Vinyl Relics: Underground by The Electric Prunes
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The Psych Ward–Part One by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
The Psych Ward–Part One by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
This album, Part One, bombed commercially upon release but has become celebrated by psychedelic rock fans and remains one of my favorite lesser-known relics of the era.
For me, the bizarre story of the band adds to its allure. An eccentric millionaire named Bob Markley made a deal with the band that he would promote and buy expensive equipment for them if they’d let him shake a tambourine onstage. His sole interest at that point was hitting on the young girls who came to the band’s shows. Markley came up with the band’s cumbersome name and registered it to himself, meaning he had the power to replace anyone in the band as he saw fit. He also channeled all the publishing through his own
The bizarre story of the band adds to its allure.
company and soon started demanding more creative input, despite having no musical aptitude. As you can imagine, this led to quite a bit of contention, even fisticuffs, within the outfit’s ranks. It’s truly remarkable that the album turned out as good as it did.
“Shifting Sands” is the opening track. With a mysterious vibe, the song is set to a waltz and sung from the perspective of a nomadic individual wandering endlessly.
Employing a rhythm that sounds like a heartbeat on the second track, “I Won’t Hurt You”, was a nice trick that’s completely effective. It’s a fragile and surprisingly sensitive song that tugs gently at the heartstrings, and it’s also the most-streamed song from Part One.
“1906” is a truly unusual song that features spoken word vocals over background harmonies and an Eastern-sounding guitar solo. The spoken parts are strange and each verse ends with “I don’t feel well”. Sample verse: “Many strangers have arrived/ Wearing immense black boots/ Selling buttons at my door/ I don’t feel well”. Pure strangeness.
Not only did The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band cover Frank Zappa’s ultra-bizarre “Help, I’m a Rock”, but they actually put it out as a single. This composition (I’m not sure I’d call it a song) was released by The Mothers of Invention on their debut album just nine months prior and is about as non-commercial as you can get. It contains a lot of wacky voices and unmitigated weirdness. TWCPAEB does a pretty straightforward rendition, although they added a line about “picking up some freaks at Pandora’s Box” (the site of the 1966 riots on the Sunset Strip).
“Leiyla” is another notable track, again, largely due to its eccentricities. Starting with a fast shuffle beat, the song is infused with a weird, wacky voice repeatedly saying the titular woman’s name and some unintelligible words. There’s a pleasant acoustic guitar interlude right about where the bridge would be in most songs. This is perhaps the most unusual love song you’ll ever hear.
The rest of the songs on the album are standard, likable 60s folk-rock fare: “Will You Walk with Me”, “Transparent Day”, “Here’s Where You Belong”, “If You Want This Love”, and “‘Scuse Me, Miss Rose”. They almost seem too normal for this piece of work.
Overall, the album is enjoyable and demonstrates some legitimate talent. It’s a shame that the band was cursed from the moment they signed their deal with the devil, er…Markley, but this album is one worth hearing.
Related: The 100 Best Psychedelic Rock Albums of the Golden Era
The Top 100 Psychedelic Rock Artists of All Time
The Top 200 Psychedelic Songs of the Original Psychedelic Era
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3 thoughts on “The Psych Ward–Part One by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band”
I Won’t Hurt You features a haunting but sublime heartbeat rhythm track
love the WCPAEB NR 3
love the nr 3 a child of a few hours