The Other Half - "The Other Half Plus" 1968

From San Francisco, The Other Half were part of the fist wave of psych bands ('66 to '68) and served as the vehicle for guitarist Randy Holden between  The Sons of Adam and Blue Cheer. Holden joined The Other Half after being offered the chance to replace Jeff Beck in The Yardbirds. The Other Half's sound has been compared to The Yardbirds by critics and fans alike containing elements of Blues and Hard Rock. Holen left the band after the release of their debut album, being disappointed by the recording and dissatisfied with the type of guitar he was playing for the band, later stating: "I was trying to accommodate everyone else at the expense of my own soul and happiness."
Formed in 1966, the band released their first single "Mr. Pharmacist" b/w "I've come so far"  and has been described as a slice of "raging garage punk/anger" but failed to sell. It did however, attract the attention of the Acta label who agreed to finance an album. The bands debut on the label was the single "Wonderful Day b/w "Flight of the Dragon Lady", again, attracting critical praise, but failing in sales. 1968 saw the release of their self titled L.P. and is considered a "lost classic" among psych collectors, Holden's guitar being the strong point of the band and the release. There is a tune on the album "Feathered Friend" written by Arthur Lee (Love), and "Flight of the Dragon Lady" being two of my picks from this release. All in all, a fine album. This re-issue containd the two singles mentioned above as well.