The nucleus of the group that created the LP had its genesis in the excellent mid-'60s bubblegum-psychedelic outfit The Rainy Daze, formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1965, which had a minor Top 100 hit with the camouflaged ode to marijuana, "Acapulco Gold," in 1967. The quintet's catalysts were Tim Gilbert, the lead vocalist and guitarist, and John Carter, the lyricist. The Rainy Daze broke up following several post-LP singles on the Turtles' label, White Whale. Carter and Gilbert, meanwhile, had written an entire album, and now needed a band to record it. With Diamond, they held auditions and ultimately assembled Dave Torbert on bass, Scott Quigley and Matt Kelly on guitars, Chris Herold on drums, and lead singer Rich Fifield. Fifield was replaced midway through the recording sessions with an unknown 18-year-old kid, Don Johnson, in his first professional gig. The resultant, self-titled album was a strong effort, mixing tongue-in-cheek counterculturalisms ("Class of '69" was a carefully couched song about a sex act) and hippie-fied country elements into its hard rock, but also, unfortunately, came out on White Whale just at the moment that the label was beginning to come undone. (AMG). 01 - Freight Train 02 - Class Of '69 03 - Birdie In A Cage 04 - Nothing At All 05 - Cheyenne 06 - Run Rabbit Run 07 - Country Boy 08 - Overnight Bag 09 - Horseradish 10 - Asia Minor 11 - Wind LINK
