Oldish Psych and Prog

From Cleveland, Ohio their ultra rarities are well worth seeking out for connoisseurs of psychedelia. The first album, which was only issued as a promotional acetate, is an effective blend of keyboards and guitar. Fire Climbs is the outstanding track but there are lots of other highs on this album which is well worth searching for.

Their next effort similarly didn't get beyond the acetate stage. Even more keyboard-orientated than the first one with lots of synthesiser it perhaps inevitably leans more towards the progressive genre. A different version of Fire Climbs and the final track, Freedom Son are among the highlights and there's still some fine psychedelic guitar work in places. Fortunately, you can now check it out on the Rockadelic reissue.

Their third venture was made under the name Fun. The opening cut, Music is superb, whilst on the whole this acetate is more experimental than their earlier recordings. I Shall Stay, for example, is quite chaotic. They went on to evolve into Moonlight Drive releasing some 45s and a mini-LP with quite a lot of Doors' covers.

Kenneth Stab died in 1973.

01. The Music 3:08
02. One More Goodbye 3:58
03. He Loves You 2:51
04. I Shall Stay 3:59
05. Relics 4:21
06. Doncha Cry 3:26
07. You Gotta Have Fun 1:06
08. Ain't That The Way She Goes 3:05
09. A Dream For Me 3:36
10. Forever 4:29
bonus:
11. Not Over- Flying Turns 5:12
12. I Am You 5:06

Bill Pettujohn - vcl
Tom Brehm - gtr, vln
Jerry Moran - keys
Tim Layman - bss
Scott Barnes - bss
Dale Flanigan - drms
Butch Roth - drms
Peggy Cella - b. vcls
Frank Jay - announcer

Homestead:
This album from Dragonwyck (also released for the first time) is a sort of rock’n roll star progressive rock opera, a bit lighter than usual, in fact a strange combination of lightness and seriousness, with ambitious parts too. The result more sounds like a more progressive Queen, like inspired by Curved air (violin and keyboards on track 4), mixed with some light and glamerous rock or hard rock band like Meatloaf. They say it is "orchestrated rock without an orchestra”. The theme is "fun”. This includes a cynical way of presence, almost in the direction of serious cabaret but while in that way coming to the edge of seriousness, even cynically meant, it hangs a bit dangerously on the edge of areas of bad tastes, without being spoiled by it yet, but without bringing me fun. It is more a bit confusing. Is this progressive of something lighter or does it make it also a bit the other way around ?
The bonus tracks were recorded two years later, when they changed their name into Flying Turns. This is a more serious but grotesk-operatic cabaret-stage rock version of their previous project, with a calmer more dominating keyboard based background.