The Guess Who
's second Canadian LP of 1965 emphasized, if only in retrospect, how apt a name "Guess Who" was for a band that took quite a while to find its identity. Unlike many such bands, they made some pretty good tracks in the process of doing so, even if the influences behind them might be pretty obvious. On this record alone, there are British Invasion-lite originals that sound a little like
Gerry & the Pacemakers
with more oomph; mild blue-eyed soul (the title track being an early effort in which
Nick Ashford
and
Valerie Simpson
were co-writers);
"Don't Be Scared,"
which recalls
the Beach Boys
' callowest
Four Freshmen
-influenced harmony ballads; and, most incongruously of all, a very good
Randy Bachman
-penned instrumental,
"Made in England,"
that's a dead ringer for
the Shadows
. That and the best British Invasion soundalike,
"Stop Teasing Me"
(a superior and more forceful re-recording of a track that appeared on the American LP
Shakin' All Over
), are the best songs on an album that showed more promise than fulfillment. Also if only in retrospect, what it's obviously missing is a better lead vocalist, who would soon be on his way when
Burton Cummings
joined in time for their next Canadian album,
It's Time
. ~ Richie Unterberger