line up 1 (1967-68)

- Gini Graybeal -- vocals, percussion

- Bob Bohanna -- bass, guitar, vocals

- Larry Gerughty -- organ, piano, harpsichord, vocals

- Daniel NuDelman -- lead guitar, vocals

- Allen Wehr -- drums, percussion

- Butch Engle and the Styx (Larry Gerughty)

- The Mill Valley Rhythm Section and Choir (Allen Wehr)

- Pure Love and Pleasure (Bob Bohanna)

- The Styx (Larry Gerughty)

Genre: pop

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Two Suns Worth

Company: Fontana

Catalog: SRF-67573

Year: 1968

Country/State: Mill Valley, California

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: small drill hole in center of LP

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 4910

Price: $50.00

Here's a valuable reminder that price and rarity don't equate to quality.  This one sat around in my "listen to" pile for a couple of years.  It looked interesting, but other material kept rising to the top of the pile.  I finally gave it a spin after playing a nameless big ticket item that had been endlessly hyped.  Guess what?  Even though this one will cost you a tenth of the other album, it's way better !!!

Other than the fact keyboardist Larry Gerughty had previously been a member of Butch Engle and the Styx, I know virtually nothing about this outfit.  Since Butch Engle and company were based in Mill Valley, California and the album was recorded at Hollywood's Amigo Studios, there's a good chance these guys also had a Southern California base though they apparently attracted attention playing throughout San Francisco, including opening for the likes of Moby Grape and The Grateful Dead.

Signed by Fontana, the group's 1968 debut "Two Suns Worth" teamed them with producer Abe 'Voco' Kesh (of Blue Cheer fame). Interestingly the set was engineered by the late J.J. Cale (shown on the liner notes as John Cale, which is the likely explanation for why a lot of reference materials mistakenly claim the album was engineered by the John Cale of Velvet Underground fame). With three of the six memberscontributing material, the all original set offered up a distinctively West Coast sound that was simultaneously quite heavy, but also quite commercial.  At least a couple of reviews I've seen draw a comparison to The Jefferson Airplane.  It's not a perfect comparison, but gets you in the general aural neighborhood.   Exemplified by tracks such as 'Need Somebody' and 'I Cry' Graybeal had a great voice that could more than handle the band's heavy edges.  She also avoided the shrieking excesses favored by many of her contemporaries (Lynda Pense, Grace Slick).  The rest of the band were also pretty impressive with Daniel NuDelman kicking in more than his share of fuzz guitar - check out his epic meltdown solo on 'Point of No Return.'.  The album certainly wasn't perfect.  Bassist Bohanna's voice was okay, but nothing great and numbers like 'Hey Little Girl' and 'Even When I'm Down' were rather tuneless and un-spirited.  Still, there are enough treasures here to give the album a strong recommendation, particularly since you can still find this one cheap.  Personal favorites included 'Stone Good Day', the album's flower-power pop effort 'I See a Light' and the album's most lysergic performance - 'Jelly Gas Flame'.  

One album and one single is all she wrote, though bassist Bohanna later reappeared as a member of Pure Love and Pleasure.  I'd love to know what happened to the rest of the band.

"Two Suns Worth" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Need Someone (Bob Bohanna) - 4:28 rating: **** stars

Opening up with some nice NuDelman lead guitar, 'Need Someone' showcased Gini Graybeal's powerhouse voice.  She literally crashed her male counterpart.  Framed by Wehr's frenetic drumming (complete with kettle drums)  and NuDelman's squealing, thick chords, it made for one LOUD performance.  Interesting choice as the album's lone single:

- 1968's  'Need Somebody' b/w 'I See a Light' (Fontana catalog number F-1614).

2.) I Cry (Bob Bohanna) - 2:34 rating: *** stars

To my ears there was a large disconnect between the psych flavor that propelled 'I Cry' and vocalist Gini Graybeal's vocals.  Mind you, her voice was certainly nice, but it had kind of a Broadway vibe to it that was just at odds with NuDelman's fuzz guitar.

3.) Hey Little Girl (Bob Bohanna) - 2:22 rating: *** stars

Powered by Larry Gerughty's pounding keyboards, 'Hey Little Girl' found Bohanna and Graybeal trading off lead vocals.  An energetic rocker, the song suffered from one flaw - a really muddy sound.  The tune also faded out unexpectedly.

4.) Stone Good Day (Bob Bohanna) - 4:00 rating: **** stars

Image a stoned Mamas and the Papas deciding they wanted to sound like a rock band and you'll get a feel for 'Stone Good Day.'  One of the album's more commercial tracks, the tune had a nice melody, a great NuDelman fuzz guitar solo, while showcasing their sweet harmony vocals.  It was one of the album highlights but once again the production gave the song a distance, muddy sound.

5.) Even When I'm Up I'm Down (Daniel NuDelman) - 5:20 rating: ** stars

The first of three compositions from lead guitarist NuDelman, 'Even When I'm Up I'm Down' was another track that sounded like an effort to "toughen" up Mamas and Papas styled flower power pop.  This time out the melody wasn't very good; the vocals weren't very good; the lyrics weren't very good ...  Neither Wehr, nor Bohanna's solos were necessary and the mid-song freak-out section was just dull.

(side 2)
1.) Jelly Gas Flame (Daniel NuDelman) - 4:38 rating: **** stars

The album's most psychedelic tune, 'Jelly Gas Flame' melded a strong melody, Byrds-styled folk-rock guitar and acid-drenched lyrics.  Cool performance and the only complaint I have stems from the needless end-of-song freak-out section.  

2.) I See a Light (Daniel  NuDelman - Gini Graybeal) - 3:12 rating: **** stars

Opening up with some lovely Gerughty harpsichord, 'I See a Light' was another radio friendly tune and the one track that actually bore a mild resemblance to the Baroque pop moves of The Left Banke and the flower-power pop sounds of The Mamas and Papas.  The song also appeared as the "B" side to their 'I Need Somone' 45.

3.) Live For Today (Bob Bohanna) - 3:12 rating: *** stars

The band at their most folk-rock-ish, I love the Bohanna's acoustic guitar riff that carries the song.  The group harmonies don't do as much for me.

4.) Point Of No Return (Larry Gerughty) - 5:02 rating: **** stars

Opening up with a jazzy guitar riff, 'Point Of No Return' quickly shifted into a strange mash-up recalling The Jefferson Airplane trying to mimic The Free Design while The Free Design were trying to sound like The Jefferson Airplane.  The track was also worth hearing for the NuDelman's epic meltdown guitar solo.

5.) So Glad Being Here (Bob Bohanna) - 3:37 rating: *** stars

The bouncy 'So Glad Being Here' was seemingly the band's stab at top-40 commerciality.  I imagine it's what John Phillips and company would have sounded like had someone spiked one of their recording sessions with a heavy dose of speed.