Pearls Before Swine, One Nation Underground (side A)

When I think of 1967's One Nation Underground, my initial memory is the outsider-folk classic "Drop Out".  It's thus easy to forget the album's remarkable diversity.  Alongside the folky guitars are droning organs and pulsing bass guitars.  Drums can sometimes move to the foreground, and  parts can feel surprisingly driving, like "Uncle John".  One song can feature jarring leaps between these approaches.  Tom Rapp's vocals vary a lot in quality too, from light and airy to thicker and darker.  The instruments generally sound clean if somewhat lo-fi, and it's hard to tell if whether the mixes' eccentricities are intentional.  I'm not sure what the Bosch cover painting has to do with Pearls Before Swine's music, but I like the font used for the band name on my copy (I've also seen a version without a border or text).