Customer Reviews

Breakthrough

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

New Colony Six were a great Chicago band. With the Buckinghams & Cryan Shames, they were gusts of fresh air for the late 60s Chicago rock scene. This CD has the same cover photograph for the compilation "At the River's Edge," which might seem a bit confusing. All of the tracks from this set except their live version of "Sloopy" are also on "At the Rivers Edge."

I early bought the "Colonization" LP and have been hunting for this lp for over 3 decades; so I'm way jazzed that Sundazed has done a re-release. This is their original first release.

"At the River's Edge" is a superb rave-up which Ray Graffia confesses shows their Yardbirds influence. "I Lie Awake" was the flip side of the original "River's Edge" single release. It has the NC6 dreamy harmonies and Jerry Kollenburg's churning guitar, "I like awake counting my time, a breaking heart, a woeful soul which I have signed away; I want my love back." "Dawn Is Breaking" has more of those incredible beat/pause/build shifts that seem abrupt in a 2-minute song, but make their music fascinating decades later. "Mister You're A Better Man Than I" is a musically dark garage rock track that advocates tolerance and racial harmony. Craig Kemp's organ floats in & out of "Some People Think I'm A Playboy." "I Confess" with its unique sounding guitar & its haunting chorus retains a romantic hopefulness despite a difficult romance, "You'll be with me 'til eternity & be mine, the sun from above will be our love 'til the end of time." "Breakthrough" is a welcome re-release of a classic hard-to-find early album. Enjoy!

Like their Chicago compatriots the Buckinghams and Cryin' Shames, the New Colony Six evolved from garage rock to a more polished harmony sound. Though not as bluesy as The Shadows of Knight, this 1966 debut still features a good helping of organ, petulant vocals, and ten originals (and two covers) of teenage romantic distress. The British Invasion influences are strong, with Zombies-like minor keys and Yarbirds-styled R&B, including a cover of the latter's "Mister, You're a Better Man That I" and the original rave-up "At the River's Edge."

Sundazed's reissue reproduces the album's original twelve tracks. An earlier Sundazed release, "At the River's Edge," drops the Yardbirds cover and a live remake of The McCoy's "Hang on Sloopy" in favor of a non-LP single and most of the group's second album, "Colonization." The latter is also available as a separate CD with bonus tracks. The curious are best served by the "River's Edge" compilation, fans should pick up the individual LPs, plus the two-fer "Treat Her Groovy," which combines the band's third and fourth LPs. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]