Genre: psych
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: A Trip Down the Sunset Strip
Company: Viva
Catalog: V 6003
Year: 1967
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: --
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4592
Price: $150.00
Cost: $58.00
Ah ... early Jean Jaques (aka J.J.) Cale and a classic slice of exploito rock. It doesn't get much better than this ...
1967 found producer/record executive Amos "Snuff" Garrett more than willing to cash in on popular music tastes. Interested in marketing a quickie LP that cashed in on the burgeoning West Coast psych scene, Garrett promptly recruited sessions guitarist Cale and the husband and wife Roger and Terrye Tillison, who as The Gypsy Trips (love the name), had previously recorded the single "Rock 'n' Roll Gypsies" b/w "Ain't It Hard" on the small World Pacific label. Like Cale, Roger was an Oklahoma native.
Released on Garrett's newly formed Viva Records, 1967's "A Trip Down the Sunset Strip" was billed as a concept piece - "In this album, we are trying to paint sound pictures of the Strip - the voices you hear above each recording are the actual voices of the Strip's inhabitants. The traffic noises are real - recorded on location. The songs contained in the album are "What's happening" - most of them got their start in the Hollywood area and later became national hits." Nothing like marketing ... With Cale producing, there wasn't anything wrong with top-40 covers such as 'Psychotic Reaction', 'Over Under Sideways Down' and 'Kicks'. While the covers were largely rote in nature, Cale and the Tillisons turned in some nice vocal performances. The one exception was Cale's rather ragged vocal performance on Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man'. Cale also distinguished himself via his guitar work. Among the highlights, while clearly added to the LP as filler material, were Cale's four original instrumentals. Anyone hearing 'Sunset and Clark', 'Non-Stop' or 'Pot Luck' will instantly know why Eric Clapton subsequently elected to record Cale's 'After Midnight'. Personal favorite; the rollicking 'Eight Miles High' cover. Killer guitars throughout.
"A Trip Down Sunset Strip" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Eight Miles High (Gene Clark - Jim McGuinn - David Crosby) - 2:03
2.) Sunset and Clark (instrumental) (John J. Cale) - 1:58
3.) Psychotic Reaction (Ellner - Chaney - Atkinson - Byrne - Michalski) - 2:23
4.) Over Under Sideways Down (Dreja - Keith Relf - Jeff Beck - Jim McCarty - Paul Samwell-Smith) - 2:10
5.) Sunshine Superman (Donovan) - 3:12
6.) Non-Stop (instrumental) (John J. Cale) - 2:30
(side 2)
1.) Arriba (instrumental) (John J. Cale) - 2:15
2.) Kicks (Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil) - 2:40
3.) Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan) - 2:08
4.) Puff (The Magic Dragon) - Peter Yarrow - Lipton) - 2:26
5.) Along Comes Mary (T. Almar) -2 :00
6.) Pot Luck (instrumental) (John J. Cale) - 3:04
As you all know, Cale's released a string of critically acclaimed (and marginally selling) solo LPs. On the other hand you may not know that Roger Tillison also released a solo LP - 1971's cleverly titled "Roger Tillison's Album" (ATCO catalog number SD 33-355). We've never heard it. Anyone know if it's any good?