Lost In Tyme Blog

Organ Grinders (US) - 1968 - Out Of The Egg

Tracks :
1 Hall Of Hours
2 New Day Holyday
3 Freedom Song
4 Pleasont Song
5 Reach For The Sky
6 New Beginning
7 8th Day In Heaven
8 Smile For The Sun
9 And I Know What Love Is
10 Shady Tree
11 Honey Bee
12 William
13 Kama Kazie Woman

The Organgrinders

Personnel:
Frank Eventoff woodwind, flute, sax, ld vcls A
Nisan Eventoff piano, organ, accordion, synth, keyb'd-bs, ld vcls A
Paul Eventoff drms, vcls A
Henry Melcher gtr, bs, vcls A
James Rock bs, vcls A

ALBUM:
1(A) Out Of The Egg (Mercury SR 61282) 1970

45s:
1 Daylight/Mirror Images (Smash S-2227) 1969
2 Babylon/Precious Time (Smash S-2242) 1969

A flower-pop quintet from Baltimore. Their to date unheralded album is a fine example of this genre. There are very few weak cuts on it, but mostly bright and breezy pop with some delightful woodwind, like Shady Tree. Not garage or psychedelic music, but it's typical late sixties melodic flower pop similar to albums like Orange Colored Sky. Most of the finer moments come on Side One on tracks like Halls Of Hours, New Day Holiday, Reach For The Sky and 8th Day In Heaven, although Smile For The Sun on Side Two is also a gem. Side Two does included one throwaway cut, And I Know What Love Is, and ends with an experimental instrumental Kama Kazie Woman, which doesn't really come off.

Frank Eventoff had earlier been in The Seventh Sons. Nisan Eventoff:- "With my four brothers, Richard, Franklin, Paul, and Maury, and with my parents, Joseph and Ethel Eventoff, we had a music and magic show. We called ourselves The Seven Evens and our theme song was called The Magic Genie. We all studied at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and had scholarships".

"I am the youngest, then Richard (he played stand up bass), Frank (woodwinds), Paul (drums) and Maury (piano). Mom still plays piano at 93 years old. Dad played piano, violin, mandolin and danced. He passed away when I was 14."

On The Organgrinders Nisan tells us:- "Frank played woodwinds, flute, sax, and he also invented several instruments that were used. Frank and I did most of the lead vocals, however the whole band sang. Henry also sings Honey Bee on the album. After the Organ Grinders we formed a "gypsy rock" band called Romany. We sent demos out and Mercury was interested as were a few others including Decca. Maury, my oldest brother called Bob Reno who was head of A & R at Mercury and convinced him we were the next Beatles. They signed us and we ended up as opening act for many name groups. We played at colleges, clubs, arenas, Strawberry Fields Festival and did some T.V. and movie work. We stayed together for 15 years. At my moms 90th birthday, we all played together, it was great!

Nowadays Nisan is a professional magician, balloon sculptor and musician.

(Vernon Joynson/Nisan Eventoff)

Acid Archives :
ORGAN GRINDERS (Baltimore, MD)

"Out Of The Egg" (Mercury sr-61282)

This is good but unexceptional late popsike with flutes, fuzz guitars, trippy lyrics, a mix of soft and loud. The songwriting is reasonably creative but they don't create much of an identity here. Creepy album cover to be filed with After All. This is one of those albums that dealers always seem to hype as unknown and underrated, maybe because it's still cheap. [AM]
~~~
A record either loved or hated, I fall into the former category and think this is the best obscure album Mercury released along with Wizards From Kansas. If you look at the insert before playing this you will know that this is an early melding of arty psych and electronic instruments and effects. While most of these early experiments delve into noise and abrasive pretentiousness the Organ Grinders are very trippy and very melodic. The vocals are a strong point, nicely harmonized and very psychedelic. The instrumentation is clever and well executed, while the songs are downright brilliant. "8th Day In Heaven" is one of many standouts with jaw dropping time changes and this could easily be filed under "progressive psych." A bit of a Left Banke/Federal Duck vibe is very evident, making for a melodic psych treat. Every track is a winner and this is, if truth be told, one of my favourite American albums with a strong Anglophile vibe too. Some do not like this, but I do and say that it is a very underrated one. -- Ben Blake Mitchner