JDIZZY's 365 # 190: Crimson & Clover

Crimson & Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells (1968)

It must have been nice to be The Beatles, that's all I can think. No one would have thought in 1968 of editing "Hey Jude" down when it was played on the radio. Tommy James was not as lucky. His masterwork from his greatest album was rarely heard in its original form unless you owned the LP. It's quite a shame because the extended version makes much more sense than the single, letting the song build majestically with fuzz guitar, vocal hijinks and studio trickery until we arrive at the wah - wah sung ending, which fits so much better when heard as it was supposed to be. This album is available in a beautiful reissue, so pick it up for the full picture of some of the finest psych-pop ever produced.



Covers also tend to cut it short.