The Fallen Angels - The Great Society Sucks: Halloween 1968 (Cicadelic, 2011)

While the US capital was not exactly a hotbed of countercultural and mind-expanding musical activity during the latter half of the 1960s, Washington DC, like many other American cities during the same period, was large enough to support a scene that featured at least a few interesting underground bands. First and foremost among such groups, the Fallen Angels occupy a rightful place in the psychedelic pantheon. Even though the first of their two Roulette albums is only so-so, their sophomore effort It's a Long Way Down qualifies as an absolute masterpiece and one of the greatest East Coast underground LPs of its time.

JACK BRYANT & WALLY COOK

A live album by the Fallen Angels from their 1968 prime is something that most fans could only dream about. Then, out of nowhere, this CD appeared earlier this year, albeit to mixed reviews. Despite not necessarily being a revelatory listening experience, The Great Society Sucks - Halloween 1968 (the title refers to Lyndon Johnson's social reform programs, not the group from San Francisco) still possesses many fine moments and is likely to be the only concert recording by this band ever available. For people who were fortunate enough to have seen the Fallen Angels in person, these performances might come off as disappointing - at least that's the vibe I've been getting while reading reviews of this disc. However, for those of us born too late or in the wrong part of the country, it serves as a decent-to-good document of what these guys were like onstage.

L TO R: JACK LAURITSEN (GUITAR), HOWARD DANCHICK
(KEYBOARDS), JACK BRYANT (BASS & VOCALS), WALLY
COOK (LEAD GUITAR), & JOHN "THUMPER" MOLLOY (DRUMS)

The Great Society Sucks consists of material from the group's repertory ("Everything Would Be Fine," an early single, as well as "No Way Out" and "Poor Old Man," respectively from their first and second LPs), obligatory covers ("Fat Angel," "Ballad of a Thin Man," "Season of the Witch," "Signed DC," and "All Along the Watchtower"), and a couple of free-form political freakout rants (the title track and "Pegasus the Pig for President"). Not surprisingly, the Angels for the most part do best with their own songs. Their renditions of Donovan and Dylan compositions are hardly embarrassing but might come off as somewhat uninspired only because such tunes are overly familiar to most connoisseurs of 1960s psych. On the other hand, the version of Love's "Signed DC" that appears here is truly transcendent and perhaps the finest moment in this set. Despite a mid-performance disturbance caused by an altercation in the audience, the band launches back into things as if nothing happened. Regarding the political pieces, you had to be there, I guess.

L TO R: WALLY COOK, JOHN MOLLOY, & PROBABLY
ORIGINAL RHYTHM GUITARIST CHARLIE "C.J." JONES

Other reviewers have criticized the sound quality of this recording. It's not great, but as someone who has listened to bootlegs of live shows from the 1960s for years, I find it to be acceptable, all things considered. Nevertheless, I do have a couple of issues with The Great Society Sucks. First, I would like to have heard a greater amount of material from the Roulette LPs, especially more songs from It's a Long Way Down. Perhaps the band felt that the audience (which seems strangely subdued throughout the proceedings) would respond more favorably to cover versions of songs by more popular artists. Second, it would have been nice if the booklet notes contained any information about this particular show itself. Although we can deduce that the concert date must have been October 31, 1968 or thereabouts, no mention is made about where it took place. All the same, a less-than-perfect live album by the Fallen Angels is better than no live album at all.

1. Everything Would Be Fine
2. The Great Society Sucks
3. Fat Angel (Fly Fallen Angel)
4. Pegasus the Pig for President
5. No Way Out
6. Ballad of a Thin Man
7. Season of the Witch
8. Signed DC
9. Poor Old Man
10. All Along the Watchtower