Churchill's. 1968 Israel

Churchill's were one of those big name bands when I first started collecting in earnest in the late 1980s. When I finally did manage to hear the album, I was somewhat nonplussed. Once again it was a case of the wrong expectation being set. Churchill's is by no means a radical psychedelic album, which is what I had thought the descriptions were telling me. Rather it's a measured album, very similar to many psych artists from the USA and England at the time. The songs are well crafted, and there's plenty of great period instrumentation to enjoy. The kicker here is the time and place. Releasing an album of this quality in war torn Israel circa 1968 is something to admire and behold. There just are no other examples like it. And for collector's, it's rarity is real, and the reward is great - which is not always a given. Especially back then when information was far more scant than today. So yes, it's understandable why it was hyped. Just be prepared to hear a very good psychedelic album - typical of its era - rather than to be completely blown away.

Ownership: CD: 2003 Hed-Arzi. Recent online acquisition. As noted above, this is the 2 CD set with Jericho Jones. Not only does it have both albums in full (see Jericho Jones entry for more on that), but it also has 4 full A/B singles and 4 unreleased tracks. The liner notes are all in Hebrew and reads right to left. Certainly the best option if in the market for reissue.