Henry Tree - Electric Holy Man (Digipack)

Original release 1968
Re-issue 2007 FootPrint Records
Digipack !!!

Leroy Markish (guitar, vocals), Bill DeArango (guitar), Charles McLaughlin (bass), Carmen Castaldi (drums)

This is one of the ‚"lesser‚" Mainstream psych albums, though it’s more interesting than you might expect. It’s a pure power trio with no overdubs (not even backing vocals), but the song structures are complex enough to make up for the simple arrangements. They mix rural rock ,blues, jazz, acoustic ballads and some Xian lyrics, and it’s rather an odd result. At its best it’s quite challenging. ‚"Mr. Fear,‚" in particular, has a lovely melody and is an evocative work. All of side one is pretty good, actually, though some fast noodly guitar leads are a bit bothersome. The long songs meander, recalling Nucleus (also on Mainstream), but it’s much better: the worst bits sound much more like failed experiments than stoned indifference. Side two is quite a bit less interesting than side one, though, and this ends up being half of a promising album. [AM]