, I'm somewhat skeptical about these transcontinental mixtures. I like the fact that musicians from different cultures create music together, but I'm apprehensive of disparate traditions merging into a musical mush that borrows from everywhere without being rooted anywhere. Not that this is the case here, mind you. But neither is this a good entry point to African music - more like an interesting, pleasant-sounding, experiment.

**** for Siiw, Assalo, Djirim, Ballago, Doom, Manmignou, Blain Djigueul, Mapenda

*** for Yaye, Woyatina, Mouhamadou Bamba

** for Mouhahibou

The Rats "The Rats" 1979(orig) 2008(reissue)****

I've written before about Dead Moon and about how seeing them play at my neighborhood club in Athens opened my eyes to a different kind of rock'n'roll: intense, passionate, and gritty. Fred Cole quickly became an underground rock hero of mine, so I started collecting his albums: whether with 60's psychedelic/garage rockers Weeds/Lollipop Shoppe, 70's hard rockers Zipper, Dead Moon (1987 - 2006), or Pierced Arrows afterwards, his intensity and integrity shines through. Until recently, I hadn't come across any of his punk albums with The Rats - I wasn't even aware they had been re-released, so finding an affordable reissue of their 1980 debut in my neighborhood record store was a nice surprise. Looking at his photo on the album cover, Fred seems incredibly young. It's hard to believe that he already had 15 years of experience playing in rock bands at that point. His band The Weeds had started to make their mark in California in the mid 60's when they fled in a half-baked attempt to reach Canada in order to avoid the draft. Destiny was nevertheless waiting for them in Portland, Oregon where they stopped because they ran out of gas. It was there that Fred met his future partner in life and music, Toody, and where he'd later settle down. First the band went back to California where they changed their name to Lollipop Shoppe, made an LP, and got to play alongside Janis Joplin and The Doors, but ultimately failed to break through. The couple then left for Alaska before returning to Portland where they opened a guitar shop, while Fred continued playing rock in local amateur bands. One of them called King Bee ended supporting The Ramones in '78, and the experience was revelatory. One might think that '78 was a bit late to discover punk, but in the U.S. it was still an underground phenomenon mostly limited to New York. Anyway, punk's aggressive sound, DIY aesthetic, and prioritizing attitude over chops, suited Fred well. He had always been a great singer/screamer but not an accomplished guitarist, indeed The King Bees were the first of his groups where he also played guitar. He taught Toody to play bass, and they formed a punk trio called Rats with a drummer known only as Rod Rat. Their self-released debut didn't reach many ears but was certainly among the better U.S. punk efforts, and set the foundation for their future ascend into cultdom as Dead Moon. Indeed there's very little difference between the version of "Until It Rains" here and the one on Dead Moon's masterpiece Strange Prey Tell. On rare occasions they seem to be jumping on the punk bandwagon, e.g. when singing from the point of view of "Teenagers" despite being parents and small business owners at the time, while the unnecessarily ultra-short duration of that track also seems to point to punk orthodoxy rather than be what the song asks for. It's aggressive as befits a punk band, but also catchy and melodic, with Fred and Toody harmonizing perfectly on the chorus. They follow the same blueprint on most of the songs here: lo-fi production, fast songs, aggressive but always with a sense of melody, short on guitar solos but with an abundance of cool riffs. Fred's shrill voice drives most of the songs with Toody joining on the chorus. The music on a couple of tunes is a bit derivative of The Ramones ("Rat Race" and "Tactics Plan", the latter with Toody on half-spoken lead vocal). There's also a subtle folk influence on "It's Too Late" and ballad "19783" which is reminiscent of early Love. Other small deviations include "Secret"'s rockabilly guitar, the 60's influenced blues riff and organ on "Flash Dogs", "DC-10"'s distortion effects and a somewhat new wave-sounding "Can Never Go Back". The Rats would make another couple of LP's, which I'm now determined to add to my collection. This is raw but exciting stuff. I recommend it wholeheartedly, but I would suggest to start with Dead Moon which is where Fred and Toody got the formula exactly right. For more insights on Fred and Toody's story, you can read this article or, better yet, search for the documentary Unknown Passage: The Dead Moon Story.

