Clear Light were a Prime Example of L.A./West Coast psychedelia containing virtually everything one could want in an album from that time period. I still get goose bumps just thinking about this one. Possibly second-tier but decidedly not second-rate. An antidote to those burnt out on the Doors.
In 1966, The band Brain Train formed and was managed by Sunset Strip hipster Bud Mathis. They recorded one single – “Black Roses”,written by Wolfe Dios – before changing their name to Clear Light and signing to Elektra Records. The Doors‘ producer Paul A. Rothchild took over management of the band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPu8sLZXawY
The core members of Clear Light were Bob Seal, lead guitarist and vocals, Robbie “The Werewolf” Robison, rhythm guitar and vocals, Doug Lubahn bass and vocals, Dallas Taylor drums, and Michael Ney on, unusually, another set of drums. The original line-up was featured in the 1967 motion picture The President’s Analyst,with Barry McGuire cast as their leader and vocalist They soon added Cliff De Young on lead vocals this version of the band seen on their only album cover. However, sometime during the recording process, often described as “brutal”, Paul Rothchild was not happy with Robison’s guitar playing skills and pressured the group to remove him- he was replaced by keyboard player Ralph Schuckett.
A notable track from the Clear Light album, was “Mr. Blue,” a psychedelic version of a folk song written by Tom Paxton and a popular request on underground radio at the time. Lasting over six minutes, the rather sinister, psychedelic song is considered a classic of the genre. Its lyrics, which alternate between spoken word and song, include verses opening with such lines as, “Good morning, Mister Blue, we’ve got our eye on you,” “Step softly, Mister Blue, we know what’s best for you,” and “Be careful, Mister Blue, this phase you’re going through ..
The album also included a reworked version of “Black Roses”, released as a single, and some of guitarist Bob Seal’s psychedelic folk-rock songs, namely “With All in Mind” and “They Who Have Nothing.” It had some success in England, but was largely ignored in the U.S, After having started work on a second album the group disbanded in 1968. Two tracks from the sessions for the second album surfaced in 2006, “Darkness of Day” and “What a Difference Love Makes”; the latter showed the group moving into more commercial territory due to Kortchmar’s influence.
The Fat Angel Sings 