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Tommy James & The Shondells - Crystal Blue Symphonies: The Psychedelic Years
Twofer of 1969 albums
After their earlier incarnation as a bubblegum pop singles band, James and his crew moved into newer, more experimental territory with the two albums collected here, Crimson & Clover and Cellophane Symphony. The first LP has its memorable, heavily FX-ed title track sitting alongside the easy groove of Crystal Blue Persuasion, and one bubblegum throwback with Do Something To Me. Other tracks made full use of studio tricks such as phasing, backward tapes and fuzz effects, though there weren’t any other memorable songs to use them on.
Cellophane Symphony opens with the spacey, extended and somewhat self-indulgent title track, before diving into a set of songs that often meander, rather than excite major reaction. Sweet Cherry Wine rescues things a little, though the whole is spoilt by a couple of “humorous” throwaways. Aside from around three interesting songs, there’s not a lot to get excited about here.
Rev-Ola | CRREV 280
Reviewed by Kingsley Abbott
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