**** for World War III, Teenagers, Flash Dogs, Tactics Plan, It's Too Late, Sacrifice, Social Indigestion, Panic On 39th, 19783, Gotta Get Away, Until It Rains, Secrets, Can Never Go Back

*** for Rat Race, DC-10

 

Syd Barrett "Barrett" 1970****

Syd Barrett's two solo LPs were among my favorite pieces of vinyl when I discovered them during my late teens. I was enchanted by the weirdness and deceptive simplicity of the music, curiously detached singing and surreal and indecipherable poetry. I sensed there was something wonderful beyond the surface, a mystery that rendered these albums different from everything else I had heard until then. I guess that this is result of getting drawn into the world of a mad genius. Genius being the key word here. Usually, mental illness is off-putting, an obstacle to communication, and a cause for uneasiness and emotions of pity towards the person that suffers from it. But madness like Barrett's is captivating, like seeing pieces of a puzzle that you sense would reveal a wonderful picture if assembled - only that assemblage is impossible without the key of that special madness. In the mid 60's, 20-year old Barrett was the undisputed leader of Pink Floyd, a band at the forefront of the new psychedelic movement. Then, during late '67 - early '68,  he started faltering. His behavior got more erratic, he missed gigs, and if he was present he was often unable to play a single note, just standing there and staring at nothingness. Whether his mental illness was created or only exacerbated by LSD, drugs certainly played a role in his condition. His bandmates first drafted in Barrett's high school pal David Gilmour to substitute for him when he couldn't perform, and then ousted Syd from the group altogether. Hard as it may seem, it was a sensible decision for a band with ambitions. Those who didn't know how deep Barrett's problems went thought that Pink Floyd wouldn't get very far without their leader - indeed Barrett wasn't just the lead singer and guitarist but the principal songwriter as well, having written most of the songs on their debut and all the early singles including Top 20 hits "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play". Even the band's managers chose Barrett over the rest of Pink Floyd and quickly booked a studio for him to record his first solo album. The recording lasted on and off for a year, and was a tortuous process for everyone. Barrett had many half-baked ideas, but couldn't finish any of them, and even when something worked he was unable to repeat it. The album, called Madcap Laughs, was finally finished with the help of former bandmates Roger Waters and David Gilmour who took time out of Pink Floyd's busy schedule to help their old friend. It was released in January 1970, although the original recordings dated from '68 - '69. It was a weird folky lo-fi experience with flashes of the old genius, but proved successful enough for EMI to give the green light for a sequel. The sequel, simply named Barrett, was produced by Gilmour and Pink Floyd organist Richard Wright. The two of them, alongside drummer John Shirley, also function as Barrett's backing band. Compared to its predecessor, the production here is fuller, sometimes even sounding like the work of a real band - which is a testament to Gilmour's talent and persistence to first coax Barrett into giving a coherent performance and then to orchestrate it somehow so as to resemble a pop song despite Barrett's idiosyncratic sense of timing. Two songs are particularly successful in recreating that band sound - and both were influential enough to have bands named after them: "Baby Lemonade" and "Gigolo Aunt". The former features a great guitar part that didn't originally belong to the song but was stuck at its beginning by Gilmour who thus transformed a piece of absent-minded noodling into the perfect song intro. Although relatively upbeat musically, it's still a rather bleak song (sample lyric "I’m screaming, I met you this way/ You're nice to me like ice"). Richard Wright's distinctive keyboards on both songs evoke similarities to Pink Floyd's early psychedelic pop singles. "Love Song" is just a sweet tune, and Wright's contribution on piano and organ give it a charming baroque air. "Dominoes" is nostalgic with a rather lethargic vocal, and "Is It Obvious" a disjointed folk ditty. "Rats" and "Wolfpack" are also difficult, featuring louder vocals and discordant acoustic guitars without any melody. "Maisy" is a throwback to Pink Floyd's blues roots, sounding a bit like a drowsy John Lee Hooker on barbiturates. "Waving My Arms in the Air/ I Never Lied to You" and "Wined And Dined" are a couple of affable psychedelic folk tunes, while closer "Effervescing Elephant" is a quirky children's rhyme about zoo animals with playful vocal and whimsical tuba backing - more reminiscent of Bonzo Dog or the Monty Pythons than of Pink Floyd. Barrett contains Syd's last songs; soon afterwards he disappeared from public life altogether, moved back to his mother's house in Cambridge and never played music again, preferring other hobbies like painting, photography, and gardening. The insect painting on the album cover is one of his own, by the way. Both his LPs are wonderful examples of whimsical and quintessentially British psychedelic pop. The melodies are usually quite lovely and wordplay occasionally brilliant, with a superficial childlike innocence hiding a sometimes dark and desperate underbelly. After all these years, Madcap and Barrett retain their mystery and charm, and I never get tired of them. Unconventional, but highly recommended - just don't expect to hear anything similar to The Wall or Dark Side Of The Moon.

