Lazy Smoke: Corridor of Faces (1968)

I could probably fill a few weeks of blog entries here just by calling out long-forgotten late 60s psychedelic bands that tried their best to sound like the Beatles. (Go back and check out my entry for the wonderful Aerovons for one of the better examples.)

So, yeah, Massachusetts' Lazy Smoke are another one of those, releasing a single album of Beatles-tinged psyche rock, aided largely by a lead singer whose vocals conjure John Lennon. Not a lot of information out there about the band; apparently the original album was released in limited qualities and quickly disappeared into obscurity before being revived by a reissue label a few years back.

And it's surprisingly good. Once you get past the arguably derivative Beatlesque nature of the sound (largely unavoidable with those vocals), it's above-average psychedelia, trippy and generally mellow with some fun guitar work. "How Was Your Day Last Night?" alternates between a catchy, upbeat hook and some downbeat interludes, as worthy of inclusion on your basic Nuggets collection as anything else from the era. The extended "Salty People" is awash in drugged-out bliss, with the title popping up in a weirdly haunting whisper; similarly lengthy "Under Skys" is an infectious jammed-out ballad that sounds like Julian Lennon smoked a bowl before recording his first demo tape. "Sarah Saturday" is the closest they come to straight-out pop, sounding like the blueprint for the entire Olivia Tremor Control catalog. And "There Was A Time" rocks a Byrds-like groove, a bit of folk jangle in the mix.

Is it essential? No, definitely not. But for anyone with a taste for of-the-moment American psychedelia in the style of the legendary West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, it's quite enjoyable.

Here's "How Was Your Day":

...and an audio rip of "Salty People":

...and an audio rip of "There Was A Time":