Genre: psych
Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Title: Ellie Pop
Company: Mainstream
Catalog: S/6115
Year: 1968
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+
Comments: minor edge wear
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4629
Price: $200.00
Cost: $150.00
Simply said,
Ellie Pop's self-titled 1968 album stands as a lost mid-1960s pop classic ...
Now if we only knew something about the band.
Released by the Mainstream label, "Ellie
Pop" offered little information on the band in terms of
liner notes or performance credits. Here's what you can tell: 1.) judging by
the album cover they were a quartet (or an eight piece if they employed the
four pigeons), and 2.) brothers S. and R. Dunn were responsible for penning
all 12 tracks. Whoever these guys were, they definitely had a thing for
Anglo-pop, tracks such as 'Some Time Ago' and 'Caught In the
Rain' literally dripping with Beatles influences. To many folks that's
probably the kiss of death and in many cases they'd probably be right, but not in this
time around.
Exemplified by material such as 'Seven North Frederick', 'Seems I've Changed' and
'Watcha Gonna Do' (love the
"yeah, yeah, yeahs"), the Dunns avoided the usual clichés
turning in a wonderful set that was catchy and commercial, but retained an
innovative edge that made ever selection worth hearing. One of the few
albums we've given a five star rating to ... One word of warning; while the
set's occasionally been billed as psychedelic, in spite of isolated
distorted guitars and a few oddball time signatures, to our ears it's simply
too mainstream to be considered anything other than pop. Naturally the album
vanished without a trace, followed in short order by the band.
"Ellie Pop" track listing:
(side
1)
1.) Seven North
Frederick (S. Dunn - R. Dunn) - 2:19
2.) Winner Loser (S. Dunn - R. Dunn) - 2:12
3.) Can't Be Love (S. Dunn - R. Dunn) - 2:31
4.) Remembering (Sunnybrook) (S. Dunn - R. Dunn) - 2:26
5.) Seems I've Changed (S. Dunn - R. Dunn) - 2:20
(side 2)
1.) Caught In
the Rain (S. Dunn - R. Dunn) - 2:30
2.) Oh! My Friend (S. Dunn - R. Dunn) - 2:18
3.) Some Time Ago (S. Dunn - R. Dunn) - 2:18
4.) No Thanks Mr. Mann (S. Dunn - R. Dunn) - 2:48
5.) Watcha Gonna Do (S. Dunn - R. Dunn) - 2:41
These guys are still a mystery to me, though the following email may answer some of the questions:
I have 2 copies of the Ellie Pop lp (Minstream s 6115). Both are signed by the band. You seem not to know the band members' names. As best I can make them out:
Doug Koun
Len Dunn
Wayne (no last name)
George R. Dunn
No mention who plays what.
David Wollner
June 2008