Cryan' Shames - A Scratch In The Sky (US Flowerpop 1968 @224)

Search for test78 if you are interested in my other uploads. The Cryan' Shames were a big deal in Chicago in the mid- and late '60s when a bunch of their singles hit the local Top Ten; some of them were small national hits as well. The biggest of these was "Sugar and Spice," a cover of a Searchers song (itself a cover of a Drifters hit) that made the Top 50 in 1966 and was later featured in the Nuggets anthology of '60s garage bands. In their original incarnation, the Shames leaned toward the pop end of garage. Borrowing heavily from the Beatles, the Byrds, and the Yardbirds, guitarist Jim Fair wrote a clutch of energetic guitar pop/rockers with sparkling harmonies. After 1966, the group pursued an increasingly mainstream pop direction featuring saccharine arrangements and material. In this respect they uncannily mirrored the devolution of local rivals the New Colony Six, who also shifted from tough pop/rock to MOR in their bid for national success. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide On their second album, the Cryan' Shames shifted from the heavy British Invasion and Byrds influences of their debut into a more California sunshine pop-flavored sound, without abandoning their debts to the Beatles and the Byrds altogether. Never mind that they weren't from California; the harmonies, and sometimes the arrangements, have definite echoes of the Beach Boys and the Association. The Cryan' Shames were good harmony singers, and all but two of the songs on the LP are the work of group members Jim Fairs and Lenny Kerley. But the fact is that the songs aren't nearly as good as those of the Beach Boys, though there are definite nods to classics like "Wouldn't It Be Nice" in some passages, and not even as well-tailored for AM success as the Association's hits. As such groups go, though, they're above average and more wide-ranging, getting into some faintly Byrdsy and faintly psychedelic sounds on "The Sailing Ship," Revolver-influenced guitar work on "Mr. Unreliable," and pure gossamer harmony pop on "The Town I'd Like to Go Back To." Sometimes it seems like they can't make up their mind what to emphasize: "Sunshine Psalm" has a hard-driving verse that sounds influenced by the Byrds' "I See You," yet melts into light Association-styled harmonies in other sections. The cover of the Drifters' "Up on the Roof," which came out as a single, is way too MOR-slick, though. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide This has been lp-sourced and fiddled about with in wavelab to get a more pleasant sound. You`ll hear the occasional crackle but I dare say this is one of the better rips of that kind Ive heard. 224kbs Tracklist: 1. Carol for Lorelei 2. Sailing Ship 3. In the Cafe 4. Mr. Unreliable 5. Town I'd Like to Go Back To 6. Up on the Roof 7. It Could Be We're in Love 8. Sunshine Psalm 9. I Was Lonely When 10. Cobblestone Road (She's Been Walkin') Enjoy !

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