After A Nice Bath

After Bathing At Baxter's was one of yesterday's listens. I was ripping the mono Sundazed vinyl to the computer and got to listen to it twice, once as I ripped, and once as I edited out the clicks and pops. I was familiar with the song Saturday Afternoon/Won't You Try, but the rest of the record was new to me.

Released in 1967, this is a woolly, hippy record. It is uneven, raucous, and a lot of fun. The songs sound as if they were recorded with a lot of spontaneity and freedom, and that seem appropriate for 1967. Grace Slick sounds great, she soars. There is not TOO much Marty Balin, which is good for me as his ego maniacal statements over the years turned me off of his singing gifts. To try to be fair, Young Girl Sunday Blues is a good song, and well sung by Marty.

The playing is so much fun, it has that wide eyed herewegowonderwhatwillhappen approach that much of the best music from the era has. OK, the 9 minute jam is not really my cup of tea, I prefer more structured music, you know, tunes and songs, but who cares. Part of the joy is that the band was willing and excited to release this type of record. A Small Package Of Value Will Come To You, Shortly is a hoot, and reminds me of some of the stuff that Zappa was doing with voices around this time. It is not the kind of thing I will choose regularly, but I will smile when it comes up on shuffle.

The Sundazed mono is clear and was well pressed. There is a lot of slam to the bass when I turn the record up enough. There were a few pops and clicks, but nothing too distracting. I may have an older (but not original) pressing of this record in the stacks, so I will check out the diff between the two mixes. I understand that the original mono was rather rare.

If you are the type to enjoy LSD hippie music, then this is something you must check out. I got the record on sale for about $12, and consider it a very good purchase. Here is a little taste, but do not expect great sound, just a tease.