Genre: psych
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Hypnotic 1
Company: ABC
Catalog: ABC-640
Year: 1968
Country/State: Long Island, New York
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: minor ring wear; includes lyric insert
Available: 2
GEMM catalog ID: 4929
Price: $90.00
Every now and then I stumble across an album that doesn't quite knock my socks off, but keeps finding its way back to my turntable. Surprisingly they tend to be albums that others haven't gushed over. Long Island's Bit'a Sweet is a perfect example in that most reviews are lukewarm, or outright hostile, but at least to my ears this set kicks the crap out of many higher priced collectables. This is also another one of those ABC releases that seems to have all but vanished the minute it was released.
While Bit'a Sweet was apparently a full fledged band consisting of keyboardist
Dennis DeRespino, drummer Russell Leslie, bassist Mitch London and guitarist Jack Mieczkowski, the late Steve Duboff seems to have been the mastermind/driving force behind the group.
Jack Mieczkowski - Mitch London - Dennis DeRespino - Russell Leslie
Originally signed to MGM, the band debuted with the 1967 single 'Out of Sight Out of Mind' b/w 'Is It On - Is It Off?' (MGM catalog number K-13695). If you can find a copy of the 45, be prepared to pay more for it than for their ABC LP.
I'm not sure if the single led to their appearance in Raf Mauro's exploitation film Blonde On a Bum Trip, or vice versa,. Regardless, the band had a cameo in the flick playing 'Out of Sight Out of Mind' in a club scene. The video and sound quality aren't very good (not that the original black and white film was any great shakes in the production quality arena), but someone stuck a clip of their performance on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVlXkq06mx8
The liner notes to 1968's "Hypnotic 1" credit Duboff with producing, directing, arranging, writing the majority of the material, as well as providing keyboards and percussion. Long-time partner Artie Kornfeld was listed as co-writer on a pair of songs. Musically most of the nine tracks mixed lite-psych with a distinctive top-40 edge and small dollops of experimentation (notably quite a bit of electric sitar, occasional oscillators, phasing, various studio effects and early synthesizer gurgles and gasps). There's nothing particularly original to be found on the collection though it's fun to play spot the influence - some Association-styled harmonies here ('2086'), Felix Cavalerie and the Rascals blue-eyed soul there ('How Can I Make You See), bit of Beatles inspired mysticism (the 'Blue Jay Way'-styled 'Travel'), etc. ... While that may not sound real promising, those comments are actually meant as a positive endorsement. The album is nothing but fun and the band turn in a great cover of George Harrison's 'If I Needed Someone' (which is erroneously credited as a Lennon and McCartney composition) !!! To be honest the only real disappointments are associated with the band's efforts to get cute - '2086' suffered from some irritating synthesizer noise and a cloying pseudo-music hall sound, while the heavily phased 'Monday - Tuesday' sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks trying to cover some obscure 1920s-era song after spending the afternoon huffing helium. All told though, a pleasant and still affordable major label surprise.
"Hypnotic
1" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Speak Softly (Steve Duboff) - 5:10
2.) 2086 (Steve Duboff - Art Kornfeld) - 2:50
3.) If I Needed Someone (John Lennon - Paul McCartney) - 3:36
4.) With Love (Mitch London - Steve Duboff) - 3:50
5.) Monday - Tuesday (Steve Duboff) - 1:50
(side
2)
1.) Diamonds Studded Eyes (Mitch London - Russell Leslie -
Steve Duboff) - 4:02
2.) How Can I Make You See (Art Kornfeld - B. Cowsill - B. Cowsill) - 2:40
3.) Travel (instrumental) (Steve Duboff) - 5:00
4.) A Second Time (Steve Duboff) - 8:30
For you 45 hounds, ABC tapped the LP for a single in the form of '2086' b/w 'Second Time' (ABC catalog number 11125). Wonder if these guys knew they had a 45 release in France - let alone with a picture sleeve cover.
EMI catalog number 2C006 91241
Sadly Duboff died of cancer in February 2004. He was only 63.
copy of the 1968 LP
Hypnotic 1 by Long Island psych rockers Bit 'A Sweet (ABC 640).