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Plain and Fancy

Music gives soul to universe, wings to mind, flight to imagination, charm to sadness, and life to everything.

Plato

Monday, August 12, 2024

rep> The Surprise Package - Free Up (1969 us, powerful organ driving heavy acid psych with some prog shades, 2010 extra track remaster)



The Surprise Package were a Seattle, Washington group consisting of Fred Zeufeldt (drums, backing vocals), Michael Rohers (piano, organ, bass, backing vocals), Greg Beck (guitar, backing vocals), Rob Lowery (lead vocals).

Their only  album was released in early 1969 on tiny LHI label owned by the famous arttist/producer Lee Hazelwood. The Record mostly contained a trippy and quite intense music with lots of Hammond organ pasages, loud and fuzzed-out guitar parts and solid drumming. It can be easily described as a stylistic combination of Vanilla Fudge, The Doors and especially Iron Butterfly. 

It worth noting that the title track lasted nearly 16 minutes and its structure wasvery similar to In A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Excellent freaky improvisations in some parts.Very Essential for acid heads. Unfortunately, the album (and also single with cover of MacArthur Park) went almost completely unnoticed. Soon after the band changed its name to American Eagle and 1970 released an eponymous LP for Decca records. 


Tracks
1. New Way Home (Beck, Lowery, Rogers) - 3:53
2. 100% Vision (Lowery, Rogers) - 7:19
3. Breakaway (M. Rogers) - 3:34
4. Supporting Cast (M. Rogers) - 2:59
5. Social Disease (Beck, Lowery) - 2:35
6. Free Up (M. Rogers) - 15:51
7. MacArthur Park (A-Side 1969) (J. Webb) - 3:17

The Surprise Package
*Greg Beck - Guitar, Vocals
*Fred Zeufeldt - Drums, Vocals
*Mike Rogers - Organ, Piano, Bass, Vocals
*Rob Lowery - Lead Vocals