Where to even start? Merkin are... weird. Not-on-purpose-weird
either. They're from Orem, Utah for starters - right in the heart of
Mormon country. Their album was released in 1973, which is a good 5
years past its sell date. This kind of flower pop psych was long out of
fashion and I have a feeling the band would have no idea that was the
case. Merkin sound like the Free Design if they were a
real
psych band with a killer fuzz-tone guitar right out of the
Haight-Ashbury 60s scene. Make no mistake, Merkin are a bunch of squares
like Free Design, which is where the allure lies actually. For years I
questioned the quality of this album, and thought it might be part of
the collector hype machine. Perhaps it still is, as the compositions
here are wildly uneven. But when they hit the zone, it's downright
divine. 'Ruby' is an all-time classic, one of my faves of the 60s (oh
wait...). 'Todaze' and 'Watching You' are also awesome, mixing it up
where you least expect it. They have this whimsical sunshine pop charm
about them - mixed with an angry psych tone, that projects their inner
conflict no doubt. The Osmonds they are not.
Monster album? No. But one that is so incredibly alluring. One of those Gnosis 10 / 3.5 star albums that is better than the grade implies.
Personal collection
LP: 1999 Akarma (Italy)
The heavy cardboard single sleeve LP reissue from Akarma is taken directly from the
Gear Fab CD, and is credited/licensed as such. So this is definitely one
of their legit reissues. Unfortunately the CD itself was taken from
vinyl rather than the master tapes (likely lost). And there is no
additional history provided. On the plus side, the 3 bonus tracks from
the CD are maintained, and the first 2 are very good.
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