Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The 7th Seal - Reflections (1967)


Η μετεξέλιξη των The English Muffins είναι αυτή που έχουμε εδώ. Ευχάριστες εκτελέσεις από αυτά τα κολεγιόπαιδα από το Bridgewater College και το Eastern Mennonite College, ως επί το πλείστον διασκευές, αλλά κατά την άποψή μου καλά παιγμένες. Ας μην περάσει απαρατήρητο.

Personnel:
WILLIAM CRAUN drms A
MARC FARLEY bs, vcls A
DANNY LEGGE gtr A
ED "SHRED" SCHROEDER ld gtr, vcls A B C
LARRY TRAITOR vcls A
BOB ALTIC organ B
STEVE HALE vcls B C
BRUCE PETERSON drms B C
STEVE UPDIKE bs B C
RICHARD PRICE organ C

ALBUM:
1(A) REFLECTIONS (Justice JLP - 0) 1999
45:
1(B) People Grow On You/The Day Before Love (Gama 45-676) Apr. 1968
NB: (1) credited to "The 7th Seal".

The quintet, attending college in Bridgewater, Virginia were previously known as The English Muffins. Their album, a limited edition of 400, is taken from tapes for an unreleased Justice LP recorded in Winston-Salem, NC in 1967. Whilst many on the Justice label suffer from a dearth of originals and a similar selection of cover material, several originals are included here, which occupy minor-mood introspective garage-ballad territory. Well I Know is a fine example and their reworking of It's My Pride, from their English Muffins repertoire, is very Zombiesque in the vocal arrangements. Proud Reflections is a moody jangler. The dark horse and arguably the best track is Make Your Bed, a low-key folk-punker that ends surprisingly in a crescendo of drums and feedback.
Of the covers, Till The End Of The Day and Mister You're A Better Man Than I are above-par with searing lead guitar. Soulful aspirations are aired in Midnight Hour and the Rascals' Come On Up, whereas blues reign in the near five-minute finale I've Got A Mind To Give Up Livin'.
Numerous photos and an insert with the band's history complete a welcome release, certainly one of the most interesting and rewarding from the Justice stable.
By April 1968 and the Gama 45, Schroeder was the sole survivor of the LP line-up. Organist Bob Altic had been an early member of the English Muffins; he was replaced soon after the 45 by Richard Price. People Grow On You is great psych with whispering vox at the beginning and end (sans music) and nice guitar work. The flip, composed by Steve Hale, is a ballad - OK but nothing exceptional.
(Max Waller/Frank Uhle/Brent Hosier)

Tracks
Side One
1. Sympathy
2. Midnight Hour
3. Till the End of the Day
4. Mr. You're a Better man Than I
5. Mustang Sally
6. Well I Know
7. It's My Pride
8. Come on Up
9. Proud Reflections
10. Make Your Bed
11. I've Got a Mind to Give Up Livin'

3 comments:

kostas said...

και εψαχνα σε ξενα blog να βρω κατι της προκοπης!!!

Psych-Spaniolos said...

όχι κολακίες....χομπι κανουμε...να εισαι καλα

Unknown said...

I'm Marc Farley. It's a real honor to have these projects assembled and released. I thank you from my heart.
Marc.