The Guess Who - Canned Wheat (1969)

1. No Time
2. Minstrel Boy
3. Laughing
4. Undun
5. 6. A.M. Or Nearer
6. Old Joe
7. Of A Dropping Pin
8. Key
9. Fair Warning
10. Species Hawk *
11. Silver Bird *

Best Song: No Time

The Guess Who. A band that can both wake a person out of a coma with their bashing rockers, and yet still calm the most unbalanced person down with their gentle and mellow ballads (due in large part to lead singer’s Burton Cummings diversity in vocal styles) put out one of the most overlooked gems from the 1960’s. Coming out at the end of the decade, it would be released just as their attack on the American charts began.

Beginning with a ferocious bang, this first version “No Time” is superior to the hit single version later placed on their “American Woman” album. Once again, Cummings goes from gentle to maniacal, and back to gentle again almost instantly. Lyrics telling his lover that their time with each other just about to expire, this would be ideal on a “I just broke up with my significant other” soundtrack. Randy Bachman’s exceptional guitar solo was questionably missing from the later version.

On the surface, these guys wouldn’t appear as a group that would be jazz influenced, but the jazzy riffs on both “Undun” and “ 6 A.M. or Nearer” compliment their sound perfectly. Both songs contain very hypnotic flute solos, and a fittingly smooth approach by Cumming’s. It's as if had they done an album full of these types of numbers, it could've been the greatest Jazz-Rock album of its generation. The group were also coming into their own as songwriters as well, as demonstrated on the tear inducing “Minstrel Boy” and the piano driven “Old Joe” “Minstrel Boy” contains some of the saddest lyrics of its time, while “Old Joe” is about a man who has been mentally abused by an “angry, bitter world” and how us, the listeners, can figure out how to help this troubled young man.

           

The A-Side of “Undun”, “Laughing” is another tear inducing ballad, but at some times rhythmically uplifting (the chorus always puts a smile on my face because of this, even with the melancholy lyrics.) I always have a hard time figuring out which side of the single is better, and supposedly the DJs did too, with some of them mistakenly thinking “Undun” was actually the A-Side. Both sides hit the top 30, a not too often feat, barring some double A-Sided tracks. The 2 others, “Key” with its overly long drum solo, could’ve been cut a few minutes shorter, but is saved by great biblical lyrics and Burton's’s gentle delivery, he really does sound like a prophet on here. “Of A Dropping Pin”, has an interesting guitar riff, but I think I’ve heard it before. The two bonus tracks shouldn’t be overlooked either; “Species Hawk” is a downright rocker, rarely found on this album. And “Silver Bird”, with its soaring vocals, shines with all of the beauty in the world.

           

With interesting little musical interludes connecting a good amount of the songs, this is a vintage “Guess Who” sound. Put it on a rainy day, and just sit back and escape into this magic.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

The Doors - The Doors (1967)

1. Break On Through (To The Other Side)
2. Soul Kitchen
3. The Crystal Ship
4. Twentieth Century Fox
5. Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)
6. Light My Fire
7. Back Door Man
8. I Looked At You
9. End Of The Night
10. Take It As It Comes
11. The End

Best Song: Light My Fire

1967, a year that brought us Sgt. Pepper, Disraeli Gears, Surrealistic Pillow, and many other timeless albums, could very well belong to The Doors. With 2 classic albums in a 7 month period, any doubt that this band from Los Angeles would hold an important spot in the American Psychedelic scene would soon be extinguished. For sure, they weren’t the "trippiest" psych band, nor were they the first to do it, BUT they were arguably the most melodic to do it. But as far as "psychedelic" is concerned, that would just be one of the ingredients in this classic record, being the first important record of that year released, being put on shelves on January 4th.

The album begins with "Break On Through (To The Other Side)", its most hard hitting number (musically wise, not lyrically wise, as the "The End", as it appears like a calm and collective piece, is anything but that, concept wise) The INCREDIBLY catchy guitar riff, spellbinding keyboard solos, and Jim’s dominating delivery make this not only a highlight on the album, but a highlight of their whole discography. #126 on the charts? Smh…

The Doors were never a slouch at melodies either, as clearly shown in "Soul Kitchen" and "Twentieth Century Fox" the former being preferred over the latter. The opening lyrics to the song "Well the clock says its time to close now" never fails to catch my attention like seeing a skinny Santa Clause. As usual, a better than average guitar solo from Bobby Krieger accompanies Jim’s endearing command on the track. As a matter of fact, Jim’s vocals on this track are probably my favorite he’s ever done. Like on most of their albums, there aren’t very many "beautiful" tracks, in the normal sense of the word. "The Crystal Ship" probably being the only one. But, oh what a beauty it is. Jim’s voice is commanding and convincing enough for you to get out of your chair and to start searching for an actual crystal ship of your own. The build ups are breathtaking and the lyrics are one of the best by the band, EVER.

Here we get to the magnum opus of the record, the chart topping "Light My Fire." There are those brief moments in music that make even the most tragic events in life stop for a few minutes, in this case 7 minutes. Beginning and ending with Jim's verses, which would’ve been enough for it to secure classic status. I guess classic wasn’t enough for these guys, and low and behold they churn out one of the, if not THE BEST instrumental passages of all time. Those spine tingling guitar and keyboard solos, and the build up to the 2nd verse is nothing short of heavenly. Shame on the radio for cutting out the middle passage, but who listens to the radio nowadays anyway?

The two covers on the album "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)" and "Back Door Man" are listenable enough, but nothing spectacular, except for some nice keyboard riffs from Ray Manzarek on "Back Door Man". "Alabama Song" seems out of place on the record. I’m all for diversity, but it just doesn’t really fit for me. "I Looked At You" and "Take It as It Comes" are solid enough to not bring the record down, but they don’t hold up with the others, even if they are extremely catchy. Now we come to one of the most climatic events of an album in history, "The End" What can I say? The gentle, yet haunting guitar lines from Krieger, mixed with the apocalyptic lyrics makes this album go out with a bang. I always picture myself sitting in a sandstorm listening to this song. The lyrics are possibly the most creative the band ever made, filling up most of the 11 minute epic track.

One of the best debut albums in rock history, it is a must for any 60’s music lover. Although they would continue with their psychedelic sound on their next album "Strange Days", this album is a high point in the bands discography.

Rating: 5 out of 5