Unit 4 - Concrete & Clay (CD, Imported)

The sudden success of "Concrete and Clay" sent group and record company alike scrambling to do an LP. The sound is a mix of soft, harmony-based folk ("500 Miles," "Cotton Fields," "Wild Is the Wind"), folk-gospel ("Swing Down Chariot"), and Latin-flavored pop ("La Bamba" etc.), along with a rock number or two ("The Girl From New York City"). The repertory obviously reflects the group's live sets of the era. Strangely enough, it's all done in mono -- one would think that stereo would've been standard by 1965 -- and all of it is pleasing, though the results are also slightly on the bland side. As musicians, the bandmembers were impeccable -- especially notable are David Meikle's and Howard Lubin's guitars -- and they harmonized well vocally. In the studio, at least, however, they just weren't that exciting, coming off as slightly more insipid competitors of Peter & Gordon and Chad & Jeremy. ~ Bruce Eder