I bought this LP during my garage/psychedelic obsession period when I'd indiscriminately get anything in that style if the price was right and the cover striking enough. And this cover certainly was: a psychedelic kitty with fluffy red fur and blood-dripping claws, both cute and nightmarish at the same time - not to mention the naughty band name. It proved to be one of my better instinctive purchases, too: UK psychedelia with nice melodies, a dark streak in the lyrics and organ/guitar sound, and proto-progressive sonic experiments. At the time nothing was known about the band, but now we know that the principal songwriter was one Danny Beckerman (also on piano) previously of psych-poppers Fortes Mentum and in-house producer/arranger/musician of the Morgan Sound Recording Studios. Despite the general assumption Pussy were apparently intended as a real band rather than a studio creation, they just didn't stay around long enough to leave their mark on the live circuit. The album starts (and closes) with a synthesized cat's meow leading to "Come Back June", a catchy psych-pop tune with nice Hammond organ, followed by the heavier "All Of My Life" full of fuzz guitar and gothic organ. "We Built The Sun" competes the perfect opening trio with a lighter touch: acoustic guitar, harmonies including female vocals, piano and a violin or mellotron line, all with a dreamy Floyd-ish feel. Side 1 closes with a freak-out jazz jam dominated by spacey theremin-like sounds. Far-out stuff! "Tragedy In F Minor" is a cinematic instrumental dominated by emotive piano and Spanish guitar. "The Open Ground" features heavy organ and fuzz guitar, while the melodic chorus is offset by some dark and somewhat grotesque poetry reading - which won't be to anyone's taste, but I find it all strangely appealing. "Everybody's Song" is a psychedelic hard rocker with both fast and slow passages, distorted guitar and spooked vocals. Reminds me a bit of Tomorrow, early Floyd, and similar bands of the same era. With little studio time left and only 7 songs in the bag, the band launched into a lengthy jam with powerful drumming, lots of Hammond and fuzz guitars. The superior musicianship and production saves side 2 despite having relatively weaker tunes, while in my opinion side 1 ranks among the strongest LP sides of the period. That said, when one thinks of their competition around the same time, lack of promotion, and scarcity of live appearances, it's not too strange that a good album like Pussy Plays fell through the cracks when it was released. It was gradually re-discovered during the mid-to-late 80's, becoming a coveted collector's item commanding hundreds of £'s - which led to it getting pirated by bootleggers. The edition I have sounds pretty good for a bootleg LP but now there are other, official and even remastered, reissues around on both vinyl and CD for you to choose from. Highly recommended, especially if you belong to that niche audience that loves the psychedelic/proto-prog sound that flourished in UK and Europe around 68/69.
***** for Come Back June, All Of My Life, The Open Ground
**** for We Built The Sun, Tragedy In F Minor, Everybody's Song, G.E.A.B.
*** for Comets
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