Perth County Conspiracy


Band members               Related acts

- Michael Butler -- bass (1969-)

- Terry Jones -- vocals, guitar (1969-)

- Richard Keelan -- vocals, guitar (1969-)

- Cedric Smith -- vocals, bass (1969-)

- George Taros -- keyboards (1971-)


 

 

- Bob Burchill (solo efforts)

- The Spikedrivers (Ricahrd Keelan)

 

 

 


 

Genre: psych

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Title:  The Perth County Conspiracy Does Not Exist

Company: Columbia

Catalog: ELS-375

Year: 1969

Country/State: Stratford, Ontario Canada

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: gatefold sleeve with original lyric insert

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 4945

Price: $80.00

 

I'm a big fan of Canadian psych acts and even though they're not the acid drenched burnouts some high priced record dealers would have you believe, Stratford, Ontario's Perth County Conspiracy is a long standing personal favorite.  I'll readily admit that these artsy/fartsy counterculture communal goofballs may not have the world's most original musicians, but to my ears there's just something immensely appealing about their Canadian variant of standard West Coast psych (love the communal group photo found on their Columbia debut).

 

While I'm not sure how mainstays Richard Keelan and Cedric Smith first crossed paths, I do know that Keelan had been a member of Detroit's The Spikedrivers.  Like many other young Americans, in the late 1960s he headed north to avoid a draft notice.  

 

1970's "The Perth County Conspiracy Does Not Exist" was the band's third album; their first for Columbia (I'd love to know how they attracted the attention of a major label like Columbia).  Co-produced by John Williams and the band the results were prime hippy-era west coast-styled acid-folk !!!  (I'd normally cringe when hearing something like that, but this time around its a pretty apt descriptor.)  Musically original material like 'Midnight Hour', the CSN&Y-styled 'Easy Rider' and 'Truth and Fantasy' mixed strong melodies and nice vocals from both Keelan and Smith with entertaining if dated and occasionally pompous lyrics.  Imagine the International String Band had they copped an English degree and been tough enough to survive in Canada and you'll be in the right aural neighborhood.  Extra credit for the band's willingness to borrow from the likes of Dylan Thomas ('Midnight Hour') and even William Shakespeare ('Excerpt from "as you like it"').  Best of all is the stunning closer 'Crucifixation Cartoon' ... I can't eve begin to describe how good this track is.   The set isn't perfect - the kids reciting poetry t the start of 'Listen To the Kids' is pretty lame, as are some of the spoken word segments and 'The Dancer' is merely dull.  Still, maybe because it's so unique this one's definitely a keeper and even more attractive to me given it's an album that you can still find at an affordable price.

 

"Perth County Conspiracy Does Not Exist" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Midnight Hour   (Cedric Smith - Richard Keelan - Dylan Thomas) - 6:37

2.) Epistle To the Borderliner   (Cederic Smith) - 2:01

3.) Easy Rider   (Richard Keelan) - 4:42

4.) Truth and Fantasy   (Richard Keelan - C. Logue - Cederic Smith) - 5:43

5.) Don't You Feel Fine   (Richard Keelan) - 2:40

6.) You Have the Power   (Cedric Smith - Richard Keelan) - 4:45

 

(side 2)
1.) Keeper of the Key   (Richard Keelan) - 3:16

2.) Lady of the County   (Cedric Smith) - 3:27

3.) Listen To the Kids   (R. Lewis - Richard Keelan) - 2:59

4.) Trouble On the Farm   (Cedric Smith) - 2:16

5.) Excerpt from "as you like it"   (Williams Shakespeare - Richard Keelan) - 1:23

6.) The Dancer   (Richard Keelan) - 5:36

7.) Crucifixation Cartoon   (Cedric Smith - Richard Keelan) - 6:21

 

 

 

 

 


Genre: psych

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Title:  The Perth County Conspiracy Alive

Company: Columbia

Catalog: GES-90037

Year: 1972

Country/State: Stratford, Ontario Canada

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: gatefold sleeve double LP set

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 4946

Price: $80.00

 

Recorded at Toronto's Bathurst St. United Church, 1972's "The Perth County Conspiracy Alive" was a live, 13 track double album set.  Largely acoustic, the performances were all surprisingly good, showcasing some nice vocal harmonies and the band's penchant for crafting exceedingly pretty melodies. All of that came as a surprise to me since I didn't expect these guys to sound nearly as tight.  Highlights included the opening Dylan cover 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere', the pretty ballad 'Broken Wing' and and the radio friendly 'Take a Look at the Light Side' (the latter track being one of the few that seems to have undergone significant post-production work).  The fact that these guys actually had a sense of humor ('Stratford People') was an added bonus.  While the set had a lot going for it, one minor complaint stems from the emphasis on pained ballads which eventually started to take a toll on listeners (or maybe I'm just not sensitive enough).  For what its worth, the album would have benefited from a couple of up-tempo numbers.  Once again produced by John Williams, the set sported crystal clear audio and sounded marvelous on a good stereo, or headphones.  

 

"Perth County Conspiracy Alive" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) You Ain't Goin' Nowhere   (Bob Dylan) - 3:30

2.) Sailboat   (Terry Jones) - 4:23

3.) Broken Wing   (Cedric Smith) - 5:32

 

(side 2)
1.) Take a Look at the Light Side   (Richard Keelan) - 5:30

2.) Stratford People   (Cedric Smith) - 3:38

3.) People Are Out of Tune   (Richard Keelan) - 3:52

 

(side 3)

1.) Hezakaiah - 3:14

2.) Stories of Old   (Terry Jones - Richard Keelan) - 4:10

3.) Pilgrim   (Cedric Smith) - 5:35

4.) Welcome Surprise   (Richard Keelan - Cedric Smith) - 5:35

 

(side 4)
1.) I Spun You'out    (Milton Acord - Cedric Smith) - 3:03

2.) Tractor Song   (Cedric Smith) - 5:28

3.) Uncle Jed   (Billy Batson) - 5:12

 

 

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