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Mother Tuckers Yellow Duck - Home Grown Stuff (1969)

Track listing:
  1. Times Are Changing 2:43
  2. No One In Particular 3:41
  3. Little Pony 2:12
  4. One Glass For Wine 3:13
  5. Elevated Platform 2:37
  6. Walk Your Head Around 4:36
  7. One Ring Jane 4:21
  8. Pot O´ Gold 3:27
  9. Intermission Poetry 3:10
  10. Funny Feeling 5:46
  11. Blue Dye 2:43
  12. Someone Think 3:53

Notes

Formed in Vancouver, Quebec in 1968, their first 45 has become their most sought-after item. Described on their second album as a "happy mixture of psychedelic rock, blues-rock, jazz-rock with an overall country flavour" their material is an enjoyable and diverse mixture of styles.

The first album is the stronger of the two, being the less country-influenced and more psychedelic. Crammed with excellent guitar-work throughout and fine harmony vocal arrangements, the highlights include the uptempo Times Are Changing, the great country-rocker One Glass For Wine, the dynamic lick-laden One Ring Jane, the sublime melancholy of Funny Feeling and the climatic slow-burning finale of Somebody Think, which can also be appreciated on Echoes In Time, Vol. 1. Recommended - an album to savour. The group was slated for inclusion on the Cool-Aid Benefit album but either Capitol or their management put the nix on it! Debut LP is excellent rural folkrock/psychrock that's still reasonably easy to score. Closest point of reference is probably Kak, though this is less rocking and more mellow/stoned. Two duds, otherwise solid all through with a peak in two guitar psych killers on side 2 that will blow your head clean off. Second LP is reported as being similar but not quite as good. They also had a great non LP 45. Some video material of the band performing five songs live on Canadian TV is in circulation and well worth tracking down.

Canadian answer to Wizards Of Kansas and other hard rocking almost-rural late 60s/early 70s bands. Side two opens with “One Ring Jane” an absolute classic of out of control fuzz guitar and heavy rock riffing, and not surprisingly nothing else on the album is anywhere near as good.

The second effort has less highlights but is still enjoyable. Both are quite hard to find nowadays and have a very high level of musicianship.

Very hard to find official and very limited reissue on EMI Canada of the killer first album by this legendary Candian '60's psych band with Guess Who connections. A mixture of West Coast melodic acid rock/pop (similar to Moby Grape) and rural hippy psych (Quicksilver/Dead) this 1969 album features amazing sustained guitar work on tracks like "Times Are Changing" and the scorching "One Ring Jane". Things get spacey and mellow during the dreamy psych of "Elevated Platform" and, overall, this album is a gem from start to finish. Awesome sound quality and the original artwork !