Wheatfield Soul

About

This 1969 semi-masterpiece features the band’s first major hit (“These Eyes”), a strings- and brass-slathered time capsule that, upon closer listen, might be the saddest breakup song to come out that year. The album is wildly varied, from the baroque pop of “A Wednesday in Your Garden,” “Maple Fudge," and “Found Her in a Star” (all recalling late-’60s Bee Gees and The Zombies' <i>Odessey and Oracle</i>) to the Doors-esque “Friends of Mine” and the drone and fuzz of “Love and a Yellow Rose” (with Randy Bachman’s sitar). The latter song's sunshine pop sounds straight from California’s West Coast. There’s also a folky tribute to Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot (“Lightfoot”) made great by a few Tim Hardin–like couplets, such as “His hair blondish and poetic/He is less than vinyl perfect.” The hilarious album closer (“We’re Coming to Dinner”) could’ve worked in a Broadway musical. This was the first Guess Who album to feature Burton Cummings on lead vocals throughout. Gifted producer Jack Richardson (Bob Seger, Alice Cooper) believed in the songs so much he that mortgaged his house to finance the recordings.

via Apple Music

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