Customer Reviews

Is Spreading: The Great Peanut Butter Conspiracy

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, a Hollywood based group (not San Francisco) was one of the top groups on the west coast at the time of these lps (1967 - 68), at least in personal appearances, often booked atop groups thought today to have been the top artists of the time, such as the Doors, Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf, etc. Because of a better review than the Jefferson Airplane received in New Jersey, Bill Graham said "no more gigs with Peanut Butter" and the group was kept out of west-coast packages, Woodstock, the Monterey Festival and that had a lot to do with what kept them from the big time. They were an underground group and did not have the proper people behind them to compete, a story told over and over again in the music business. They did get a lot of airplay, however and this music is very typical of the times. Barbara had a beautiful voice and the group was very good instrumentally and vocally.Although not recorded with the care that others were at the time, this is the best of the Peanut Butter Conspiracy and worth having.

I bought this collection of PBC's Columbia material last year, almost on a whim, since I had never been a big fan during their late 1960s existence. However, I did see the group live in Chicago, summer of 1968 (more on that later). I was familiar with the LPs, but never owned either, preferring the first one (Spreading) over the second (Great), which I found rather cold.

Well, the music obviously has not changed, but my perceptions of it has. Spreading is a decent first effort, but it has a rather piece-meal quality to it. While not a singles band, the album plays as if PBC were that very thing. Thus, the tracks work better individually than as a well-integrated album of 11 songs. The strongest tracks are "Dark on You Now" (which, sometimes, as "Swallow the Sun," was covered by a number of West Coast bands), "You Should Know," and "Twice Is Life," all written by John Merrill. (Alan Brackett, PBC's other songwriter tended to write more commercially; his compositional abilities were shown to greater effect on LP #2.) Sandi Robinson was a lovely singer, as many reviewers have noted, and she helps elevate some of the more mundane material. And actually, while the harmonies are not as ethereal as some of the Mamas & Papas or as rhythmically engaging as the Airplane's, they are generally worth hearing. A B or B- grade, if you go in for that sort of thing.

Great is another story, however. The songs do not have a cold veneer like I originally thought 35 years (ouch!) ago. Instead, PCB plays harder and tighter, emphasizing more of the Rock part of Pop/Rock. Bill Wolf was a stronger, more inventive guitarist than the previous lead of Lance Fent. His more overtly San Francisco-influenced psychedelic licks (think CJ Fish a la Barry Melton or David Cohen) balanced well with John Merrill's more traditional rock `n' roll approach to tone and rhythm. Speaking of rhythm: the rhythm section of bassist Alan Brackett and drummer Jim Voight made a great leap forward on this LP, playing with greater dynamism and subtlety. There are two tracks over 6 minutes each which allow the whole band to stretch out instrumentally (and vocally, for that matter, too), thus giving us more of a good sense of their improvisational abilities. The song quality is more consistently superior to the first LP. In fact, I challenge you to find a better 1st side of an LP from a West Coast 1960s band than Side 1 of Great. Other than Love's side A of Da Capo, I doubt there is as strong a side of musical composition/performance as "Turn On a Friend" (a stronger single and lead-off cut than "It's A Happening Thing" from Spreading, which other reviewers seem to favour) through the half-minute vocal swirl of "Invasion of the Poppy People" (okay, okay, the title is dated, but not necessarily the music). Lyrically, PCB was no great shakes. Themes were largely freedom and romance, neither surprising given the times. Sometimes their best lines bump up against awful ones in the same song (try Alan Brackett's "Living Dream," for one). Despite, the lack of profundity and wit in many of the songs, PBC brings out the luster of the tunes through their energetic playing and imaginative vocalizing. And this is a real album, not just a hodge-podge collection of songs, and not one of the many dreadful "concept" LPs hurriedly recorded and rushed to shelves after the success of Sgt. Pepper. Great gets an A (A+ for Side 1, A- for Side 2).

P.S.: The bonus tracks range from bad Mamas & Papas ("It's So Hard Hard") to soulful pop (courtesy of Sandi Robinson and writer Brackett in "I'm a Fool") to bittersweet nostalgia ("Peter Pan" - we can fly off to Neverland...we're never gonna grow old, etc.). "Peter Pan" also reminds me of my "live" experience with PBC, who opened for Spirit at the `Lectric Theatre, the Chicago northside club owned and operated by Aaron Russo (later Bette Midler's manager). I actually recall very little of PBC's performance; but I do remember, with great sadness, nearly colliding with singer Sandi in-between sets. Like Peter Pan, she never grew old - and it's hard to believe she's been dead for over 15 years - but I wish she and her true, crystal voice were still around....

It was the exquisite voice of the sadly late Barbara (Sandi) Robison (who passed away in 1988) which got me into PBC, the first time I heard Turn On A Friend (To The Good Life) on a CBS Rock Machine sampler album.

As other fans have said, it was no lack of talent that kept this band from the big time. Sometimes people just don't get the breaks, either due to bad management, music industry politics or whatever. Incredibly, by 1969, it was essentially over, and the band that started out as The Ashes, would never record again as PBC.

