Beacon Street Union "Eyes Of The Beacon Street Union" (MGM Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Wes Farrell, Gary Kellgren & George Schowerer)
One of those weird, all-over-the-map psychedelic pastiche albums that oozed out of the music industry as record label after record label tried to figure out what kinda crap might click with all those stoned and trippin' hippies. Loud guitars, pretentious spoken word passages, spacey proto-electronica, faux-"Eastern" riffs, the whole nine yards. This Boston-based band included John Lincoln Wright as its callow young lead singer, Robert Rhodes contributing jazzy, Doors-ish keyboards, Paul Tartachny on lead guitar, Wayne Ulaky playing bass and Richard Weisburg providing some fairly textured and inventive percussion. I'm sure there are those who might consider this disc to be a lost classic, or at least a hilariously kitschy period piece, ala the West Coast Experimental Pop Art Band albums... which this disc greatly resembles. There are some arguably worthwhile tracks, though, like the weird but wonderful "Sadie Says No" (where they oddly pronounce the gal's name as "Saddy," not "Saydie") as well as the jittery, jacked-up public service announcement, "Speed Kills," and the grandiose delusions of the album's sludgy closer, "The Prophet." But for the purpose of our country and country-rock explorations, there's very little hint of Wright's reincarnation as a twang auteur. It took him a while to get there.
Beacon Street Union "The Clown Died In Marvin Gardens" (MGM Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Wes Farrell, Gary Kellgren & Eddie Kramer)
Ambitious, or desperate? I guess that's for history (you) to decide. This is a messy, far-flung, see-what-sticks psychedelic hodge-podge of an album, pairing mid-tempo guitar-rock numbers with jazzy, artsy-fartsy spoken word bits and pretentious, pastoral pop orchestrations, such as the album's second track, "The Clown's Overture," which almost immediately brings the album to a screeching halt. Contrast this to some of the more expansive, layered psychedelic rock numbers and a pair of back-to-basics cover songs ("Blue Suede Shoes," "Baby Please Don't Go") that had kind of a Blue Cheer-meets-The Doors feel. It's hard to imagine how anyone at the record label thought this random, haphazard heap of sound would sell well, but then again, if Jim Morrison could become a rock star, why not these guys? [Side notes: keyboardist Robert Rhodes, who seems to have been a driving force on some of the album's loftier numbers, later performed with the Dixieland-ish South Frisco Jazz Band. Go figure. Producer Wes Farrell had a good track record working with more successful rock and pop groups, most notably as a songwriter, but also as the musical director for The Partridge Family TV show: their theme song, "When We're Singin' "? That was him.] Nothing for twangfans here, though, and no hint of Wright's future interest in country music, just a (presumably very high) young man wailing away and thrashing against the boundaries of the then-current pop scene. Not for me, thanks.
Eagle "Come Under Nancy's Tent" (Janus Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Wes Farrell)
After the predictable dissolution of Beacon Street Union, guitarist Paul Tartachny departed from show business, leaving the band to regroup and rename itself, recording a lone, adventurous album as Eagle. It's actually worth a spin, much better and more cohesive than their Beacon Street swan song. The disc opens with a twin blast of aggressively shrill, hard-edged guitar rock that's sustained throughout the rest of the record, notably on driving tunes such as "Kickin' It Back To You," which has an almost glam, Lou Reed-ish feel and the even more surprising "Separated," which uncannily anticipates the genre-melting, surfy alt-rock of The Pixies, as does the album's closer, "Comin' Home Day." Perhaps of greater interest here, though, is the album's lone country-rock tune, "Brown Hair," an oblique but pleasantly melodic number which gives us a glimpse of Wright's future career. It's not hard to find late 'Sixties/early-'Seventies rock albums that strained against the edges of musical innovation, though it can be rare to find those records that succeed in breaking free and are able to assert a more original sound. This album might not quite be a classic, but I would argue it's better than average for the hard-rock standards of the time. I'd take this over Iron Butterfly any day of the week.
John Lincoln Wright "Wrong Place, Wrong Time Again" (Northeastern Records, 1975) (EP)
This four-song 45rpm EP included several Wright originals: "Too Much Water," "Try To Win Me Over," "Wrong Place, Wrong Time Again" and "Sweet Montana."
John Lincoln Wright & The Sour Mash Boys (1974) (#92745) (7" EP)
A-1: "Too Much Water" (c: George Jones)
A-2: "Try To Win Me Over" (c: John Lincoln Wright)
A-3: "Wrong Place, Wrong Time Again" (c: John Lincoln Wright)
B-1: "Sweet Montana" (c: John McDonald)
(Producer not identified)
The Sour Mash Boys band was formed in 1973, a few years after Wright let go of his rock-star ambitions... The band's first full album didn't come out until 1977, though this EP gave us a taste of things to come. A well-chosen George Jones oldie, paired up with three originals, including two penned by Wright himself. None of these songs made it onto that album, so if you're a fan, this might be worth tracking down.
Pine Tree John & The Designated Hitters (Canobie Shores Productions, 1976) (#CS-45100) (7")
A: "The Red Sox Song (A Day In Fenway Park)" (c: Wayne Ulaky)
B: "Ollie The Skunk" (c: Wayne Ulaky)
(Produced by Wayne Ulaky)
This regional pride baseball anthem was originally released as a 45rpm single, backed with the song "Ollie The Skunk" which is credited to a group called The Canobie Critters (which seems to be the same as the Designated Hitters.) John Lincoln Wright is said to be in the mix, presumably as "Pine Tree John," though intriguingly his old Beacon Street pal Wayne Ulaky seems to have been the primary driver on this particular disc. Nice that they stayed friends after all those years...
John Lincoln Wright & The Sour Mash Boys "Takin' Old Route 1" (Esca Records, 1977) (LP)
Wright formed his new band, the Sour Mash Boys in 1973, and released a handful of obscure singles before cutting his first full album of country material...
Various Artists "SRO: RECORDED LIVE AT JONATHAN SWIFT'S" (Back Door Records, 1977) (LP)
A country and bluegrass concert album recorded at the Jonathan Swift's music venue in Cambridge, MA... This features some of the top twang talent in New England, including the Estes Boys, Chuck McDermott & Wheatstraw, Joe Val, singer Tina Welch and three songs by John Lincoln Wright: "Win Me Over," "Wrong Place, Wrong Time Again," and a cover of Dick Curless's old hit, "A Tombstone Every Mile."
John Lincoln Wright & The Sour Mash Revue "You Can't Get There From Here" (Lincoln Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by John Lincoln Wright, Pat Higdon & Ted Barton)
John Lincoln Wright "That Old Mill" (Northeastern Records, 1990)
John Lincoln Wright & The Sour Mash Boys "Honky Tonk Verite" (Northeastern Records, 1991)
John Lincoln Wright (1947-2011) was one of New England's strongest country music champions during the post-hippie era of the 1970s... Wright was a former rocker who had been in a '60s band called the Beacon Street Union, but he "went country" a few years after they broke up and self-released a pair of fine hard country/hippiebilly albums with his twang band, the Sour Mash Boys. Wright was able to crack (a little bit) into the world of mainstream country, when Joe Sun recorded one of his songs, "Lonesome Rainin' City," but mainstream success eluded him, and Wright shifted into the growing "Americana" scene for a few years before recording his final albums in the early '90s. Here's a quick look at his work...
