West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
Where's My Daddy - Amos 1969 Comments:"Where's My Daddy" from 1969 was the first album The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band released after they were dropped by the bigger record company Reprise. They released this, their fifth album, on the little Amos company owned by producer Jimmy Bowen, who is better known for his production of Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night".
"Where's My Daddy" is often considered, in my opinion somewhat undeserved, as the group's weakest. The crisp guitar sound that characterizes many of the best songs from their Reprise albums may be missed, but the songs are generally on par with those on the previous albums, which like all the group's albums also are rather uneven.
Although only the two Harris brothers and lyricist Bob Markley are pictured on the cover, there are clearly contributions from the two other key members Michael Lloyd and Ron Morgan.
The music on "Where's My Daddy" spans quite a bit, but Bowen's production gives the album a certain homogeneity and there are a good handful of fine melodic songs to enjoy while there is also left room experimenting with the music.
The title track is a nice bluesy song with lyrics not without bite and humor - "Father went from can to can, mother goes from man to man".
Both "My Dog Back Home" and "Free as a Bird" are melodic, almost classical WCPAEB, songs with nice vocal work and nice guitar. Also, "Money Rules Everything" is obvious WCPAEB and a track that could easily have been taken from Reprise era.
A song like "Outside/Inside" can also be found on the following album "Markley a Group", where Michael Lloyd obviously has added fine overdubs.
Towards the end of the album there is more experimenting with Beach Boys harmonies, "Have You Met My Pet Pig," a rap-thing "Coming of Age in L.A." and talking blues "Two People".
Markley's lyrics may in some cases be somewhat controversial and this may harm some songs, but overall, I find the album quite solid and the sound of this remastered version is really nice.
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