Genre: psych
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: From the Pond
Company: Froggie Beaver
Catalog: DSI-7301
Year: 1973
Country/State: Omaha, Nebraska
Grade (cover/record): NM / NM
Comments: still in opened shrink wrap
Available: SOLD
GEMM catalog ID: 4942
Price: SOLD $150.00
A lost progressive classic from Nebraska? We'll I'll admit I was skeptical.
First off it turns out these guys were in fact from Nebraska. Drummer Rick Brown, guitarist John Fischer, keyboardist Ed Stasko and lead vocalist John Troia were in fact cornhuskers and recorded this surprisingly impressive album at Omaha's Sound Recorders Studios.
Produced by David Sandler, 1972's "From the Pond" was apparently a self-financed vanity project released on the band's own Froggie Beaver label. Interestingly various references I've seen categorize the album as progressive. Technically I guess that's correct since 'Lovely Lady and 'Road To Tomorrow' embed fairly complex musical structures, including some swirling ELP-styled keyboards. That said, be forewarned that if you're looking for hard core progressive moves this probably won't punch your ticket. With Fischer responsible for the majority of the seven tracks (Stasko and Troia co-wrote 'Lovely Lady'), most of the album sported a highly commercial sheen. In fact songs such as 'Buy Back My Life' and the pretty ballads 'Come To Believe' and 'Just for You' would have sounded great on top-40 radio. To be honest the entire album is pretty catchy. Fischer was quite an accomplished guitarist (check out the atypical slice of Pink Floyd-influenced psych 'Away from Home'), while Troia had a likeable voice that could have made a car dealership jingle entertaining. Congrats to engineer Ron Ubel who gave the album crystal clear sound.
"From the
Pond" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Road To Tomorrow (instrumental) (Part 1) (John Fisher) - 0:55
2.) Lovely Lady (John Fisher - John Troia - Ed Stasko) - 5:05
3.) Buy Back My Life (John Fisher) - 3:19
4.) Come To Believe (John Fisher) - 5:48
(side
2)
1.) Away from Home (John Fisher- M. Gorat) - 9:43
2.) Just for You (John Fisher) - 5:28
3.) Road To Tomorrow (Part 2) (John Fisher) - 2:05
There's also an earlier non-LP 45 which I've never heard, but is suppose to be quite impressive: 'Movin' On' b/w 'Nothing for Me Here' (Million catalog number 34).