Genre: rock
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Stroke a Horse's Navel
Company: The Eyes Record Company
Catalog: 710206
Year: 1977
Country/State: Cleveland, Ohio
Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG
Comments: textured cover
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4811
Price: $100.00
Cost: $1.00
I've seen this one hyped on high priced dealer lists as a psych masterpiece, a Beatlesque triumph, and as a slice of mind-warping hard rock. You probably won't be surprised to learn that it isn't any of the above.
Recorded at Cincinnatti, Ohio's QCA Studios, the band themselves are a mystery since their self-produced and financed 1977 debut "Stroke a Horse's Navel" contains little in the way of performing, producing or writing credits. Production and writing credits are attributed to The Eyes and there are no performances credits. Musically this is slightly under-produced power-pop that will probably appeal to folks who like other mid-1970s Cleveland-based outfits like The Choir and Eric Carmen and the Raspberries. Originals such as 'Mornings' and 'Oh, To Be a Child Again' boast nice top-40 melodies that with a little bit of clean-up could've been massive radio hits. That comparison isn't 100% accurate since tracks like 'Probate Me Baby', 'Yesterdays' and 'Such Is Life' are more rock-ish than what you'll find on the formers releases. I'll also tell you that it took a couple of spins for this to click with me. The first couple of times I played the album I focused on the set's shortcomings (notably the lead singer's occasionally quivering voice and the less than perfect production), but by the third spin the album's low-tech charms caught my ear making this one of the few albums I've bothered to put on CDR.
"Stroke a
Horse's Naval" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Charmer (The Eyes) - 3:00
2.) Goodbye Finally (The Eyes) - 2:48
3.) Mornings (The Eyes) - 2:47
4.) Oh, To Be a Child Again (The Eyes) - 2:24
5.) Probate Me Baby (The Eyes) - 2:37
6.) Yesterdays (The Eyes) - 3:57
(side
2)
1.) Such Is Life (The Eyes) - 2:00
2.) 509 (The Eyes) - 3:10
3.) So You've Got a Hit (The Eyes) - 3:34
4.) Tax Collector (The Eyes) - 3:06
4.) Stroke a Horse's Navel (The Eyes) - 2:47
6.) Eyes (The Eyes) - 3:13