Merrell Fankhauser HMS Bounty - Things (1968 us, fine tuneful slice of acid psychedelia with a pop edge, Sundazed extra tracks edition)

This was one of many Merrell Fankhauser bands throughout the mid to late 60?s and early 70?s. Things was released in 1968, sandwiched in between Fankhauser’s Fapardokly and Mu albums. Mu is agruably his masterpiece, an innovative slab of slide guitar desert psychedelia from the early 70?s. Things has more of a bona fide 60?s sound, coming across like a meeting between Buffalo Springfield, Spirit, the Byrds and Cream.

This album is much more psych minded than 1966?s folk-rock inclined Fapardokly too. A Visit With Ashiya is possibly Fankhauser at his most psychedelic, awashed with stoned vocals and walls of sitar. It’s also one of the album’s centerpieces and a raga rock killer that ends with some thick fuzztones. Things has a handful (about 4) of tuneful, melodic folk-rockers that hark back to earlier times. Ice Cube Island is one of the best of these folk-rockers, being so blissed out and eretheral. 

It’s an excellent example of acid folk-rock. Other songs like Madame Silky, What Does He See In You and Rich Man’s Fable work really well too and are characterized by paranoid vocals and liquidy fuzz guitar leads. For most listeners though, the highlight of this album is Your Painted Lives. It’s one of those incredible 60?s songs, an early foray into country psych that chugs along with echoed vocals and once again, hard fuzz guitar riffs.

Things is delicate and raunchy all at once and a great, American underground rock record. Fankhauser would go on to make better albums (Mu and his 1976 solo effort) but this record still deserves a special place among the psychedelic 60?s.

by Jason (The Rising Storm)

Tracks
1. Things (Goin' Round In My Mind) - 2:29
2. Girl (I'm Waiting For You) - 2:27
3. What Does She See In You - 2:29
4. Lost In The City - 2:04
5. Your Painted Lives - 2:11
6. Drivin' Sideways (On A One Way Street) - 2:09
7. In A Minute Not Too Soon - 1:51
8. A Visit With Ashiya - 3:20
9. The Big Gray Sky - 2:12
10. Rich Man's Fable - 2:18
11. Ice Cube Island - 3:16
12. Madame Silky - 2:37
13. I'm Flying Home - 2:47
14. Everybody's Talkin' - 2:43
15. Tampa Run - 2:43
All songs composed by Merrell Fankhauser except track#15 by Fred Neil.
Bonus Tracks from 13-15

HMS Bounty
*Merrell Fankhauser - Guitar, Sitar, Vocals
*Doctor Billy Dodd - Organ, Guitar, Vocals
*Jack Jordon - Bass, Vocals
*Larry Meyers - Drums, Tabla

Related Act
1967  Fapardokly

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Fapardokly - Fapardokly (1964-67 us, nice garage 'n' beat with Merrell Fankhauser, Sundazed issue)

The Fapardokly story goes back to the end of 1963 when I quit the surf band The Impacts in Pismo Beach and moved to the high desert area of Lancaster, California. There I met a young guitar player named Jeff Cotton and together with Jim Furguson on bass and Greg Hampton on drums we formed Merrell and The Exiles. We were discoverd by Glenn Records in nearby Palmdale and started recording in the small Glenn studio. I recorded one of my first vocals I had written back in 1961, 'Too Many Heartbreaks' and a new song 'Please Be Mine.'  It came out as our first single on the Glenn label and got airplay in the Antelope Valley and in L.A., reaching #9 on the local station KUTY April, 1964.

Glenn then released another single in 1965, 'Send Me Your Love' and 'Don't Call On Me;' in 1966, 'Sorry For Yourself' and 'I Saw Susie Cryin';' and in 1967 'Tomorrow's Girl' and 'When I Get Home.'  This was our best selling single and got national airplay and was even played on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. The Exiles lineup of members had already changed by this time, and this would be the last recording released by Merrell and The Exiles.

From 1964 to 1967 The Exiles and various studio players recorded enough material for more than two albums and even did sessions in Los Angeles studios that all ended up on the shelves at Glenn Records in Palmdale. Around May of 1967 I moved back to the central California coast and formed Fapardokly and began playing at The Cove nightclub in Pismo Beach. About two months later Glenn Records called and said they would like to put out an album with some of the songs on the shelf and a few new ones. So we made the trip to Glenn's studio in Palmdale, recorded several songs and even went down to Gold Star studios in Hollywood and recorded a song and delivered it to Glenn and told him the band was now called "Fapardokly."

Glenn randomly selected songs from their archives and released the Fapardokly album on a subsidiary label UIP Records #2250 in late 1967. The confusing part is the songs were not in chronlogical order--mixing new and old together and not really saying who played on what track. It just had a list of musicians that contributed to the album. 

There were actually only three songs on the Fapardokly album by the band Fapardokly; four songs by the studio group that were never released under any band name; and five songs by Merrell and The Exiles on the album. The remainder of the Merrell and The Exiles songs that were left on the shelves at Glenn Records eventually saw the light of day in the early nineties on two limited edition LPs and CDs.  Nobody would have ever thought that the Fapardokly album would end up being one of the most valuable and highly sought after historical recordings of the 1960s!

Bill Dodd and I later went on to form HMS Bounty in 1968 and released an album titled Things on Uni Records. I later got back together with Jeff Cotton , Larry Willey and Randy Wimer and formed the band MU in 1969. 

by Merrell Fankhauser, November 2009

Tracks
1. Lila (M. Fankhauser, D. Aldridge) - 3:23
2. The Music Scene - 2:35
3. Sorry For Yourself - 2:01
4. Glass Chandlier (M. Fankhauser, D. Aldridge) - 2:11
5. Tomorrow's Girl - 2:28
6. Suzie Cryin' - 2:23
7. Mr. Clock (M. Fankhauser, D. Aldridge) - 2:26
8. Gone To Pot (M. Fankhauser, D. Aldridge) - 2:02
9. No Retreat - 1:56
10.Too Many Heartbreaks - 2:28
11.When I Get Home - 2:47
12.Super Market (M. Fankhauser, D. Aldridge) - 2:12
13.The War - 2:33
14.Yes I Love You - 2:40
15.Run Baby Run - 2:20
All tracks written by Merrell Fankhauser unless as else stated

Fapardokly
*Merrell Fankhauser - Vocals, Guitar
*Bill Dodd - Vocals And Guitar
*John Oliver - Vocals And Bass
*Dick Lee - Drums
With
*Mark Thompson - Organ
*Jody Cobb - Bass
*John Parr - Drums
*Don Aldridge - Vocals
*Gary Lotspeich - Vocals
*Larry Willey - Vocals And Guitar
*Jim Furguson - Bass
*Greg Hampton - Drums
*John Day -Organ
*Randy Wimer - Drums
*Bruce Ulch - Trumpet

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