Lost Recordings

were a Wisconsin in the mid-'60s heavily influenced by and and this extremely brief (22 minutes) collection of the group's recordings from 1967 shows just how derivative they actually were. which is probably the best track here, bubbles along on a speeded up (via ) progression while is clearly ' with a different set of lyrics. Likewise takes its melody and even the tone and feel of its lyrics from 's and the arrangement is exactly the same as ' version of the song. All of this is a bit bothersome, but weren't doing anything that a thousand other local bands weren't also doing at the time, and copping from , is what gives the whole band phenomenon of the '60s its signature feel and sound. Still, nothing here generates more than historical interest, and even the much lauded (included here in two versions), which has been cited as a lost classic, hardly lives up to its billing. Bands like this one were extremely valuable in their local communities, places where megastars like weren't likely to visit, but translated to a larger stage, well, the world already had , and while imitation is flattery, it's still imitation, however nicely configured it might be. ~ Steve Leggett