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The Growing Concern - Growing Concern (1968)

Track listing:
  1. Hard Hard Year 4:26
  2. Edge of Time 4:31
  3. Tomorrow Has Been Cancelled 2:47
  4. A Boy I Once Knew Well 4:26
  5. All I Really Want 2:21
  6. Mister You're A Better Man Than I 4:50
  7. What Kind Of Life 2:59
  8. Other Side of Life 4:56
  9. I Know A Girl 2:37
  10. Sit Down I Think I Love You 2:24

Notes

Although formed primarily as a blues label, Mainstream Records released a number of interesting psychedelic albums in the late 60s. Some of the better of these include Bohemian Vendetta, The Jelly Bean Bandits, Orient Express, and The Growing Concern.

Although virtually nothing is known of the Growing Concern, their only album is an enjoyable piece of West Coast psychedelic pop. The opening track “Hard, Hard Year” is perhaps the best on the album. The song opens with some melodic guitar work, which is joined first by bass, and second by some excellent keyboards. The song also featured beautiful female vocal harmonies from group members Bonnie MacDonald and Mary Garstki.

This song largely set the style for the remainder of the album. “Edge of Time” featured some excellent lead guitar work, as did “Tomorrow Has Been Cancelled.” “A Boy I Once Knew Well” was a folky lament which again featured fine vocal harmonies, keyboards, and guitar work. The group’s version of “Mister You’re a Better Man than I” was done in a similar style, and is an interesting take on the Yardbirds original. The group also covered Steve Stills’s “Sit Down, I Think I Love You, based on the Buffalo Springfield original rather than the more baroque hit version by The Mojo Men. The entire album is characterized by fine male and female vocal harmonies, excellent keyboard playing, and occasionally fine guitar work. Overall, The Growing Concern album is a quite good blend of folk rock, pop, and psychedelia. The CD reissue is from the German label Golden Reborn Classics, and benefits from rather good sound quality. Well worth a spin.