The Stalk-Forrest Group - Hidden Mirrors (1969)

Soft White Underbelly had recorded demos for Elektra Records in 1969 with original vocalist Les Braunstein, but when he left the group they re-recorded the songs in New York with new vocalist, former roadie Eric Bloom. The 9-song album was turned in to Elektra completed, mixed and mastered, ready for release, but for reasons unclear Elektra decided not to release the recordings and ended their contract. Back to square one, the band then recorded new demos of several of the songs for Columbia Records in hopes of scoring a record deal, but after being rejected by Columbia as well, manager Sandy Pearlman convinced Elektra Records to give the band one more shot, and the group traveled to California in February 1970 to begin reworking and re-recording the songs for a full-length album, along the way changing their name to Oaxaca, and then later to The Stalk-Forrest Group. After being presented with the two different versions of the album (the one recorded in 1969, and the one that featured the new re-worked February 1970 arrangements), Elektra once again chose not to release it, and dropped the band from the label (again). This was partly due to the band's manager Sandy Pearlman refusing to allow Elektra to release the album that the band cut in California, leading to no gigs and poverty for many months during the spring and summer of 1970. The group's founder and bass player, Andrew Winters, was pushed out of the band by drummer Albert Bouchard so that his brother Joe could take his place, after which the band renamed themselves Blue Öyster Cult, and they finally secured a solid recording contract with Columbia. This album is made up of the original Elektra recordings from 1969 before they were shafted by the record company and made to do the whole thing over, and to me it sounds a perfectly acceptable late 60's psyche-rock record, so I can't see why Elektra would have rejected it.    

Track listing

01 What Is Quicksand? 
02 I'm On The Lamb 
03 Gil Blanco County 
04 Donovan's Monkey 
05 Ragamuffin Dumplin' 
06 Curse Of The Hidden Mirrors 
07 Arthur Comics 
08 A Fact About Sneakers 
09 St. Cecilia 

Suggested by 'The Greatest Albums You'll Never Hear' by Bruno MacDonald


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