''Clear Light'' is the only studio album by the American

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band

Clear Light Clear Light was an American psychedelic rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. The group released one studio album, '' Clear Light''. It had moderate national success before the group disbanded. History In 1966, The Brain ...

, released in September 1967, by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

. The album was a moderate success. ''Clear Light'' was released in September 1967 and peaked at number 126 on the Billboard pop albums chart. It combined elements of

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

, and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

. It is an

AMG AMG may refer to: Automobiles * AB Motorfabriken i Göteborg, a former Swedish automobile manufacturer * Mercedes-AMG, a division of Mercedes-Benz * AM General, an American heavy vehicle and contract automotive manufacturer Mathematics and sci ...

music pick. While the album was not a success at the time, it was considered as creative, coherent and competent. The album featured the unique characteristic of including two leading drummers on their tracks.

Recording

Recording commenced in April 1967 at

Elektra Electra, also spelt Elektra, was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. Electra or Elektra may also refer to: Animals * ''Electra'' (bryozoan), a genus of aquatic invertebrates * ''Elektra'' (bug), a genus of insects in the ...

Recording Studio in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The majority of the material was completed during these sessions, but the developments were postponed to replace Robbie Robison on guitar. Instead of a new guitarist, the band recruited

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instru ...

Ralph Schuckett Ralph Schuckett (March 2, 1948 – April 4, 2021) was an American keyboardist, composer and songwriter known as one of the founding members of Todd Rundgren's band Utopia. He composed for film and television, including ''Pokémon'', ''Sonic X'', ...

, and, following a month of concerts, the band returned to recording in Sunset Sound Recorders Studios. The studios had just recently upgraded from a 4-track to an 8-track. A highlight of the recording sessions was the band's psychedelic interpretation of the

Tom Paxton Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter whose career spans more than sixty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

composition "Mr. Blue".

Release and reception

In his 1976 review for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

gave ''Clear Light'' a low rating of "D−" to an A+ to F scale. Matthew Greenwald of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

was more positive to the record, calling it a "very good slice of Los Angeles

psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

Track listing

The CD reissue of the album includes a bonus track, "She's Ready to Be Free", which was the B-side of the group's first single.

Personnel

Musicians *

Cliff De Young Clifford Tobin DeYoung (born February 12, 1945)According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905-1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com is an Ame ...

– vocals *Bob Seal – guitar, vocals * Douglas Lubahn – bass *

– keyboards * Dallas Taylor – drums *Michael Ney – drums *Robbie Robison – guru *Lee Housekeeper – seer and overseer Technical * Paul A. Rothchild – production *

Bruce Botnick Bruce Botnick (born 1945) is an American audio engineer and record producer. He is best known for co-producing '' L.A. Woman'', the sixth studio album by the Doors, after producer Paul A. Rothchild quit during production of the album. Botnick i ...

– engineer *

Jac Holzman Jac Holzman (born September 15, 1931) is an American record executive. He is the founder of the record labels Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records. Holzman helped commercially launch the CD and home video formats, as well as the pilot program wh ...

– production supervisor *Gordon Anderson – executive producer

References

External links

Clear Light “Clear Light ” 1967 US West Coast Psych Rock. a psychedelic gem....!

Album playlist at Youtube
{{Authority control 1967 debut albums Albums produced by Paul A. Rothchild Elektra Records albums Clear Light albums