(Heavy Psychedelic Rock) The Surprise Package - 1969 - Free Up (2010 remastered), FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

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[CTDB TOCID: _bObZwWMqy6hgtdoWzlbgjg3Cj4-] found.
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1 | (1/1) Accurately ripped
2 | (1/1) Accurately ripped
3 | (1/1) Accurately ripped
4 | (1/1) Accurately ripped
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[AccurateRip ID: 0009dced-003c770a-55094107] disk not present in database.

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Rating 3.32 from 45 ratings according to RYM

"The only album of this forgotten US heavy psychedelic band was released in early 1969 on tiny LHI label owned by the famous artist/producer Lee Hazlewood. This record mostly contained a trippy and quite intense music with lots of Hammond organ passages, loud and fuzzed-out guitar parts & solid drumming. It can be easily described as a stylistic combination of Vanilla Fudge, The Doors and especially Iron Butterfly. It worth noting that the title track lasted nearly I6 minutes and its structure was very similar to In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Unfortunately, the album (and also single with cover of MacArthur Park) went almost completely unnoticed. Soon after the band changed its name to American Eagle and in 1970 released an eponymous LP for Decca Records."
Flawed Gems

"The band came from the Pacific Northwest, evolving out of The Viceroys (who also included Jim Valley before he joined Paul Revere and The Raiders). They operated mainly around the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington state. With the onset of the psychedelic era, Columbia Records, who had signed the band (no big surprise there), decided to market them as the hipper (hippier?) sounding Surprise Package. Between 1966 and 1968 they issued 3 singles for Columbia, the first of which, Out Of My Mind , was a nice slice of psychedelia produced by Terry Melcher that later appeared on the LPs Mindrocker, Volume 7 as well as Nuggets, Volume 8. They also picked up management out of San Diego, which brought them numerous gigs in southern California. After their third single and subsequent dropping from Columbia Records they were signed to Lee Hazelwood’s LHI label, details of which aren’t clear, but most likely had something to do with their management. Their first release for LHI was a chopped down and split up single version of the album’s 15+ minute title track, Free Up , as Free Up, Part 1 b/w Free Up, Part 2 ; that was followed by the album proper. Free Up features a light trippy psych music with a few intense moments, lots of Hammond organ passages, loud and fuzzed-out guitar, solid drumming, and soulful vocals. Not an essential addition to the collection, but the music still holds my interest after all these years and I’d rate it a strong second tier release (not to mention the collectability/rarity of anything on the LHI label, as it ran for a little over a year before effectively shutting down; I believe their was an album issued as late as 1971 on the label). Similarities/influences of Vanilla Fudge, The Doors, and especially Iron Butterfly on the In-A Gadda-Da Vida structured title track. A second single was issued after the album’s release which featured the non-album track/cover of MacArthur Park ; their version runs a little over 3-minutes. Not long after the albums release/quiet death they changed their name to American Eagle and in 1970 issued an eponymous album for Decca Records (US). Rob Lowery had previously been in The Rock Collection, (as well as their earlier incarnation as The Galaxies; both bands were Tacoma based), leaving that band in 1967 to join The Surprise Package. Michael Rogers also produced a 45 for The Bumps, a Seattle based band, in 1968."
ebay.com

Rob Lowery - lead vocal
Michael Rogers - organ, piano, bass, vocals
Greg Beck - guitar, vocals
Fred Zeufeldt - drums, vocals, leader