WATERMELON “Vol. 1: From The Lemon Drops to Vibrations of
Sequence in Order”
WATERMELON
“Vol. 1: From The Lemon Drops to
Vibrations of Sequence in Order”
When
legendary psych outfit The
Lemon Drops flew to San
Francisco from Chicago back in 1969,
they had high hopes for huge
success. Practice sessions at
the Redwood City, CA estate of
financier Dan Herron, were hot and
heavy. Musicians coming and
going day and night, including
Cold Blood, featuring Lydia Pense.
Gram Parsons and his new
band the Flying Burrito
Brothers would move into the
mansion for days at a time. But
a series of unfortunate events
scuppered everyone’s plans and broke
up the band. That in turn led to
former Lemon Drops forming
Watermelon, joining forces with
famed American musician and composer
of ambient music, Raphael
(a.k.a. Rafael).
The Watermelon sound is grooving and
tight; mostly fiery and hard
and heavy. Yet Watermelon were also
capable of eerie, haunting and
hypnotic moments, combining (as
one writer proposed) “an ethereal
sound of yesterday with an infinite
hope for tomorrow.” Or maybe
you’d agree better with the person
who exulted, “they sound like Booker
T. meets Quicksilver
Messenger Service!” As one
reviewer said, “If you like
late-60’s/early 70’s rock with a
psychedelic edge, featuring a hot
organist, go for this baby.”
Watermelon producer Reggie Weiss
tells the band’s story in the notes
which accompany this reissue,
including how these tapes were found
after a long time gone. And as he
says, “They sound so good, it’s
hard to believe that they were
recorded in stereo with only
two microphones. I
was working in the magnetic
tape research division at Ampex
at the time… my boss loaned me
his pro two-track Ampex machine
for a taping — thank God.”
Limited edition of 300x
hand-numbered copies
(150x for sale via Lion Productions
outside of Canada; 150x
for sale via Return to Analog
Records in Montreal)
Track List: Side A:
1. You Got It (take one) 3:20
2. African Song 3:24
3. Triology 3:08
4. Fantasy Child 3:27
5. Popsicle Girl (single version)
4:33
6. Primordial 3:56
Side B:
1. Linda In Rhinestones (alternate
take) 3:45
2. Silver Watermelons 4:15
3. Watermelon Woman 3:32
4. Nobody Loves You Like I Do 4:09
5. The Ocean Song 3:31
6. Yesterday’s Gone 3:14
When
legendary psych outfit The
Lemon Drops flew to San
Francisco from Chicago back in 1969,
they had high hopes for huge
success. Practice sessions at
the Redwood City, CA estate of
financier Dan Herron, were hot and
heavy. Musicians coming and
going day and night, including
Cold Blood, featuring Lydia Pense.
Gram Parsons and his new
band the Flying Burrito
Brothers would move into the
mansion for days at a time. But
a series of unfortunate events
scuppered everyone’s plans and broke
up the band. That in turn led to
former Lemon Drops forming
Watermelon, joining forces with
famed American musician and composer
of ambient music, Raphael
(a.k.a. Rafael).