The technicolor mystery tour that was the psychedelic era ended with the Beatles' White Album.... everyone had had enough electrical bananas, incense and peppermints, and were ready for something mellow. In other words, LSD was out, and marijuana was in.... way in. Time to mellow out.
The Byrds released a country & western album, James Taylor was on the cover of TIME, and the Lonely Hearts Club Band had broken up. It was time to make way for mellow, Laurel Canyon soft rock. And since this is an "obscure grooves" post, I won't hit you with songs by America, Neil Young, or Joni Mitchell - you've heard them all before. But have you heard of Howdy Moon?
I f***ing love this album. It's a crying shame they broke up shortly after its release, because there is some real talent here. Band member, Jon Lind (the dude in the center on the album cover), went on to write songs for Vanessa Williams ("Save the Best for Last"), Earth, Wind and Fire ("Boogie Wonderland"), Madonna ("Crazy for You") and even (gasp!) the Jonas Brothers ("Before the Storm"). Here's a couple tracks from the album.
"Machine" [download]
"Cook With Honey" [download] BTW this song would become a minor hit for Judy Collins
I don't really know a whole lot about Rig, other than that their drummer, Kenny Buttrey, was "one of the most influential session musicians in Nashville history" according to CMT. My understanding is that they broke up early on - in fact, they didn't even make it long enough to see the album released.
The standout track is undoubtedly "Have a Cigar" (not the well known song by Pink Floyd). Download or listen to the track.
