- Eric Ansel -- vocals, drums

- Steve Mackrill -- vocals, guitar

- Mike Pallahach -- bass

- Derek Stephens -- vocals, keyboards

- none known

Genre: rock

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Title:  Time Is Right

Company: President

Catalog: PTLS-1069

Year: 19??

Country/State: US and UK

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+

Comments: UK pressing with back cover having minor moisture waviness

Available: SOLD

GEMM catalog ID: 4530

Price: SOLD

Cost: $66.00

Here's what the liner notes on this mid-1970s obscurity have to say: 

"One Way Ticket are an Anglo-American band who were formed in Florida, USA, a couple of years ago.  Derek 'Dinky' Stephens and Steve 'QPR' Mackrill came from England searching for the winter sun.  Eric 'Hobit' Ansel and Mike 'Strider' Pallahack were about to embark to Europe to test the local brew - while staying in a little Florida town they all met up and decided to get together to play a few gigs.  It wasn't long before they found themselves in the studios putting down tracks for an album.  Being four very popular guys, they had no trouble getting friends to help them out."

I have no idea if any of that is true, but I suspect there may be at least a shred of reality in that description.  Another interesting aspect to the LP stems from the 'relationship' to the hyper-rare "Five Day Rain" album.  The album includes remakes of three songs from that album, while five more tracks are penned by former Five Day Rain member Damon Lyon Shaw.  

Alright, so on to the practical issues such as what's this baby sound like?  Well, I have to tell you that I'm quite fond of "Time Is Right".  In spite of the fact the unknown producer managed to make the band sound like they were singing at the end of pipe, most of the ten performances overcome that technical shortcoming.  The blazing opener 'Time Is Right' sets the pace.  Propelled by some stinging guitar from Mackrill, to me the song sounds like something 10 CC would have done had they recorded in the late 1960s. 'Sing Along' and 'Take a Ride' boast a much more aggressive, yet commercial feel.  This will sound like a weird comparison, but these tracks almost remind me of prime time Slade.  Equally weird, 'Lusty Eyes' reminds me of T-Rex.   'Everybody's Been' and 'Right or Wrong' get even heavier, sounding like a talented metal band, while 'Fall Out' and 'Outroduction (Lay Me Down)' are glistening top-40 pop.  Personal favorites include the mid-tempo ballad 'Reason Why' (which sports some cool treated vocals) and ''.  The LP is quite rare - as far as I can tell, only 200 copies were printed before Edward Kassner's London-based President Records pulled the set from circulation.  (Note that the liner notes get the side two track listing in the wrong sequence.)

"Time Is Right" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Time Is Right   (Miller - Damon Lyon Shaw) - 

2.) Sing Along   (Night - Damon Lyon Shaw) -

3.) Take a Ride   (Miller - Carroll - Damon Lyon Shaw) - 

4.) Reason Why   (Rick Sharpe) - 

5.) Everybody's Been   (Preston - Damon Lyon Shaw) - 

(side 2)

1.) Fall Out   (Graham Maitland - Rick Sharpe) - 

2.) Lusty Eyes   (Carroll - Damon Lyon Shaw) -    

3.) (Got To Get Some) Money   (Carroll - Damon Lyon Shaw) - 

4.) Right or Wrong   (Knight - Damon Lyon Shaw) - 

5.) Outroduction (Lay Me Down)   (Carroll - Damon Lyon Shaw) - 

President Records is still in business, so out of idol curiosity I figured I check with them to see if the could shed some light on the LP.  The response I got back did little to solve the mystery:

We don’t know much about the album, or the artist for that matter.  It may have come from a film soundtrack but that is not confirmed.  It is apparently rare, so you may want to hang on to it, or try selling it to a collector. Sorry to have so little information for you.

Regards

David Kassner