Chrysalis - Definition (US 1967)
Chrysalis is a folk/rock band based in Ithaca, NY/USA, in the late '60s. Their leader, Spider Barbour, went on with solo work and with the Mothers of Invention.
The recent deluge of mid-'60s relics that continue to rise from the vinyl crypt for a little modern re-consideration are too often more miss than hit. For every Pete Dello or Comus reissue there are seven or eight barely mediocre offerings from bands like Eclection or the Vejtables. Chrysalis, a colorful quintet from Ithaca, New York who dabbled in everything from folk, rock and jazz to Middle Eastern music fall somewhere in the middle, and their one and only recording, Definition remains a fascinating, if uneven lesson in the fine art of psychedelia. Frank Zappa, who championed Chrysalis as "a group that has yet to destroy your mind" was originally asked to produce, but was in the throes of removing himself from a bitter contractual dispute with MGM/Verve. In the end, Definition went through numerous production teams who all left for various reasons — none relating to the music or musicians — which makes it all the more curious that it sounds so defined and cohesive. Frontman Spider Barbour, who had appeared on both Zappa's We're Only in It for the Mony and Lumpy Gravy — and who is now, ironically, a naturalist devoted to the lives of moths and butterflies — brings a great deal of early Mothers of Invention aesthetic to the table. Jazzy piano motifs flitter about truncated worldbeat rhythms, while short comedy skits provide segues between songs that deal with insects, yodeling girls, and hippie culture. It's all very Sgt. Pepper's, but there is an adventurous glee to the songs and arrangements that's equally matched by the talent behind them.
Members:
- James Spider Barbour,
- Nancy Nairn,
- Paul Album,
- Dahaud Shaar,
- Jon Sabin,
- Ralph Kotkov
Tracks:
01. What Will Become of the Morning
02. Lacewing
03. Cynthia Gerome
04. April Grove
05. Father's Getting Old
06. 30 Poplar
07. Baby, Let Me Show You Where I Live
08. Fitzpatrick Swanson
09. Lake Hope
10. Piece of Sun
11. Summer in Your Savage Eyes
12. Dr Root's Garden
13. Dues Are Hard (Bonus Track)
14. Gimme Your Love (Bonus Track)
15. Sink in Deeper (Bonus Track)
16. Window Shopping (Bonus Track)
17. Well I Can Ride (Bonus Track)
18. Cold & Windy City (Bonus Track)
19. Cynthia Gerome (Bonus Track)
20. Dr Root's Garden (Bonus Track)
Álbum gentilmente cedido por Luís Futre.