I bought a mono copy of the debut back in the fall of '67 after hearing "Get Together" (for some reason "Grizzly Bear" didn't get airplay in Rhode Island, where I was living) and never got over it. This was an interesting group. Though they took their name from a Coasters song, and they did have humor and a sense of playfulness about them, unlike most groups of their time, directly referenced their influences while creating a hybrid style all their own. Jesse Colin Young was the veteran of the group--he'd already had a major label out in 1964, the unfairly forgotten
The Soul of a City Boy--and he lent a depth and gravity to their sound. "Get Together" was not really typical of what they were about; neither was "Sunlight" yet their most pastoral ballads are what they're remembered for, not the rollicking fun of "Grizzly Bear" which I suspect is what they enjoyed doing most. It's been argued they never reached their potential, but I think this album was as far as they could go without becoming silly or psychedelic (both of which go together, of course). "Four in the Morning" sums up a lot of life in just a few minutes. For me, this album and MOBY GRAPE have remained the freshest of debut albums, almost timeless in themes and the direct simplicity of the performance.
It's unfortunate this isn't a better quad mix, however. Very messy, not sufficient separation or proper placement, not sure what the tape situation was, but it coulda, shoulda been better. Balancing out the mix and music quality, I'll give this a seven, but as you say, the album's an 11.
ED
