A local Appleton, Wisconsin band, formed after the demise of the Private Property Of Digil in 1968. Their first album was a privately pressed affair issued in a plain cover with a yellow insert sheet, which was, in some cases, glued to the front cover. One side has five studio tracks, the other a long live jam.
Their later album, which included Jim Peterman (from the Steve Miller Band) was Recorded at Brunswick Recording Studio and engineered by Bruce Swedien. All the tracks were composed by Doug Yankus and the album is an excellent mix of psych, blues and hard-rock, with some jazz and country rock influences. The best tracks are Dance Magic Woman, Black Cadillac and Many Dancers Dance Inside Your Head. Three of the ten tracks are over six minutes, leaving plenty of time for Doug Yankus to show off his guitar skills.
The 45 includes a rockin' late sixties version of Big Boss Man with some nimble guitar licks, while the flip is a yearning romantic paean.
Doug Yankus also guested on the Nashville-based band White Duck second album, whose line-up included songwriter John Hiatt. He also played on Hiatt's first solo album, Hangin' Around The Observatory (1974), and later on Slug Line (1979). After Soup split, Doug went on to form Soft Touch and the Doug Yankus Band. He passed away in 1982 due to complications arising from diabetes. The Gear Fab CD is dedicated to his memory with proceeds going to the Diabetic Foundation.
Beware of a recent counterfeit version of their first album, and go for the legit Gear Fab CD version instead, which includes a number of pre-Soup tracks by Private Property Of Digil and comes with detailed liner notes.
|
