From the same with-it collector-folks who brought us those Gentle Sounds For Gentle People '60s soft-rock comps not so long ago, comes this new compilation unearthing the tunes of 23 "tripped-out troubadours from 1965-1970". These so-called "Mystic Males" are long-haired, bearded (or at least mustachioed) mellow crooners, hailing from places like LA's Sunset Strip and New York's Greenwich Village. Professional and otherwise singer/songwriters getting into (for real or for, they might be hoping, the bucks) the Hippy vibe. Mostly, they sing about Girls. And Nature. And Love. And Girls. (At least five of the song titles here are simply girls' names.) Suiting such subject matter, these tracks tend towards gentle vocals, gentle vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and drifting folky melodies -- often times backed by lush orchestration and groovy beats. Some are twee, some are swingin'. Hadn't heard of any of these dudes before, except Dino Valente, but maybe you have -- here's a few, with song titles too: Chip Taylor "You Should Be From Monterey", Tommy Roe "Paisley Dreams", Teddy Neeley "Autumn Afternoon", Kenny O'Dell "Flower Girl", Thomas Hill "Glider Pilot", Bill & Howdy "Misty Morning Confrontation"... no, don't know 'em? Well those song titles ought to give you some idea of what they sound like, and also the liner notes give plenty of obscure details about each obscure track. And some of 'em are gems. We like these Mystic Males.
Compiled by the same Pet Records crew that previously assembled the three-volume folk-rock smorgasbord Soft Sounds for Gentle People, Mystic Males unearths 23 weird-beard psych-folk obscurities from the late '60s, spotlighting the hirsute singer/songwriters that sprouted like weed in post-Dylan Greenwich Village and post-Byrds Los Angeles. Though created in the laboratories of metropolitan America, much of the material here boasts a pastoral, back-to-nature sensibility. Between them, the sensual delights of either flora or flesh dominate virtually every song. Meanwhile, Svengali-like figures including Curt Boettcher, Tom Wilson, and Terry Melcher lurk on the sonic periphery, contributing the trademark touches that make this music so wonderfully emblematic of its era. Highlights include Harumi's heady "Hunters of Heaven," Bob Ray's Donovan-inspired "(Girl with The) Cameo Ring," and Dick Domane's heavy-lidded "Bad Dream."
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