Submitted by UAR-mwfree on Aug 11
The Guess Who photo

 

Wheatfield Soul album cover

 

The Guess Who – Wheatfield Soul (1969):  The Guess Who was one of Canada’s most successful rock bands, and they regularly had hits in the United States as well.  I hadn’t expected such a textured album as this from a band that was mostly known for their singles, and I was delighted to uncover this particular copy, which came out on a South Korean record label called Taedo.  The album opens with one of their first and biggest U.S. hits “These Eyes” and meanders its way from there.  “Friends of Mine”, which closes Side 1, was a real surprise – in part, the lyrics as well as their delivery are lifted directly from a Doors song called “When the Music’s Over” that I never found in the original.  The Guess Who couches their version within a mildly mocking psychedelic backing, in contrast to the deadly serious spoken-word recording by Jim Morrison and the Doors.  After “These Eyes” cracked open the door, the Guess Who scored numerous hit songs throughout the 1970’s, as did their spinoff band Bachman-Turner Overdrive and lead singer Burton Cummings as a solo act.