These two albums are both classics, though stylistically somewhat different. Each kicks off with a storming track - It's A Happening Thing from the first album, and the superb Turn On A Friend from the second. The quality of the songs, vocals, musicianship and arrangements is second to none, and you just cannot get away from the feeling that this band should have been absolutely huge.

If you surf for the PBC unofficial website, it contains a link to a beautiful and informative tribute to Barb, which includes some beautiful photos of that fine fine lady, as does the website itself. I seem to recall the reason she became known as 'Sandi' is that as a teenager, she regularly used some false ID in that name in order to be able to play in clubs and bars.

Wonderful, and Amazon.com does it again with this simply outrageous value-for-money double set.

WOW. So I've been avoiding this group for thirty years. They were always there in the record bins. What a ridiculous name, right? Sure they have that nice jangly song (It's a Happening Thing) but they've gotta be lame psyche bubblegum madison ave. poseurs when it comes down to it, right? Sure people over the years have told me that they're "not bad." Well I'm mad at those people right now! Why were they apologizing? I have finally discovered how GREAT PBC was/is! OK, I'll rave if I'm not careful - I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM - I have 1,000 records & @ 2,000 CDs and I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM! *****If you are even barely considering this -for any reason - just get it!***** I have to confess - on my first listen I thought, "well, that's nice, derivative, not terribly exciting, but not bad, a great snapshot." But that was passive listening. There were enough hooks to get me listening again and every listen gets better. And after you're acclimated, crankin it up on a nice stereo is fantastic. Noone will let me near the stereo ever again! Why did those people say "not bad?" I know I'm crazy, but right now I'm certain that PBC is the greatest underappreciated band in history and that It's a Happening Thing is the single greatest pop song of all time. I'm flippin'! All I can figure is that they never got their due for the same reason I always shrugged them off - that silly name! The previous points are true - crisp production values by Usher ; 1 part Byrds/1 part Mamas&Papas/1 (pre-67) Airplane. Beautiful stuff. And while I'm raving - why don't I ever hear anyone point out the obvious? 1967 was the single greatest year in the musical history of the world. Think about it - really think about it - it's hands down true. I'd list why and the albums and artists - but that would take gigabytes! And this album gives us one of the better performances of that pivotal time (ok and peeking into '68)....."the grooviest thing up till now in the world."

Wow, I just bought this cd on the reccomendation of a friend, and I must say that since buying this disc, not a day has gone by that I haven't listened to it at least once! Before I start to gush, let me introduce one caveat-- the writing, while interesting, is not incredibly tuneful, and the lyrics in particular haven't aged well. Gary Usher fans looking for another 'Present Tense' may find that this cd is not their bag. The PBC were a different animal-- about as balanced between pop and rock as humanly possible-- their music coming across as a wonderful hybrid of Byrds, Jefferson Airplane and Mamas and Papas, but with lesser songwriting. Not to say that the songwriting is at all bad, or even mediocre... it just doesn't reach the same heights as those superstar acts.

That being said, there is much to reccomend about this cd and band. Their main strengths are: a) vocalist Sandi Peanut Butter (ne Barbara Robinson) who has a sonic wonder of a voice-- nearly as clear and powerful as Mama Cass, b) the guitar work (which incorperates eastern and jazz voicings), and c) the stellar production by icon producer Gary Usher, who also worked with the Byrds, Sagittarius, Chad and Jeremy and a host of other west coasters.

The PBC had a knack for catchy if somewhat bizarrely structured singles. The infectious "It's a Happening Thing" starts off with a verse of only one line before kicking into its propulsive chorus. (Nothing like getting straight to the point.) "Dark On You Now" and "Turn On a Friend" both feature dark guitar lines interspersed with uplifting melodies. This dark/ light opposition may be the most attractive feature of their music. This is also obvious on some of the extended pieces on 1968's 'The Great Conspiracy' -- the more "rock" of the two albums included on this cd. While Usher dominated 1967's 'The PBC Is Spreading', turning it into another of his patented psych-pop story-albums, you barely notice he's involved at all on the second record. The PBC deserves credit for successfully developing the sound on the superior 'Great Conspiracy' themselves. This is the band that blew Jefferson Airplane off the stage at the Fillmore.

This reissue also includes three bonus tracks, including the great single "I'm a Fool", showing the group were headed towards a more soul-oriented direction at the close of '68. While they are suprisingly adept at it, the real joy here is the psychedelic mind excursion stuff.

Buy this album and discover a classic that was lost in time. Highly reccomended to all fans of west coast rock and pop.

. . . that's what my stepchildren called it. I got to see them live several times at the old Catacombs in Houston. They are one of the best things to happen to music. This is love music. And the world needs love. Hasn't it been nice, paradise, living loving life!
The Most Up 'Til Now, It's a Happening Thing, and Why did I Get So High are the best from the first album. Start with song 12 and get into the second album. Each song has it's own magic! Too Many Do must be the best song, but all of them are just wonderful! As has been said - enjoy. This is love music.

