STAINED GLASS - CRAZY HORSE ROADS 1968

The wonderful world of Crazy Horse Roads, released in 1968 by Stained Glass, has been unjustly forgotten with the passing of time. The band started out life covering Beatles songs in San Jose, California. Their first single, a cover of the Beatles’ If I Needed Someone was released in 1966. It was a respectable cover of the Beatle’s classic though the flip was better, being a moody folk-rock original.

The single tanked, prompting the band to quickly release the self-penned My Buddy Sin later on that year. My Buddy Sin was an excellent folk rock song with wailing harmonica, soaring harmonies, sharp lyrics and an acid tinged production. This single failed to attract attention despite it’s quality, forcing the band to record a brill building classic for their next 45.

In the 1960’s, artists and rock bands depended on the success of the single to grant them artistic and creative control/freedom (making albums). We Got A Long Way To Go was a huge local hit, well executed, pleasant enough and professional, though betraying the band’s roots and creative aspirations. A few other decent though commercially unsuccessful singles followed in the psychedelic pop vein. Eventually the band was granted freedom to record two albums on the Capital label.

Crazy Horse Roads is a unique effort, and much different from their jam oriented Aurora album. There are some solid psych pop songs (Night Cap, Twiddle My Thumbs and Fingerpainting), soul rock (Two Make One and Fahrenheit), galloping country-rock (Horse On Me) and hard folk-rockers (Light Down Below, Doomsday, I Sing You Sing, and Soap and Turkey). Doomsday really stands out as the lost mini classic though, with some huge vibrating fuzz riffs, hard strumming accoustic guitars, tight harmonies and a psychedelic production. Night Cap is also a really good bouncy, twisted psych pop song with a British influence. You never know whats coming next throughout the album and the band’s sound resembles Moby Grape, HMS Bounty and Buffalo Springfield.

Aurora, released the following year (1969), is only half a good album finding the band indulging in a guitar based San Fransisco ballroom style. Jim McPherson, the founding member of Stained Glass, went on to form Copperhead with Quicksilver’s John Cippolina. Together they made one expensive (for the time), quality album that was overlooked in it’s day. Oh, and by the way, this album is housed in arguably the greatest cover of the 60’s.

By Jason (http://therisingstorm.net/stained-glass-crazy-horse-roads/)

Tracks :

1. I Sing You Sing
2. Finger Painting
3. Soap and Turkey
4. Twiddle My Thumbs
5. Fahrenheit
6. Nightcap
7. Horse on Me
8. Two Make One
9. Light Down Below
10. Piggy Back Ride and the Camel
11. Doomsday
12. If I Needed Someone - (Bonus Track)
13. How Do You Expect Me to Trust You? - (Bonus Track)
14. My Buddy Sin - (Bonus Track)
15. Vanity Fair - (Bonus Track)
16. We Got a Long Way to Go - (Bonus Track)
17. Corduroy Joy - (Bonus Track)
18. Scene in Between, A - (Bonus Track)
19. Mediocre Me - (Bonus Track)
20. Lady in Lace - (Bonus Track)

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Ripped By : evermoreblues
Artwork Included