Rotary Connection (04/10/19)

So this one time in 1968, some record execs thought "wouldn't it be great if we could find a way to make money off Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf again?" Obviously they would need some hip youngsters as the backup band, because the psychedelic scene was the thing...

... here's the debut album that won Rotary Connection those gigs. I think technically it's psychedelic soul, but i'd file it under the "what the hell am i listening to" section (a compliment in my book). Strings, brass, sitar, harp, choir, pretty sure there's both an actual theremin and a vocal imitation of a theremin in there, alongside the normal guitar/bass/drums. There's a spectacularly bizarre cover of just the chorus from "like a rolling stone" and had Issac Hayes considered the unique contributions an electric harpsichord could make when helping to write the eternal classic "soul man," well let's just say the world would be a completely different place.

Rotary Connection's material was lost in the 2008 universal fire, but i have 2 of their records, so we'll hear from them again at some point.

Most bands from the psychedelic era sound like they are sympathetic to the experience while remaining in full control of their mental and physical faculties. Not so here. These people sound completely out of their minds, and if you need proof listen to their insane gregorian chant/partridge family rendition of jagger and richards' "ruby tuesday."

The whole album is concluded by sporadically sampling itself, and i'm half tempted to listen to the whole thing again just to make sure i didn't fall asleep and imagine it.

P.S. for the record, i like Electric Mud, but i haven't heard that howlin' wolf album so no comment.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDDAYQXk_M65nHeVtkRt9kxkIuvnMVMGA

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