Eternity's Children - Timeless (Rev-Ola) 1968

Biography Eternity's Children's second and last LP, oddly, was only released in Canada. After working with Curt Boettcher and Keith Olsen for their first album, they switched to another renowned California producer, Gary Paxton. Surprisingly, perhaps, Timeless is yet more happy-go-lucky than its predecessor, with weaker material, though it retains a chipper male-female sunshine pop harmonic base. The songs are upbeat, though the blue-eyed soul of "Get Outta Here" is an exception (one is even titled "Sunshine and Flowers"), but forgettable even if much effort clearly went into the vocal and instrumental arrangements. There are a couple of unlikely obscure Byrds connections here in songs co-written with Jan Paxton by both Gene Parsons ("Christina in My Dreams") and Clarence White ("Nature's Child"), while the "Nature Boy"-styled Jan Paxton-Ben Benay composition "Gypsy Minstrel Man" provides the sole change of pace from the relentless cheerfulness. This mighty rare album is included on the Cherry Red CD compilation Eternity's Children, which also includes their first album, also titled Eternity's Children, and some tracks from non-LP singles. allmusic.com

Tracklist

01.I Wanna Be With You 2:09

02.Nature's Child 2:12

03.The Other Side Of Me 2:03

04.Look Away 2:18

05.Christina In My Dreams 2:19

06.Sunshine And Flowers 2:56

07.Till I Hear It From You 2:08

08.Get Outta Here 2:38

09.Gypsy Minstrel Man 2:34

10.The Thinking Animal 2:48

Line-up

Linda Lawley - Vocals

Charles Ross - Vocals, Bass

Mike "Kid" McClain - Vocals, Keyboards

Roy Whittaker - Drums

Bo Wagner - Drums

Purple Gang - The Purple Gang Strikes 1968

Biography : The Purple Gang's sole record is an oddity, not comfortably fitting into any of the scenes folk, folk-rock, psychedelia with which some historians have associated it. Actually, it's moderately engaging, moderately modernized jug band music, quite mild even compared to the better revivalists of the style in the 1960s, like Jim Kweskin or Dr. West's Medicine Show & Junk Band. There's little hint of electric rock or psychedelia, and one's left with the feeling that you had to be there to get hip to what made them hip, or that they wouldn't have been that interesting even if you were there. Tossing expectations aside and just judging what's on the platter, it's OK jug band revival music, albeit with wholly original material. It's also pretty restrained, almost to the point of gentility, in its fervor and humor. A bit of the hippie acid-folk vibe seeps into one of the better and more mysterious cuts, "The Wizard," which actually does have a trilling electric guitar. A wee bit of British pop-psych bonhomie also colors "The Sheik," "Kiss Me Goodnight Sally Green," and their most famous track by far, "Granny Takes a Trip" (which is still jug band-based, despite the psychedelic implications that some read into the title). Ultimately, though, it's surprisingly tame and ordinary. Review by Richie Unterberger

Tracklist:
01.Auntie Monica 3:04
02.Bootleg Whisky 3:18
03.Viola Lee Blues 3:10
04.The Wizard 3:49
05.Mr Aldred Jones 2:57
06.Granny Takes a Trip 2:38
07.Overseas Stomp 2:15
08.Freightliner 2:50
09.The Sheik 3:08
10.Rising Sun 2:23
11.Kiss Me Goodnight Sally Green 2:30
Bonus Tracks:
12.Carlo's Circus (Unreleased Bonus Track) 3:34
13.Madam Judge (Unreleased Bonus Track 4:13
14.Brown Shoes (Unreleased Bonus Track 4:42
15.The King Comes Riding (Unreleased Bonus Track 4:49

The Purple Gang:
Joe Beard - guitar
Geoff Bowyer - organ
Pete Walker - vocals
Ank Langley - jug, banjo
Gerry Robinson - mandolin, harmonica