One Nation Underground (Pearls Before Swine album)
Encyclopedia
One Nation Underground was the debut album by American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine
. It was released on the ESP-Disk
label in October 1967.
It was recorded at Impact Sound in New York City
, between May 6-9, 1967, by the Florida-based group, which at that point comprised main songwriter and singer Tom Rapp
, Wayne Harley, Lane Lederer, and Roger Crissinger. Percussion was by session musician Warren Smith
.
The album presents a mixture of styles - "psychedelic folk reminiscent of Donovan
collides with Farfisa-driven punk and hard-to-categorize repetitive minimalism, all thrown together with the undisciplined, creative exuberance of youth".
"Another Time" is an acoustic song, the first that Rapp ever wrote, based on his experience in a car crash where he walked away unscathed, and, with "Morning Song", represents the most characteristic example of Rapp's later writing style. In contrast, "Drop Out!" and "Uncle John" are youthful protest songs. "(Oh Dear) Miss Morse" spells out in Morse code
the word F-U-C-K, accompanied by banjo and organ.
The album became the most successful ESP release ever, estimated to have sold between 100,000 and 250,000 copies. Early vinyl copies came with a small poster of the Hell panel from Hieronymus Bosch's Garden Of Delights, a detail of which was used on the front of the album sleeve.
The album went through a number of cover variations. The original, first edition was brown monochrome with a white border along two sides of the cover. The second edition had a black and white cover with the group name in white along the top. The third edition was the white background and color section of the painting (see right).
The album has been reissued several times on CD.
Pearls Before Swine (band)
Pearls Before Swine was an American psychedelic folk band formed by Tom Rapp in 1965 in Eau Gallie, now part of Melbourne, Florida. They released six albums between 1967 and 1971, before Rapp launched a solo career.-Early years, 1965-68:...
. It was released on the ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk is a New York-based record label, founded in 1964 by lawyer Bernard Stollman.From the beginning, the label's goal has been to provide its recording artists with complete artistic freedom, unimpeded by any record company interference or commercial expectations—a philosophy summed-up by the...
label in October 1967.
It was recorded at Impact Sound in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, between May 6-9, 1967, by the Florida-based group, which at that point comprised main songwriter and singer Tom Rapp
Tom Rapp
Thomas Dale Rapp is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the leader of Pearls Before Swine, the psychedelic folk rock group of the 1960s and 1970s. More recently he has practiced as a lawyer.-Life:...
, Wayne Harley, Lane Lederer, and Roger Crissinger. Percussion was by session musician Warren Smith
Warren Smith (jazz musician)
Warren Smith is an American jazz percussionist.Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a musical family; his father played saxophone and clarinet with Noble Sissle and Jimmy Noone, and his mother was a harpist and pianist. He studied clarinet under his father from age four...
.
The album presents a mixture of styles - "psychedelic folk reminiscent of Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
collides with Farfisa-driven punk and hard-to-categorize repetitive minimalism, all thrown together with the undisciplined, creative exuberance of youth".
"Another Time" is an acoustic song, the first that Rapp ever wrote, based on his experience in a car crash where he walked away unscathed, and, with "Morning Song", represents the most characteristic example of Rapp's later writing style. In contrast, "Drop Out!" and "Uncle John" are youthful protest songs. "(Oh Dear) Miss Morse" spells out in Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
the word F-U-C-K, accompanied by banjo and organ.
The album became the most successful ESP release ever, estimated to have sold between 100,000 and 250,000 copies. Early vinyl copies came with a small poster of the Hell panel from Hieronymus Bosch's Garden Of Delights, a detail of which was used on the front of the album sleeve.
The album went through a number of cover variations. The original, first edition was brown monochrome with a white border along two sides of the cover. The second edition had a black and white cover with the group name in white along the top. The third edition was the white background and color section of the painting (see right).
The album has been reissued several times on CD.
Track listing
- "Another Time" - 3:03 (Rapp)
- "Playmate" - 2:19 (Saxie Dowell)
- "Ballad To An Amber Lady" - 5:14 (Crissinger, Rapp)
- "(Oh Dear) Miss Morse" - 1:54 (Rapp)
- "Drop Out!" - 4:04 (Rapp)
- "Morning Song" - 4:06 (Rapp)
- "Regions Of May" - 3:27 (Rapp)
- "Uncle John" - 2:54 (Rapp)
- "I Shall Not Care" - 5:20 (TeasdaleSara TeasdaleSara Teasdale , was an American lyrical poet. She was born Sara Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri, and after her marriage in 1914 she went by the name Sara Teasdale Filsinger.-Biography:...
, Roman Tombs, Rapp) - "The Surrealist Waltz" - 3:29 (Lederer, Crissinger)
Musicians
- Tom RappTom RappThomas Dale Rapp is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the leader of Pearls Before Swine, the psychedelic folk rock group of the 1960s and 1970s. More recently he has practiced as a lawyer.-Life:...
: Vocals, Guitar - Wayne Harley: AutoharpAutoharpThe autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the...
, Banjo, Mandoline, Vibraphone, Audio Oscillator, Harmony - Lane Lederer: Bass, Guitar, English Horn, Swinehorn, Sarangi, Celeste, Finger Cymbals, Vocals (on "Surrealist Waltz")
- Roger Crissinger: Organ, HarpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, ClaviolineClaviolineThe clavioline is an electronic keyboard instrument, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer.It was invented by Constant Martin in 1947. It consists of a keyboard and a separate amplifier and speaker unit. The keyboard usually covered three octaves, and had a number of switches to alter the tone of... - Warren SmithWarren Smith (jazz musician)Warren Smith is an American jazz percussionist.Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a musical family; his father played saxophone and clarinet with Noble Sissle and Jimmy Noone, and his mother was a harpist and pianist. He studied clarinet under his father from age four...
: Drums, Percussion