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Ellie Pop
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Barnes and Noble
Ellie Pop
Current price: $31.99
Barnes and Noble
Ellie Pop
Current price: $31.99
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's sole 1968 LP has always been a bit of an enigma. Hailing from Roseville, Michigan, the band enjoyed some regional success, even playing Detroit's Grande Ballroom on a bill with
and
. Made up of high school friends, the group's main lineup featured
on lead guitar,
(listed as George Dunn) on vocals and keyboards,
(as Doug Koun) on bass, and
(bass, vocals). Not listed but also members of the band at various times were
on drums,
on keyboards and vocals, and
on drums. Together, they played a hooky brand of guitar-centric melodic pop heavily indebted to the British Invasion style of
. While essentially a Detroit band, they somehow managed to grab the attention of New York record executive
's
. Founded in 1964,
was home to a bevy of jazz artists, but also other rock and soul acts, including
and fellow Midwesterners
.
were a perfect fit for the label's burgeoning roster of evocatively named psych-pop bands like
,
, and
. Although released in 1968, one gets the feeling that
might have been recorded a few years earlier (between the release of
'
), just before acid and other psychedelic drugs really took over the scene. Songs like the opening "Seven North Frederick," "Winner Loser," and "Can't Be Love" showcase the band's knack for pairing warm group harmonies with an undercurrent of crackling Fender guitar and tube-amp soul swagger. You wouldn't really call this bubblegum pop, but cuts like "Whatcha Gonna Do" have a buoyant, AM radio charm. There's even a hint of fuzz-tone Indian classical music in the guitar solo at the start of "Caught in the Rain." Particularly compelling is "Remembering (Sunnybrook)," a jazzy, sun-dappled song about growing old and looking back on one's youth that displays some remarkably sophisticated time-signature and feel changes. Sadly, as with many of their
peers,
only stayed together for a short time after the release of their album. ~ Matt Collar