***** for Baby Lemonade, Love Song, Dominoes, Gigolo Aunt, Effervescing Elephant

**** for Rats, Waving My Arms in the Air/I Never Lied to You

*** for It Is Obvious, Maisie, Wined and Dined, Wolfpack

The Kinks ‎– "Lola, Percy & The Apeman Come Face To Face With The Village Green Preservation Society... Something Else" 1966-1971(rec) 1974(comp)***

As I previously explained, Golden Hour was a budget record label releasing cheap 60-minute compilations in the 70's, by bands that were either relatively unknown or -like The Kinks, at the time- outdated. They released three such compilations by The Kinks, totaling an impressive 99 tracks. Golden Hour Vol.1 contained the hits, Vol.2 the early stuff, while this double LP gathered most of the rest. The artwork and title are an awkward way to inform buyers that this comp contains a wide selection of tracks from the following albums: Face To Face (1966), Something Else By The Kinks (1967), The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (1968), Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround (1970), Percy (1971) and the Apeman 1970 single. Basically you get something like 80% of the aforementioned LP's - minus, of course, the hits which are mostly included on Golden Hour Vol.1. If one already owned Vol.1, they could purchase this cheap supplement and get most of The Kinks' discography between 1966-1971, which consists of a wonderful and idiosyncratic body of work to rival any other in classic rock. Despite the absence of some hits, there's still an embarrassment of riches ranging from 1966's plain rocker "Party Line" to the classic gender-confusion story "Lola", Dave Davis' hit single "Death Of A Clown", and the lament for old England that was "The Village Green Preservation Society". And then there's Ray Davis' acute observational humor on songs like "Dandy" and "People Take Pictures Of Each Other" ("...just to prove that they really existed"). Just replace "pictures of each other" with "selfies" and you've described one of the biggest plights of our decade. At 44 tacks, it's impossible to give a detailed analysis, I'll go into the specific songs when I present the individual albums - suffice it to say that there are some real gems, and even what was considered filler at the time (which you also get here) shows at least some marks of Ray Davis' songwriting genius. So there's absolutely no faulting the contents of this collection, but there are many other reasons why I wouldn't recommend its purchase: Firstly, by removing even a few of their hits from that period, the compilation isn't representative of that phase in The Kinks' evolution. Secondly, by that time The Kinks' LPs were not mere collections of songs but concept albums each revolving around a specific idea. While some of the songs from Village Green, Lola and Percy were successful as stand-alone singles, others just don't work as well when taken out of context as it happens here. Thirdly, there are too many songs on each side; in terms of duration, it feels like you're listening to a CD. You may ask whether it is any better to have to get up every 15 minutes to change side? The answer is that there's nothing wrong with long LP's, except that your attention may start slipping away after 20-25 minutes. Some will tell you that 30 minutes of music per side is too much for a vinyl LP and that sound quality suffers greatly as a result, but I wouldn't go that far. Sure, listening to this LP is not an audiophile experience but I've heard much worse. If you're used to streaming, MP3, or just the average CD sound quality, you won't be bothered by it. Lastly -and that may seem superficial, but it can also be a dealbreaker- the packaging is ugly, and the title is just ridiculous. On the other hand...collect all 3 Golden Hour Kinks compilations, and you've got yourselves more or less their entire 60's output on vinyl for an unbeatable price. Tempting, isn't it?

***** for Lola, The Village Green Preservation Society, Love Me Till The Sun Shines, Dandy, Death Of A Clown, David Watts, People Take Pictures Of Each Other, Village Green, Apeman, Harry Rag

**** for Wonder Boy, Rainy Day In June, Party Line, Rosy Won't You Please Come Home, Wicked Annabella, Tin Soldier Man, Two Sisters, Funny Face, Moments, Sitting By The Riverside, Johnny Thunder, Picture Book, You're Looking Fine, God's Children, Afternoon Tea, The Last Of The Steam Powered Trains, House In The Country, Situation Vacant, Holiday In Waikiki, Session Man, Most Exclusive Residence For Sale, Lazy Old Sun, End Of The Season, No Return, Starstruck, The Way Love Used To Be, Big Sky

*** for Little Miss Queen Of Darkness, Dreams, Do You Remember Walter, All Of My Friends Were There, Too Much On My Mind, Animals In The Zoo, Phenomenal Cat

