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"...The Price Of Admission Is Your Mind..."
Non-Traditional, Psychedelic Adventure,
Inspired Hippy Idealism, Fay Nonsense – I happen to think The United States Of
America's lone album released in the American spring of 1968 is all of these
things – and more. Very much of its experimental time – in fact you doubt such
an album could even get a mainstream label like Columbia Records to go anywhere
near it with a multicultural bargepole nowadays.
And yet Mad Dogs and Englishmen working in
Esoteric Recordings of the UK (part of Cherry Red) have bravely stepped up to
the mushroomed gates of right-on college campus types and produced a worthy
reminder of its string-laden melodies and political beauty. There is a lot to
love on this unique and adventurous record that still stands up – a lot. Here
are the metaphysical details (baby)...
UK released June 2014 – "The United States
Of America: The Columbia Recordings" by THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is an
Expanded 20-Track CD Reissue on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2449 (Barcode
5013929454941) and breaks down as follows (66:58 minutes):
1. The American Metaphysical Circus
2. Hard Coming Love
3. Cloud Song
4. The Garden Of Earthly Delights
5. I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife For You, Sugar
6. Where Is Yesterday [Side 2]
7. Coming Down
8. Love Song For The Dead Che
9. Stranded In Time
10. The American Way Of Love
[Part I] Metaphor For An Older Man
[Part II] California Good Time Music
[Part III] Love Is All
Tracks 1 to 10 are their debut "The United
States Of America" - released March 1968 in the USA on Columbia CL 2814
(mono) and CS 9614 (Stereo) and July 1968 in the UK on CBS Records 63340 (Mono)
and S 63340 (Stereo). The Stereo mix is used and DAVID RUBISON Produced. The
USOA disbanded in July 1968 and never made another record.
BONUS TRACKS:
11. Osamu's Birthday (Recorded 15 Dec 1967)
12. No Love To Give (Recorded 13 Dec 1967)
13. I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife For You, Sugar
(First Version, Recorded 11 Dec 1967)
14. You Can Never Come Down (Recorded 9 May
1968)
15. Perry Pier
16. Tailor Man
17. Do You Follow Me (Tracks 15 to 17 recorded
30 July 1968)
18. The American Metaphysical Circus (Alternate
Version)
19. Mouse (The Garden Of Earthly Delights)
20. Heresy (Coming Down) (Tracks 19 and 20
recorded 1 Sep 1967)
NOTES: Tracks 11 and 12 first appeared on the
1992 Sony CD Remaster while Tracks 13 to 20 first appeared on the Sundazed
Reissue/Remaster in 2004. This CD effectively apes the Sundazed 20-track Reissue.
ALBUM LINE-UP:
DOROTHY MOSKOWITZ - Lead Vocals on Tracks 1 to
4, 7 and 8 - shared with Joseph Byrd on Tracks 5 and 10 and shared with Gordon
Marron (Lead) and Joseph Byrd on Track 6
JOSEPH BYRD - Electronic Music, Electric
Harpsichord, Organ, Calliope, Piano, Lead Vocals on Tracks 5 and 10 (shared
with Dorothy Moskowitz) and Shared Lead Vocals on Track 6 with Gordon Marron
and Dorothy Moskowitz
GORDON MARRON - Electric Violin, Ring Modulator
ED BOGUS – Occasional Organ, Piano and Calliope
RAND FORBES – Electric Bass
CRAIG WOODSON – Electric Drums, Percussion
BONUS TRACKS LINE-UP:
DOROTHY MOSKOWITZ – Lead Vocals
JEFF MARSHALL – Lead Guitar
RICHARD GRAYSON – Keyboards
CARMIE SIMON – Bass
DENNIS WOOD – Drums
Above line-up for "Perry Pier", "Tailor
Man" and "Do You Follow Me"
DOROTHY MOSKOWITZ – Lead Vocals
JOSEPH BYRD - Electronic Music, Electric
Harpsichord, Organ, Calliope, Piano
MIKE AGNELLO – Organ
STU BROTMAN – Bass
CRAIG WOODSON – Electric Drums and Percussion
Above line-up for "The American
Metaphysical Circus (Alternate Version)", "Mouse (The Garden Of
Earthly Delights)" and "Heresy (Coming Down)"
Co-ordinated by Esoteric head-honchos Mark and
Vicky Powell - the compilation and 16-page booklet is very tastefully put
together. There are in-studio photos of the group amidst their array of
keyboards including the DURRETT Electronic Music Synthesiser and Ring Modulator
– an incisive and affectionate look at the album, band and their internal
hassles by noted writer SID SMITH – as well as lyrics and period photos of
Joseph Byrd at a UCLA rally in April 1967, Dorothy Moskowitz performing with
Jazz pianist Dick Fregulia, the rare British 7" Single Demo for "The
Garden Of Earthly Delights" and even a colour publicity shot of the
original six in happier times. Licensed from Sony – long-standing Audio
Engineer BEN WISEMAN carried out the 24-bit Digital Remasters and they sound
fabulous – full of swirling keyboard soundscapes and those Beatlesque String
passages.
