The first noticeable feature is the cover. It is the same backdrop and image, albeit with a couple of additional faces and ‘framed’, as their first LP, entitled Love, released earlier in the year. Really odd.
Side 1 is a real mixture of short, at times, almost pop like tunes with a definite 60’s edge. The dreaminess of the day propels itself forward on tracks such as Que Vida! But don’t get too comfortable because as soon as you sit back trying to remember back to the day, out of each speaker explodes the driving nature of Seven and seven is. A heavy riffed, roof down highway song which pulls no punches with the drums of Alban ‘snoopy’ Pfisterer (I guess he had to spell that a few times in his life) influencing this track significantly. Surprisingly, when you hear it, this was the single released from the LP and which had a small commercial success. The side concludes with a lovely song entitled ‘She comes in colours’. Probably the most ‘60’s’ of all the songs here. You can hear this type of sound across so many bands from this era especially if they came from the West Coast.
Side 2 is, to me, a surprise. Well, maybe not a surprise if your listening tastes are concept LP’s from the early and mid 70’s. It is a single track and for this to be released in 1966, it is a little unusual to say the least for a record of this era to feature a full length, single track across the B side. It works as well – flows beautifully and shows off the skills of the individual musicians credited on the LP. It starts with vocals almost as if it was to be a 4 minute song, but then picks up the driving rhythm that sees it through the rest of the song, throws in a little harmonica and a vocal that peps up the interest and keeps it going, with a flourishing finale that is worthy of a band that was to go onto greater things within a few months.
If you have Forever Changes in your catalogue it is well worth adding this. A pre-runner to the LP that was to become a classic it showcases the talent of a band, the nucleus of which was to create something special only a few months hence.
