Collector's Choice
1971
Melon
About This Album
That old cliché "you can't tell a book by its cover" may have been true for the Guess Who's Road Food LP, a repulsive album jacket and inner sleeve housing a gem like "Star Baby," but the lesser-known Sweetwater beat the Guess Who to the punch by three years with a watermelon on the front of the Melon LP, and its remains on the back. The music inside is unsettling, but not without merit; Fred Herrera's "Rejoice...The Smile of Man" plays like a less annoying "White Bird" two years after It's a Beautiful Day unleashed that FM staple. Herrera goes off key, but that adds to the charm. Nansi Nevins does not come up with a "White Rabbit" with "Don't Forget," but still manages to sound like Grace Slick on her songwriting contribution. It's the Jefferson Airplane's "Lather" by way of H.P Lovecraft. "Take It From the Splice, Boys" is Jethro Tull meets Santana while predicting the dawn of the Electric Light Orchestra, that mix not flowing well into the countryish "Naturally," which could be Nick Gravenites' version of Big Brother & the Holding Company. Flute, cello, conga, and acoustic guitar should all combine to make for a delicious musical feast, but there are only glimpses of possibilities on Melon, an album that is disjointed, and in desperate need of a song that can raise it to the next level.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7)

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