Listen – The Free – Decision for Lost Soul Blue – MP3
Greetings all.
I hope that the end of the week finds you well, unless of course you’re here in New Jersey where it’s suddenly akin to a South American rain forest. Nearing 90 and dreadfully humid, I half expect to go out on the deck and have to chase a spider monkey out of my trash cans.
That said, this is written from the refuge of an air conditioned environment, so I’m safe (for now…).
Today’s selection was harvested at a recent record show, and proof once again that a record that is at first glance intriguing may hold even more surprises when played.
The record in question – ‘Decision for Lost Soul Blue’ by the Free – caught my eye in a box full of 45s, first by its label (Marquee, a local Michigan imprint on which I already have a soul 45 by the Buena Vistas) and then (of course) by the word “soul” in the title (natch).
I pulled it from the crate and put it on the “to-be-previewed” stack and continued about my business. When I finally opened up the portable (cheers to the good folks at Numark who created the fine specimen that replaced my late lamented Columbia GP3) and started checking out the 45s, I was surprised (pleasantly) when the grooves yielded not soul or funk but psyched out fuzz guitar.
I haven’t been able to locate any hard info on The Free, other than my assumption that they were in fact a Michigan band, and that this 45 was later picked up and reissued on ATCO as ‘(A Day Of) Decision for Lost Soul Blue’.
The tune is one of those perfect examples of American 67/68 psychedelia, clearly rooted in burgeoning hippie-isms yet still possessed of a rougher, garagey edge that would shortly explode all over the place in an unruly mess in the sounds of bands like Blue Cheer. A similar example would be the excellent ‘The Shaman’ by the Human Beinz (check it out in Iron Leg Digital Trip #3).
I dig the vocals on this track, and the guitar, with the wah-wah and the fuzzbox is a treat.
I hope you dig it and I’ll see you all on Monday.
Peace
Larry
12 Comments
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
Thats the dogs boll*cks man. THATS exactly why i love Iron Leg! Keep up the great edu-rock.
By the way Larry, some great material on that Expo67 blog. Anything else you c/would add? How about you’re own Top 50 at present or somethin’ along those lines??
By the way i know mentioned you don’t check out a lot of the more recent garage rock releases as much. But theres some folk still thrashin’ it out for real. You come across King Khan or Mark Sultan at all? Well worth havin’ the look.
GG
Glad you’re digging the track.
My own Top 50 things I’m listening to or, blogs or what??
L
You’re own Top 50 songs or albums i was thinking? It’s coming up to first anniversary of Iron Leg too soon i think. I think it’d be a pretty neat idea.
Could be fair time consuming but then again you could do a poll and see what the feedback would be for something like that and go from there. I imagine it’d be fair positive though. And it could span both blogs and transcend even that. A mixmash or your own personal favourites. I’m just throwin’ the idea out there man, especially after being introduced to some spectacular stuff on Expo’s blog. I’m confident you’d throw together a right barnstormer.
of* your own personal favourites.
Hi Larry,
Info. on the Free is hard to come by but I have managed to find out that their
singer was Dave Gilbert who would go on to join Detroit hard rockers The
Rockets.
here’s a link to a story about Dave Gilbert – The Free are only mentioned in passing but you might find the article interesting.
http://metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=3550
For more on the Marquee label have a look at
http://www.soulfuldetroit.com/archives/1/1084.html?1030005982
Davie
Thanks Davie! That Dave Gilbert story is sad. I vaguely remember the Rockets.
Wow! What a cool find. Thanks for sharing!
I wish I had known of this track when I was putting together my 60s Detroit podcasts:
http://sonicdaydream.blogspot.com/2007/10/inner-head-flight-royale-012.html
http://sonicdaydream.blogspot.com/2007/11/inner-head-flight-royale-013.html
Larry, How would I get to review all of the blogs on the Knoght Riders?? Thanks, Paul
Follow this link Paul:
http://ironleg.wordpress.com/2008/02/07/the-knight-riders-i/
Just picked up a copy of this at the recent record show. Great record, the flip is even good.
Many thanks to Larry for posting the label scan. This song was a fave of mine while it was playing on the radio around South-East Michigan late in February and into March of 1969. Never knew the correct title, thinking it was something like “What to do (When the World’s Wrong)” or something crazy. Grabbed an MP3 of it on a newsgroup several years ago, and the ID3 tag shows “Decision for the Lost Soul Blues” – note the ‘the’ and ending s. My copy of Goldmine’s 3rd edition guide shows “(Day of) Decision for Lost Soul Blues” – note there’s no ‘the’ but ends with s. So your scan of the actual title is much appreciated. Thanks also to Davie Gordon for the Dave Gilbert connection. The Rockets were my favorite group at clubs on Detroit’s west side, downtown concerts, and on LP, circa 1978-79. Then, in 1980 my fave became The Look. If you can dig lively rock’n'roll showmanship, check out “Down on the Bay” at YouTube.
While trying to come to grips with the sad and confused life story of Dave Gilbert, found a link to that great video of The Look…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMrcLPdRS8g
Enjoy, MrG