The Kinks "Golden Hour Of The Kinks Vol. 2" 1964 - 1966(rec) 1973(comp)***

First of all, a word concerning the Golden Hour compilation series: Golden Hour was a budget record label that took off sometime in '71 and lasted until the end of the decade. Most of their releases were by easy listening orchestras, comedy acts like Benny Hill etc. but there were also some by bona fide rock and pop stars such as The Kinks. I used to own a few of these Golden Hour compilations (Donovan, Status Quo, The Kinks). Tremendous value for money; you get "Sixty Minutes Of Entertainment" for very little - OK, I bought them second hand but even as new releases they were much cheaper than the average LP. Today's experts will tell you that it's impossible to cram 60 minutes of music in a single LP vinyl without a devastating loss of quality, so record companies split 45+ minute LPs into two heavy 180-gram vinyls. Unfortunately though, the sound isn't actually that improved because there just aren't true craftsmen cutting engineers any more; all you get is the appearance and weight of a quality product to justify its hefty price. On the other hand, while these old comps may not be the height of hi-fi, I assure you they provide a perfectly adequate listening experience compared to streaming, MP3 or most CDs. 

For years, all I owned by the Kinks were these Golden Hour comps: Golden Hour Of The Kinks, Golden Hour Of The Kinks Vol. 2, and the double LP Lola, Percy & The Apeman Come Face To Face With The Village Green Preservation Society... Something Else! Put together, you get 99 tracks (!) virtually all of the band's 60's stuff. I believe I sold Vol.1 because it overlapped completely with a CD comp I bought later. By now I've also bought the complete Kinks discography of that period on CD, but I kept the other two Golder Hour LP's just because I sometimes find it more aesthetically pleasing listening to 60's and 70's music on vinyl. Vol.2 was released in 1973, and contained the band's early rock'n'roll/R&B stuff - I believe it includes the eponymous 1964 LP and 1965's Kinda Kinks almost in their entirety, missing the tracks already included in the Golden Hour Vol.1 compilation but adding some single-only releases. The original mono mixes have been "electronically re-channelled for stereo", fortunately in an unobtrusive manner. Unusually for The Kinks, these early albums also included covers by Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley etc. All of The Kinks' contemporaries (Beatles, Stones, Animals, Them) relied on similar covers in their live sets, and the versions The Kinks present us with are very pleasant and energetic in the band's early garage-rock style. That said, it is Ray Davis' own compositions that steal the show: not yet the mini-vignettes of everyday life and quaint Englishness he later became famous for, but certainly well-written pop songs like "Stop Your Sobbing", initially ignored but a big hit in the 70's for The Pretenders. "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" was likewise not an immediate smash but destined to become a much-covered garage rock classic. It's the only song here dating from 1966 - the rest come from 1964 - '65. It is amazing to think that, within those two short years, The Kinks managed to record these 24 songs as well as a dozen more that are even better and not included here - and yet the quality of the songwriting is consistent throughout. Most of them are raunchy garage rockers similar to their first big hit "You Really Got Me". "I Need You" is a worthy successor, with its crunchy riff and wild solo, while "It's All Right", "Got My Feet On The Ground", "I Gotta Move" and "Come On Now" are more rockers in that vein. Add the Stonesey R&B material, both original and American covers, and you have enough beat tunes to keep the go-go dancers occupied for quite some time - an unexpected feat by a band that later became synonymous with smart and elegant pop. Here we also get some lighter Beatlesey pop ("Such A Shame", "You Shouldn't Be Sad", "Don't Ever Change", "Something Better Beginning"), a few folkier ballad-type tunes ("So Long", "Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worrying 'Bout That Girl") and the country-ish "Wait Till The Summer Comes Along". "Don't You Fret" has a minimal arrangement, an acoustic folk ditty occasionally derailed by raunchy guitar. An unusual combination that reminded me of The White Stripes. Ultimately though, despite its generous 25-song tracklisting, this compilation only makes sense as an addendum to Golden Hour Vol.1. Yes it's pleasant listening by itself, but when you consider all the songs stemming from the same period but omitted ("You Really Got Me", "All Day & All Of The Night", "Tired Of Waiting For You", "Till The End Of The Day", "A Well-Respected Man", "I'm a Lover, Not a Fighter", "Set Me Free", "See My Friends" etc.), you realize this is a collection of leftovers, and who wants that?

