Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Transformer
Company: Elektra
Catalog: EKS-74034
Year: 1968
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: minor ring wear; original inner sleeve
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4103
Price: $40.00
Geez,
virtually every aspect of this LP is weird ass ... First off you're
left to wonder if this is a band named Transformer, or it's an LP by David
Stoughton that happens to be entitled 'Transformer'. Beats us and
we've seen it listed both ways in different references ...
So what can we tell you about this 1968 oddity? "Transformer"
seems to have been the brainchild of singer/guitarist Stoughton. In
addition to writing all of the material, Stoughton's credited as producer.
He also provided guitar and the majority of vocals on the second side of the
LP. In addition to Stoughton, the lineup included two other vocalists
in Devi Klate and John Nicholls (be warned, at least to our ears, both are better
singers than Stoughton).
Musically the set's exceptionally bizarre. Starting out with "The
Sun Comes Up Each Day" and "Evening Song" one's left with the
opening impression this is going to be a set of
mildly pleasant folk-rock bolstered by horns and woodwinds. Luckily,
tracks such as "Saving for a Rainy Day"
and the hazy "The Summer Has No
Breeze" sport some interesting psych touches. Elsewhere
things turn quite odd with the 8 minute long
"The Anecdote of Horatio & Julie" and the 10 minute "I
Don't Know If It's You". Imagine The Beatles' "#
9" and you'll be in the right realm.
"Transformer" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) The
Sun Comes Up Each Day (David Stoughton) - 3:59
2.) The Summer Has No Breeze (David Stoughton) - 5:10
3.) The Anecdote of Horatio & Julie (David Stoughton) - 8:00
(side
2)
1.)
Saving for a Rainy Day (David Stoughton) - 4:51
2.) Evening Song (David Stoughton) - 4:25
3.) I Don't Know It's You (David Stoughton) - 10:00