According to the liner notes, the first 10 song recording session was brought to fruition by a Duke student, Elizabeth Locke, who wanted to record some of her own songs with the band. The deal was that she would pay for the session and after her songs were tracked then the band would have free reign in the studio. Thus, the first track "Troubles" features Elizabeth on lead vocals. The band really pulls back the reigns on "Tell Me"(Stones cover) showcasing the purer side of the band's vocal abilities and trading the fast drumming coupled with distorted guitars for a clean (almost acoustic) tone. The last four songs on the album were recorded late in '67 and shows the band's growth in to a slightly more psychedelic realm. This occurs most notably on "VD's Thing", a darker instrumental jam with every instrument trading rippin' solos. However, the first track from this session "No Need To Wonder Why" is much more along the lines of psych-folk a la Donovan, opting for a slower tempo and beautiful vocal harmonies which combine to help create a wonderfully executed composition.
Truly a lost gem of the Nuggets era garage scene, this album is on par with the best of what's been reissued in the subsequent decades since the 60's demise. Press buttons firmly.
Hi! Thanks for your comments. Although I've never heard of the two bands we were "inspired by", (if anyone it was the Stones, the Animals, the Lovin' Spoonful, and Love.) I appreciated your perceptions. By the way, who is your uncle?
ReplyDeleteHi Robert!
ReplyDeleteGeeez sorry it took me so long to see this comment. Honestly, I rarely think to check comments here after I post because there rarely are any! In any case, my friend Jared's uncle is Steve Denenberg. I realize the bands I made comparisons too were more obscure contemporaries rather than predecessors but I feel like the sound of those bands were more fitting with The Horde than the typical Stones name drop. Although, I can definitely hear the Stones and Animals influence for sure. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you get notified of this comment somehow all these months later. Also, I plan on posting a radio show of Steve Denenberg and "Stormin' Norman" from WDBS circa 1966 up on here soon. I digitized it from a 1/4" tape that Jared gave me a while back.