This is a really hippie album from the outset. Anyone who hates The Beatles or Pink Floyd instantly, even before listening, should divert their attention away from this album. This is an album that was seen as hugely groundbreaking from the start. The ironically named band, The United States Of America, was begun by university students and friends Joseph Byrd and Dorothy Moskowitz. The two of them shared a passionate relationship, later breaking up as the band was being formed. Sadly, this would have been a very difficult experience for the two of them in retrospect. Apart from the combination of romance and music, Joseph Byrd’s involvement with the USA Communist Party had a major influence on the music of the album. The group did not wish to record a straightforward Rock Music album. Instead, the group used a very Sgt. Pepper-like approach to production and sound, with some instrumental sounds being created by unique instruments made specifically for the album. Therefore, this is going to be a very different listen ahead. The album was recorded in late 1967 and released on Columbia Records in March 1968 with the following personnel: Joseph Byrd (electronics and vocals); Dorothy Moskowitz (vocals); Gordon Marron (electric violin, ring modulator and vocals); Rand Forbes (fretless bass guitar) and Craig Woodson (electric drums and percussion). It was produced by David Rubinson as well. To this day, this album is not found officially on streaming services, but you can always listen to it on YouTube or order a copy of it via your local music outlet. Let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear where it goes.

The American Metaphysical Circus begins with some of the most weird and tripped-out sounds that you will ever. Some pseudo-Classical and circus-based sounds quickly enter. Nonetheless, this does sound really great for what this is. Instantly, this album is a winner. Straight up. It sounds gloriously different and amazing throughout. Dorothy Moskowitz sings softly and sweetly here after the bulk of the instrumentation goes into the background, and her voice is eventually put through a distorted effect. This sounds extremely trippy and Psychedelic for what this is. In fact, this album possibly could be awarded the most Psychedelic album ever unofficial award. All in all, this is very well done. The music throughout is joyous, memorable and fantastic throughout. Catchy, well-played and memorable, this is exactly the sort of LSD-inspired music that would freak out most people who hated the Hippies. A really awesome musical trip, this sounds futuristic and absolutely amazing throughout. It gets really different with some of the best Psychedelic sounds that you will ever hear. A brilliant song with some clever and interesting sounds and lyrics with reference to the “price of admission being only your mind” for the circus at hand. At the end of this is a weird and wacky-sounding conclusion of band-based music, which fades out sweetly.

Hard Coming Love launches bang into it with some weird, post-Rock trippy instrumentation to boot. It sounds absolutely wonderful and fantastic throughout, with some of the craziest sounds that you will ever hear. Some people will not get this music, particularly straight people (i.e. people who have never taken drugs), but the mind-melting guitar and fretless bass guitar sound very insane. The organ throughout is also a joy to hear. A really cool listen, it goes into a softer section of music with Dorothy Moskowitz singing gorgeously above all this music. A sensationally good Pop/Rock piece, the instrumentation stops for a bit, before an ascending melody rushes this tune back into gloriousness. This music is a must-listen for anyone who has ever done drugs, period. It builds up into another breakdown with the ascending melody. This tune is exactly what Hippie Communists would have loved back in the day, something that straights would never get per se. The textures and sounds throughout are very different, wacky and experimental. It builds up into a glorious frenzy right towards the end of the song. It launches back into the last section of the song, which sounds really brilliant. A really great listen, this falls apart at the end. Great song.

Cloud Song begins with some weird melodies, and harp sounds and the whole song sounds absolutely surreal. These guys were doing their absolute best to make a futuristic-sounding record, obviously under the influence of a lot of substances. This is a much more laidback-sounding song, with some awesome and particularly wonderful sounds and playing throughout. Singing sweetly about being a cloud, The United States Of America made some extremely detailed, intelligent and tripped-out music in a surreal, Salvador Dali sense. The harmonies and sounds throughout will take your mind elsewhere. Another solidly great piece of music that should be forever cherished as a piece of musical history. This sounds superb. One of the best listens on this album, it fades out nicely with some unusual keyboard melodies at the end.