***** for I'm Not Like Everybody Else, I Need You

**** for Wonder Where My Baby Is, Got Love If You Want It, Come On Now, It's All Right, Such A Shame, Look For Me Baby, Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy, I Gotta Move, Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worrying 'Bout That Girl, Stop Your Sobbing

*** for Don't Ever Change, Something Better Beginning, Dancing In The Street, Just Can't Go To Sleep, Long Tall Shorty, Got My Feet On The Ground, Don't You Fret, Wait Till The Summer Comes Along, Beautiful Delilah, Naggin' Woman, Cadillac, So Long, You Shouldn't Be Sad

We The People "Declaration Of Independence" 1966-68(rec) 1992(comp)****

Yet another 60's garage band chosen with the "random selection" method - I guess that's natural because I have a lot of those in my collection. The first thing I noticed upon hearing this CD again was a light crackle, which had me wondering: is it a symptom of the CD getting corrupted somehow? I can't remember if it was there from the beginning. You read so much about disc rot, yet you rarely notice it. For my part, I've mostly seen it happen to many self-recorded CD-Rs. I long since got rid of (almost all of) my CD-Rs anyway, as I don't have any space left for them. Then I do have a few legitimate CDs (1 or 2 per 1000) that suffer from the typical disc bronzing, combined with sound deterioration. But this one shows neither a bronzing effect nor the pin prick marks that are also consistent with CD rot. Which makes me think it may be a flaw in the source material: the source most probably is original old 7' singles, in less than mint condition.

We The People never did release an LP in their lifetime, although their singles (7 of them, for 3 different labels) were pretty successful locally. For whatever reason, they failed to gain radio play nationally, but proved nevertheless quite influential, with bands like The Fuzztones covering "You Burn Me Up And Down" and "My Brother The Man", while "In The Past" was also covered by bands as far away as California, Paris, and Athens. This (semi-bootleg) French compilation, initially released in vinyl in 1983, was their first ever LP. The CD version (from 1992) adds two "bonus tracks", the contents of their debut single My Brother The Man b/w Proceed With Caution (1966), both written by Wayne Proctor (guitar/vocals). The former is memorable for its muscular riff, fuzz guitar, and strange yelps, while the latter is also a potent garage rocker. The LP contains 2 more garage/fuzz monsters, "Mirror Of Your Mind" and "You Burn Me Up And Down" (also 1966, by 2nd guitarist/singer Tommy Talton). Once again, the pounding drums, distorted guitar, organ, and aggressive vocals with lots of screams, are the band's calling card. The B sides are a nice ballad called ”The Color of Love” and “He Doesn’t Go About It Right”, a folk rocker reminiscent of electric, Highway 61-era, Dylan. Out of the 16 songs here, there's only one cover (of The Rascals' "Love Is A Beautiful Thing") which is pretty rare for 60's garage bands. But We The People just happened to be a sort of garage "supergroup" comprised by members of various bands of the Orlando (FL) area, and each brought their own talents (and songs) in the mix - Proctor's "In The Past" being one of the most interesting. The fast arpeggios of the intro, which are repeated later, reminded me of some of Dick Dale's "oriental" tunes like "Misirlou". In reality it was a home-made variation of an instrument called octophone, similar to a much larger mandolin. Proctor had further customized it by using banjo strings and inventing his own tunings for it. Despite the catchy chorus and in-vogue sitar-like sound (The Beatles and Yardbirds were experimenting with sitar around the same period), it didn't catch on, with local DJ's preferring the B Side, a ballad called "St. John's Shop". This compilation includes two versions of it: 1st version is folkier, while 2nd version has a more accomplished baroque/psychedelic sound - probably this was the one on the single. Where they found the other one, I don't know - not by the band members themselves, a later interview reveals they never had any contact with the label whatsoever. Another previously unreleased track was "Declaration Of Independence", a nice pop-rock number. Probably from 1967, it bears some resemblance to their other singles from that year "Follow Me Back To Louisville" and "Love Is A Beautiful Thing". "Lovin' Son Of A Gun" sounds like some of the Stones' mid 60's pop/country hybrids. By that time, Proctor had left the band to enroll into college - not for the education per se, but in order to avoid the draft and Vietnam. "The Day She Died" is an affecting Tommy Talton ballad, while the band's last single from 1968 consists of a heavy fuzzed-out rocker ("When I Arrive") and an agreeable soul tune ("Ain't Gonna Find Nobody"). All in all an excellent garage compilation that proves We The People belong up there with the likes of Seeds, Sonics, Standells etc. But I wouldn't recommend it, since now there are other compilations available, compiled with the band's cooperation and featuring better sound and previously unreleased material. The best of these is double CD Mirror Of Our Minds.

***** for You Burn Me Up And Down, In The Past, My Brother The Man

**** for Mirror Of Your Mind, He Doesn't Go About It Right, Declaration Of Independence, When I Arrive, St John's Shop (2nd Version), Proceed With Caution

*** for (You Are) The Color Of Love, Lovin' Son Of A Gun, St John's Shop (1st Version), Follow Me Back To Louisville, Love Is A Beautiful Thing, The Day She Died, Ain't Gonna Find Nobody (Better Than You)