The Aggregation — Mind Odyssey 1968 (USA, Psychedelic/Jazz Rock) Full Lp

Tracks: 01. The Lady At The Gate — 00:00 02. Looking For The Tour Guide —05:02 03. The Long Windy Tunnel — 07:16 04. Flying Free — 13:46 05. White Light — 16:57 06. In The Garden —19:04 07. Reflections — 22:10 08. The City Of Toys And Games — 25:09 09. Change — 28:37 10. Life’s Light — 31:38 Personnel: LeWayne Braun — lead & rhythm guitar, vocals Richard Jones — rhythm guitar, lead vocals Dale Burt — organ, piano, honky-tonk, vocals Bill Sissoev — bass, slide and valve trombone, vocals Bayard Gregory — drums, timpani, bongos, tambourine, toilet, vocals Leo Potts — flute, clarinet, saxophones, recorder, kazoo, vocals Lemoyne Taylor — flute, clarinet, saxophones, recorder, slide whistle, vocals The only album by the band from Los Angeles (California). The group was organized by students at Long Beach State (now California State University) in 1965. They were one of many bands to play at Disneyland in Southern California. Upon graduation, Dale Burt and Bayard Gregory received master’s degrees in sociology, and Leo Potts, Lemoyne Taylor and LeWayne Braun received bachelor’s degrees in music. This was a very “educated“ group. In the summer of 1967, the guys agreed to play every day on the Disneyland playground. The leader of the group, Leo Potts, used this time to establish the necessary connections in musical circles. They laughed at him, but he sent out free tickets to the band’s concerts to local show business figures. And it bore fruit. Among those who took advantage of the invitation was Lee Hazlewood, producer of Frank and Nancy Sinatra. He liked the group and offered to help the guys record a single. One side featured an instrumental by Dale Burt, which Lee proposed to call “Maharishi” (a version of it was later included on the album as “Change”). Side B is an instrumental arrangement of Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman“. The single had some success on the East Coast, especially in Boston. Hazlewood immediately decided to start recording the album. He gave the group money to pay for time in a small recording studio, inviting the guys to record whatever they wanted. Since The Aggregation were a purely instrumental band, there was a problem with vocals, and keyboardist Dale Burt was forced to play bass during the Disneyland concerts. Another graduate of the University of California, Bill Sissoev, took on these responsibilities, becoming a new member of the group. Lyrics were written by Linda O’Hara, who later became Bayard Gregory’s wife. A studio drummer also took part in the recording. Leo and Lemoyne, who were auditioning vocalists, settled on Richard Jones, who, although not an outstanding singer, still satisfied everyone. “Mind Odyssey” was born in creative disputes and anguish. Lee really liked the final version of the album. He tried his best to promote it, but the distribution company that produced and distributed his label’s albums believed that sales would be low and significantly limited the release’s circulation.