Artist: The Youngbloods
Album: Elephant Mountain
Year: 1969
Positives: This one was a total surprise to me. I had only known this band for one song, the hippie anthem "Get Together," which is not even on this album. So I did not really know what to expect. What I found was a great little classic rock album with some jazzy and psychedelic touches here and there. Wonderful songwriting throughout. First track "Darkness, Darkness" is great, but the album gets even better in its second half: the jazzy "Trillium" and orchestra-driven "Quicksand" form a solid one-two punch. This one reminded me of The Byrds' Notorious Byrd Brothers for some reason...probably due to the combination of folk-rock, psychedelia, and jazz...and as I've established, that's one of my favorite albums of the 1960's..
Negatives: Nothing really. No real flaws. If anything, I guess the album doesn't really feel all that "essential" or groundbreaking when compared with other albums I've been hearing lately, but for what it is, it's expertly crafted and surprisingly modern-sounding.
Overall: Great album. Love it when an album sneaks up on me like this. "Quicksand" and "Darkness, Darkness" stand among the better 60's pop-rock songs I've heard, and just about everything on this album worked for me. A definite keeper.
Rating: Worth repeated listens
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