Collectables Records has compiled the Peanut Butter Conspiracy's first two albums, both sides of a non-album single, and a previously unreleased track on this 79 minute, 44 second disc. The Peanut Butter Conspiracy were one of many trippy bands to come out of the Bay Area in the mid 60s. Their sound varied from acoustic folk-psych to revved up Airplane style psychedelia. While the song writing could hardly be compared to the Airplane, the PBC could hold their own instrumentally. The disc opens with perhaps their best known track "It's A Happening Thing," a summer of love ditty which while sounding somewhat dated today still has a nice hook and Barbara (Sandi Peanut Butter) Robinson's voice is exquisitely ethereal. "Turn On A Friend (To The Good Life)" leads off the "Great Conspiracy" lp and is wonderfully melodic. The first album (the first 11 tracks on this disc) are filled with gentler, folk-psych tunes, while the second half of the disc shows the band in more instrument-based performance mode. While neither of these albums will ever qualify as classics, for fans of 1960s psychedelia it is a pleasant memory down trips lane.

The Peanut Butter Conspiracy (PBC), ah...a tasty moniker for a 1960s, Los Angeles group who embodied all that was wholesome in folk-rock and psychedelia, combined with sporadic tinctures of blues, jazz and Eastern raga. They were led by a petite chanteuse who possessed a much larger sounding, but infectiously youthful and romantic, pair of pipes--Barbara "Sandi" (aka "Peanut Butter") Robison. Sadly, Sandi departed this world in April of 1988. With a voice like hers, and the bards/guitar wizards, et al, who played with her, the Conspiracy was destined, I think, to be the rock world's next Jefferson Airplane. In fact, the late Spencer Dryden (died January, 2005)--who ended up in San Francisco playing with Gracie and her gang--was a drummer in the PBC's progenitor, The Ashes. Unfortunately, the PBC will have to go down as one of the most underrated bands in the annals of rock, alongside the Left Banke and Strawberry Alarm Clock (whose sublime, pensive signature they shared a resemblance with; along with a dose of Byrds jangle and Zappaesque ingenuity). We have a treasure trove of melodious and gorgeously arranged songs on this PBC CD collection of two albums, or twofer, I'm reviewing, "The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading"/"The Great Conspiracy." The trippy songwriting expertise--often the argot of hippiedom--is noteworthy, too, as in the song "Ecstasy": "Take a walk through the trees and you'll end up a-runnin' from a flower bloomin' yesterday," or "It's A Happening Thing" (a minor hit): "Love is the grooviest thing up till now in the world." And in their lyrics the PBC embraced the gamut of 60's themes: the various facets of true love and friendship, youth, mind expansion, the reduction of society to machines and schedules, America's fixation on space travel, or just a lovely summer day. Fluctuating moods are replete in their oeuvre, achieved by an imaginative selection of instruments embellishing commonplace guitars and drums. My favourite cuts on this disc are: "Lonely Leaf"--an elegiac piece on hope and caring, where Sandi's vocal is searing and the guitar playing raw and emotive; and "Then Came Love"-- a poetic song about a love affair in which Sandi starts as lead vocalist and is soon joined by other members of the PBC for a fervent harmony session. What's missing from this CD is perhaps (as a bonus cut) the rare recording from the obscure 1970 motion picture soundtrack, "Jud," called "Come To Me Anytime." It is here Robison excels like nowhere else as a crooner, with a phraseology similar to Nancy Sinatra's, plus a sprinkling of Jane Relf (Renaissance; Illusion), effectively performing "lounge-rock." Another PBC compilation currently out--basically an abridged version of the twofer under review, going by the title "Turn On A Friend," has sixteen of the twenty-five tracks featured on the former. Obviously, the former presentation is a more complete value. Go out and get this CD by The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, "The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading"/"The Great Conspiracy," today, because a rare taste of adventure led by a chanteuse inspiring sticky fantasies awaits you.

Hey, now hey, these people meld the Mamas and the Papas with the Jefferson Airplane and a dash of Peter Paul and Mary to create a sound all their own. Pity they only lasted two albums before folding. As for the idiot that thought Sandi couldn't sing, stick to Britney, she's more your cup of tea!

If you like groups like the MAMAS & PAPAS and early JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, folksy, pleasant 60s rock music featuring female vocalists, you'll like this band. I am glad I got this CD that has their first two albums plus bonus songs. If I had bought just the original album/CD "The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading" by itself, which is the first ten songs, I would have been disappointed. Except for a few songs like "Most Up Till Now," the group sounds similar to but inferior to any song from "Jefferson Airplane Loves You." Luckily, it gets better!

Starting with the first song from what was PBC's second album/CD
"Turn on a Friend (To the Good Life)" it is obvious the songs are more complex and less "folksy" then on the first effort. My absolute favorite is "Living Dream" because of the beautiful singing and dreamlike qualities of the song. Why wasn't this a hit? It is as lovely as "White Dove" to me! Other interesting songs are "I'm A Fool" and "Peter Pan." These two are bonus tracks and wonderful additions. It seems a shame that PCB is not remembered as one of the better 60s rock bands. They are as colorful as many of the other California bands, but somehow they never found musical stardom. Too bad!