I knew very little about this band, and, after consulting the internet I don't know much more.
They do have a wikipedia entry which in toto is: "Redeye was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The group released two albums on Pentagram Records in the early 1970s, and had two hit singles in 1971, "Games" (U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart #27) and "Red Eye Blues" (U.S. #78)".
Apparently vocalist guitarist Douglas Mark was in 60s band "The Sunshine Company" as a guitarist … I know of them but have not heard much of their music.
Such referencing may sound pedantic especially when we are dealing with obscurities but in reality both of these bands were not that obscure … they are just not well remembered.
For anyone to have a Top 40 in a market as big as the US is an achievement. The band certainly would have, also, been more popular in some regional centres. So, in that way, they may have be as popular as someone like "Calexico" if a contemporary point of reference is required …
This is country rock with some soft rock overtones but also with some psychedelic overtones. Clearly the band (via Douglas Mark) picked up the soft pop of "The Sunshine Company", and fused it with the still lingering psych vibes, and , aid all that down as a aural backdrop to the then (increasing in popularity) country rock sound.
"Country Rock" is one of those terms that always divides listeners. Country Rock is essentially country music played by rock bands, though some are more convincing and authentic than others. Slackers will say that Gram Parsons started this particular hybrid but that's just laziy history. He may have been one of its early enthusiasts, its icon and superstar, and deservedly so, but people had been mixing country and rock long before him. The Byrds, solo Gene Clark, Rick Nelson and solo Michael Nesmith (including some Monkees tracks) were all having a go in the mid to late 60s. And, what is half of Elvis' Sun Sessions from 1954/55 but country rock?
Further, Elvis would, in the late 50s, record Hank Williams and Hank Snow and then return with a vengeance to Southern gothic country with "From Elvis In Memphis" in 1969. In the 70s he would cover many country songs and his fine "concept" album, "Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old)", from 1971 is central to the genre. I suppose the difference, though, is that Parsons and the others consciously fused their love of country and rock whereas Elvis was acting more on instinct. They also added youthful defiance, drugs and lots of long hair to the mix … something Elvis (or Jerry Lee Lewis who travelled much the same country ground as Elvis) wasn't about to do. All of the first wave of rockers from the South were in country bands early on or had country in their sound at times – (especially) Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Eddie Cochran, Charlie Feathers, Conway Twitty and Bill Haley (though from the Midwest he started out as a country act).
There is another scenario that country rock was a two fingers up to the English Invasion bands (much like garage music was) in that many English bands came to the US with their take on American R&B so American bands dug deeper into their history and shifted the goalposts again. (It didn't stop the Rolling Stones from adopting country rock sounds reasonably convincingly in the late 60s though)
Anyway I digress too much …..
This record leans quite heavily on the "Crosby, Stills & Nash" side of country rock which was more soft rock than country and when unchecked that really became a slippery slope to bands like The Eagles or America.
The album could be a early Eagles record though with more balls and what gives it its balls is its continuous referencing of psychedelia and acidy guitars …
I have been a sucker for this style of music for a long time though I freely admit when it's not done well, or lacks inspiration or originality, there is nothing more turgid except, perhaps, reggae.
Luckily this album is a cut above others in the genre.
It is poduced by Al Schmitt, owner of the small Pentagram label.
Tracks (best in italics)
- Games – a excellent song … very much of its times, but what a time it was … with a lyric that is very early 70s also:
You play the game
Take it while you can
Don't you give it to the man behind you
You can put it down 'til
You pick it up again
If you want to
And you know
Yeah you know
Yeah you know
Yeah you know
Take it while you can
Don't you give it to the man behind you
You can put it down 'til
You pick it up again
If you want to
And you know
Yeah you know
Yeah you know
Yeah you know
Time for a cover …anyone? Anyone?
- Empty White Houses – a gentle protest/social conscience song … and quite catchy … "let the man listen" …
- Mississippi Stateline – another song with "protest" overtones … the message, though, is never overt.
- Green Grass – very much in CS&N territory and there is nothing wrong with that …
- Down Home Run – more nice harmonies with a nice restrained electric lead guitar … not memorable but pleasant enough on the ears.
- Dadaelus’ Unfinished Dream – again the CS&N or "Hollies go country" comparisons are inevitable but this again is a good track. Great? No. But really good. And again I like the guitar … the lead guitar is in your face but not too loud to overwhelm the song …
- Oregon Bound – Oregon bound maybe, but they are travelling to Oregon on acid. A gentle trip but with backwards guitars.
- Your Train Is Leaving – more of the same, but straighter.
- 199 Thoughts Too Late – bouncy and samey …
- Collections Of Yesterday And Now – more late 60s Hollies mated with the Youngbloods circa their "Elephant Mountain" LP. This is all good.
And…
A really good album. It's not a lost treasure but certainly a underrated one. I like the pigeonholes as they give you a term of reference so fuck you if you don't and I'd say if I was to pigeonhole this that descriptions like "Hollies go country" or "Youngbloods go country" are apt, as are the CS&N comparisons … but there is enough originality here to push the album over the mark … I'm keeping it.
Chart Action
US
Singles
Games #27, 1971
Album
#113
#113
England
Singles
Album
Singles
Album
zip
and attached
Dadaelus’ Unfinished Dream
attached
Oregon Bound
and attached
Collections Of Yesterday And Now
from the 45
Others
Review
—
Bio
Pentagram website
Website
—
Trivia
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(originally posted: 12/12/2010)
