For more background please check post on their second LP "Marrying Maiden". Not totally into to that yet, but keeping it as a grower. With this however I'm all in from the beginning. Sweet sunshine psych mixed with rock'n'roll, all very well performed including lots a organ, violin and vibrant femal vocals. I do appreciate the offensive tracks more - like the long haunting "Time Is", or the almost disturbing "Wasted Union Blues" with its squeeky interplay between violin and guitar. But also intrigued by the much softer "White Bird", again with some guitar-violin synergy towards the end. And it is interesting to hear the "Bombay Calling" intro, which Deep Purple so shamelessly stole (borrowed?) almost note by note for their epic "Child In Time". To me this is good listening all through, including a small but not unimportant piece of rock history, and as such highly recommended. Issued and reissued on vinyl and CD all over the world through the years, also 8-track and cassette. Premiere US and Canadian on Columbia (CS 9768). Japan 2008 limited ed. in paper sleeve CD on Muskrat Records (RATCD 4283). First UK had label as shown here on thick vinyl in a matt fold/out cover. (FÄV*)
Got a mail with some interesting mono info on this from Randall Smith, copied below...
SvaraRaderaThere is a version where Side 1 is in mono. But apparently it is an error where either the left or right channel was sent to both sides. I don’t think it is a fold-down. Side 2 in normal stereo. I had listened to the LP forever and when the CD was released it just didn’t sound right to me. I have never found any information anywhere on this error. This past weekend I found another copy. The matrix is xsm138933-2B in the dead wax on Side 1.