The Serpent Power
The Serpent Power (1967) ~ Tina & David Meltzer - Poet Song (1969)
Label:   
Length:  1:19:24
    Track Listing:
      1.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 01. Don't You Listen To Her    2:21
      2.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 02. Gently. Gently    2:37
      3.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 03. Open House    3:31
      4.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 04. Flying Away    4:27
      5.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 05. Nobony Blues    3:50
      6.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 06. Up And Down    3:38
      7.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 07. Sky Baby    2:33
      8.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 08. Forget    3:35
      9.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 09. Dope Again    0:48
      10.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 10. Endless Tunnel    13:15
      11.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 11. I'm The Early Morning Racer    1:42
      12.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 12. I'll Forget You    3:45
      13.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 13. The Bath    0:37
      14.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 14. I'm A Lover    2:54
      15.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 15. Ravel Blues    4:41
      16.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 16. The Blackest Rose    0:52
      17.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 17. It Is For You    1:52
      18.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 18. Lullaby    2:56
      19.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 19. I'm So Willing    4:16
      20.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 20. Lamentation For Hank Williams    1:11
      21.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 21. Hymn To Love    3:19
      22.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 22. Confessin'    2:30
      23.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 23. Pure White Place    4:35
      24.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 24. Poem For My Wife    1:01
      25.  
      		 The Serpent Power - 25. For Tina    2:27
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      "The Serpent Power" (tracks 1-10)
      The only album released by this San Francisco group, The Serpent Power is a good example of the ways in which the "San Francisco sound" had coalesced into a recognizable trend by 1967: music set to beat poetry, a combination of bluesier rockers and wispy, folk-influenced tunes with male and female harmonies, and meditations about drugs all date the album somewhat, but the songs themselves are quite good, with excellent band interplay and nice electric guitar work. The heavier songs pack a good punch, while the lighter songs set a very airy, flowing mood, the epitome of what was then becoming known as "flower power". The Serpent Power is most noteworthy, though, for the inclusion of the last track, "Endless Tunnel," which was one of the first successful fusions of eastern-style song structure and philosphy with western instruments and rock sensibilities. This sort of raga-rock had been tried earlier by San Francisco's Great Society, and, of course, the Beatles, but never had it been taken to such extremes on record, clocking in at over 13 minutes. The only other rock songs with similar ideas and effect were the Butterfield Blues Band's "East-West" and the Doors' "The End," both released a year earlier. The album's liner notes include excerpts from the poetry of the band's leader and songwriter, David Meltzer.

      "Poet Song" (tracks 11-25)
      Tina & David Meltzer's late-'60s album is a pleasing, though not great, entry in the large field of San Francisco Bay Area psych-folk-rock. Naturally there are similarities to the 1967 album by the Serpent Power, which the Meltzers fronted. But the mood here is more subdued, folky, and occasionally orchestrated, with some violins, cello, mandolin, French horns, clarinet, and sax in addition to the folk-rock guitars. The cops from the likes of Country Joe & the Fish and the Jefferson Airplane are toned way down, and the music is broken up by a half-dozen spoken poems by David Meltzer with gentle guitar backup. Tina Meltzer takes the lead vocals more often than David Meltzer on the purely musical selections -- a wise choice as she has the better voice, her rich and clear tones and phrasing suitable for the contemplative, wistful mood of the songs. The mood is nicely varied by the darkly comic, theatrical "I'm a Lover" (on which David Meltzer takes lead), the Latin rhythms and exuberant flute of "It Is for You," and the classical orchestration of "I'll Forget You." It's a good record for sunny, solitary mornings.
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