The Cryan' Shames
' debut album was typical of the more thrown-together
rock
LPs of the era: both sides of their first two singles and a bunch of cover versions. The singles, actually, were pretty good, including their most well-known song,
"Sugar & Spice,"
a cover of a
Searchers
hit that actually was more memorable and imaginative than the original. Its B-side,
"Ben Franklin's Almanac,"
was a respectable original with shades of
the Byrds
,
the Yardbirds
, and California harmonies; the second single,
"I Wanna Meet You,"
was a decent meld of
Beatles
-
Byrds
jangle with
Beach Boys
harmonies; and its flip,
"We Could Be Happy,"
was an OK
soft rock
number. Throw in the sole original composition not from a single,
"July"
(one of the better 1966
sound-alikes), and you have half a decent (though not great) period
pop/rock
album. The problem is, though, that the cover versions that fill out the record -- including songs written and/or popularized by
the Beatles
, and
the Animals
, along with
"Heat Wave"
-- are neither too creatively done nor even imaginative selections.
"Sugar and Spice"
and all four of the originals appear on the
Legacy
compilation
Sugar & Spice
, which makes this album superfluous if you already have that anthology. The 2002 CD
Sundazed
reissue is bolstered by six bonus songs: their 1967 single
"Mr. Unreliable"
(different from the LP version) and its laid-back B-side
"Georgia,"
a cover of
'
"You're Gonna Lose That Girl,"
and three previously unreleased 1969 tracks that found them going into a mellow
folk
/
country
direction. ~ Richie Unterberger