Built around the talents of singer/guitarist Paul Applebaum, bassist Johnny Lank, sax player Barry Tatelman, vocalist Gail Winnick and drummer Sandy Winslow, 1968 saw the band signed by the small Detroit-based Mainstream Records. Released later in the year, "The Art of Lovin'" made for one of the year's more interesting debuts. Curiously, for years I'd read reviews that labeled this album as being folk-rock oriented. It's not. That said, the first time I spun the collection I was left with the nagging feeling I'd heard it somewhere before. The second time around, the comparison instantly dawned us. Powered by Applebaum's pseudo-psychedelic material and Winslow's crystalline voice, stylistically tracks such as 'What the Young Mind Says', the rocker 'Take a Ride' and 'Good Times' bore more than a passing resemblance to early Jefferson Airplane. Imagine the Airplane having elected to abandon some of their more strident moves in favor of a slightly more commercial orientation and you'll get a good feel for the LP. At the other end of the spectrum, harmony rich tracks such as 'Daily Prayer' sounded like The Mamas and the Papas having abandoned their chirpy top-40 orientation. Simultaneously catchy and quite commercial, it's easy to see why this album is valued so highly by collectors.
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