Featuring former Sons of Adam guitarist, Jack Ttana (then known as Jack Kooken) and future Steppenwolf guitarist, Kent Henry supplemented with the lovely harmony vocals of Sue Richman, this Los Angeles band?s major claim to fame was a footnote entry in the rock and roll encyclopedia as the band that prevented the UK Genesis from using their name on their debut album, the compromise being to label it ?From Genesis To Revelation.? (Another source of confusion is the fact that the album was reissued with the title ?In The Beginning? in the mid-70?s.) So, it?s a shame that this titular confusion is all that this US band are typically remembered for, as their lone album (originally released on Mercury in 1968, a year before the British band?s debut) is an excellent collection of Jefferson Airplane-inflected, harmonic folk/pop, with psychedelic, bluesy overtones. Their interpretation of Leonard Cohen?s ?Suzanne? is also noteworthy as both one of the earliest (following only Judy Collins? 1966 version that predated Cohen?s own recorded version) and one of the few to add an upbeat, rock sheen (Spanky & Our Gang?s interpretation on their second album released the same year, is another example), thus kick starting the tale out of it?s typically gloomy arrangement.

And speaking of gloom, Richman grabs the lead vocals on ?Gloomy Sunday,? an excellent example of the band?s folk rock tendency, with wonderful violin flourishes and Richman?s soaring vocals preventing the song from deteriorating into a self-pity party. ?What It?s All About? features some searing Henry leads and a wailing vocal from Ttana that suggests a successful marriage of Canned Hit and Humble Pie. ?Mary, Mary? (not The Monkees hit) crafts a lovely, harmonized pop song around the old children?s nursery rhyme, once again highlighting the band?s excellent coed harmonies, which fit in perfectly with the then-current trend, as exemplified by the Airplane, Neighb?rhood Childr?n, Peanut Butter Conspiracy, Peppermint Rainbow, Rose Garden, et. al.

There?s some interesting time changes and more excellent soloing from Henry on the album?s original side one closer, ?Ten Second Song? (which actually takes three minutes to perform!), and then the tender, flute driven ballad, ?Girl Who Never Was? flitters across your mind, dulling the senses into a laid-back, mellow satisfied state of mind, all leading up to the album?s centerpiece, the epic, 16-minute, ?World Without You.? After opening with Fred ?Foxey? Rivera?s rolling bass line and a perfunctory verse, the band get out of the way and let Henry exercise demons from his six string with one of the longest and most inventive solos you?ll ever hear. Over, around and under Ttana?s grounding rhythm guitar improv, Henry weaves cataclysmic pyrotechnics, continually finding nooks and crannies of the song to explore without ever being repetitive, dull, or look-at-me-ma showy. The band return for the final nine-minute blaze-of-glory jam, with Henry wheeling off into unknown worlds, the envy of fans of everyone from Hendrix, Satriani and Marino to ZZ Top and Nick ?Bevis Frond? Saloman. It?s worth the price of admission alone, but don?t overlook the treats that precede it. And for collectors and completists, Fallout have appended their extremely rare post-LP track, ?The Long Road,? making this the most complete version of the band?s output, eclipsing Black Rose?s 2001 edition. The heavily-phased monster swirls around dark, ominous coed vocals and Henry?s laser beam pyrotechnics, making the band sound exactly like Coven, and that?s not necessarily a bad thing! 8/10 -- Jeff Penczak (19 September, 2007)