The albums opens with a mash-up of different
types of music that builds into a cacophony - until in a very Jefferson
Airplane like way – Dorothy Moskowitz's lead vocal fades in and a dreamy
keyboard/lyric soundscape takes over. It's so Sixties. The lyrics are yummy -
"...At precisely eight o-five Doctor Frederick Von Meier will attempt his
famous dive through a solid sheet of luminescent fire..." It gets even
harder-hitting with the grungy guitars of "Hard Coming Love" where
you're reminded of Blue Cheer and "Electric Music For The Mind And
Body" by Country Joe & The Fish (see separate review). We then go full
on flower-power hippy with "Cloud Song" which were reliably informed
was inspired by Pooh (amongst other things in his fertile garden). Although
Columbia oddly never even tried a 45 in the USA – CBS Records UK gave "The
Garden Of Earthly Delights" a 7" single chance in July 1968 on CBS
3745 with "Love Song For The Dead Che" as its flipside. Both tracks
are superb and although it's a listed rarity at a relatively paltry £20 – I’ve
seen it go for three times that amount should it ever turn up for sale.
Many will affectionately remember the witty and
acidic infidelity song "I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife For You, Sugar"
because it turned up on the CBS Records LP Sampler "The Rock Machine Turns
You On" in 1968. It's also the first track on the LP where Joseph Byrd
takes over on Lead Vocals from Dorothy Moskowitz. Side 1 ends on one of the
albums undoubted masterpieces – the almost monastic churchy vocals of
"Where Is Yesterday". The layers hit you immediately as the three
vocalists harmonize against eerie strings and keyboard flourishes (Gordon
Marron on Lead). It's trippy-psychedelic and utterly brilliant in its clever
vocal arrangements. Side 2 opens with another potential single "Coming
Down" with Dorothy once again giving it some Julie Driscoll vocals while
the drums and guitars remind you of a great Jefferson Airplane single. Despite
its slightly suspect title "Love Song For The Dead Che" isn't
aggressive at all nor preachy but incredibly tender – a third party observation
where a lover aches for her man in the morning - but knows that his embrace
will never be there again. We go "Sgt. Peppers" string quartet on the
whimsical "Stranded In Time" – a very Zombies vocal by Gordon Marron
running alongside great keyboard passages from Byrd. It ends on the
seven-minutes of "The American Way Of Love" – a three-part ambitious
chunk of Psychedelic ruminations on "...the secret sins of nymphomaniacs
unveiled..." Lovely stuff...
The 10 bonus tracks (as you can imagine) are a
mixed bunch - but they open strongly with "Osamu's Birthday" which
sounds like some Japanese curio – like weird incidental music from John Barry's
"You Only Live Twice" left off the 007 soundtrack because it was too
Captain Beefheart for the masses – it’s striking and cool at the same time.
Wilder by far is "No Love To Give" which is closer to "Hard
Coming Love" than anything else (the audio is amazing). It's a genuine
shock after all these years to hear Dorothy Moskowitz sing on the 'First
Version' of "I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife For You, Sugar" – she's
great - but you can so hear why they went for Joseph Byrd's sneering male vocal
instead. "You Can Never Come Down" sounds like demo Jefferson
Airplane – good but not quite convincing enough to make the album. For me the
best on here is strange keyboard/jungle drums of "Mouse" – an early
version of "The Garden Of Earthly Delights". The band is clearly
working out how to arrange the tune – but it stills great even in this early
incarnation. "Heresy" is another Psych gem alternate – a great take
of Side 1's "Coming Down"...
So there you have it. "The United States
Of America: The Columbia Recordings" is a superb reissue (with a nod to
Sundazed for doing the groundwork) and one that deserves your ear in all its
glorious and hopeful visions...
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