The Garden Of Earthly Delights is a reference to a Hieronymous Bosch painting, an artist well known for doing extremely detailed paintings of both heaven and hell, many centuries ago. It begins with some sweet and tripped-out sounds that are absolutely amazing to listen to. They sound extremely futuristic. Bass guitar follows, along with Dorothy Moskowitz’s vocals. This is a much more “normal” sounding song (if this music is at all, normal) for the group, with a more traditional musical sound throughout. An awesome listen about the concept of original sin. If you consider both paintings and music an art form, this is a no-brainer of a listening experience. The sounds on this song are light years ahead of anyone else at the time. Not even The Beatles could match the sounds and innovation on this album. Extremely awesome, this is a track and album designed to trip out to. The sounds and playing are absolutely mindblowing. It ends after two and a half minutes in length. Outstanding listening.

I Won’t Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar is a song sung by Joseph Byrd. It still sounds beautifully and wonderfully tripped out. This is obviously about a love affair that one can have, from the male perspective, in the most bizarre way. This, again, sounds joyously and wonderfully Psychedelic to listen to. Some of the most unusual, wonderful and interesting musical sounds are present in this song. It is so radically unlike any other form of music that it is worth a place in one’s collection. The instrumental section is absolutely bizarre. A cool tune, this is something that you should put your 3D sunglasses on, take something to and kick back and enjoy this simply amazing music. Wonderful tune. There is an extended horn section at the end of this tune, which is strangely traditional and different. Very unusual, yet a loveable listen. Totally worth your time and ears. This extended section is fantastic.

Where is Yesterday begins with some almost alien-like vocals with its robotic opera-styled tone, which sounds completely different to anything else ever recorded before, and possibly since. This has some eerie instrumentation in the background, which sounds completely strange. This again, is an awesome listen. A large deal of musical suspense is present in this song. Nonetheless, another great cut to this Hippie pseudo-concept album which sounds fantastic. A rush of sound emerges before the vocals return to the chorus. These guys can also sing very, very well and their singing and music is a trip to experience. Some drumming enters, and this piece of grandiose music comes alive. It gradually concludes with drum rolls, and the weirdest electric violin sounds. It segues into the next song.

Coming Down says it all. It begins with some interesting layered keyboards, and fretless bass guitar and launches into a great song with some excellent singing and musicianship throughout. A wonderful and unique listening experience, this sounds like an awesome trip. Dorothy Moskowitz sings very sweetly here, and she follows the trend of many legendary female singers before her. There is a neat breakdown with some awesome sounds and performance throughout that sounds really clever. All in all, a really trippy tune. It has some amazing attention to detail throughout. Surely this album is a direct invitation for people to do what Dr. Timothy Leary said and, “turn on, tune in and drop out”? Regardless if this is music to trip out on LSD to, the Hippies at the time no doubt would have loved these songs. A very amazing song and the ending is futuristic-sounding and fantastic. It segues into the next song.

Love Song for the Dead Ché is, of course, a dedicated song to the Communist leader Ché Guevara who was made famous in the Cuban Revolution, amongst other political deeds during his life. It begins with some sweet and beautiful instrumentation via keyboards and other instruments that sound really very great. A lovely ode to a hero for the Communists, even if your political ideology is nothing like that. It is a song of romance, ironically enough. Even if these guys never met Ché Guevara, this is a sweet and enjoyable listening experience in memory of him. Quirky and different, the Hippies no doubt would have dug this sort of music throughout. A really sweetly sung piece with Dorothy Moskowitz singing away softly and sweetly, this sounds amazing with keyboards, organ and bongo drums throughout. A very lovely tune, although this is a bit of a strange ode to the Communist leader. It’s great, however.

Stranded In Time comes next and has some nicely played violin sections, which sounds awesome and traditional. Gordon Marron sings this one, and it is a lovely and sweet piece that is fairly reminiscent of The Beatles song She’s Leaving Home from the 1967 classic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. This launches into a surreal, thunderous and expressive piece of music that is totally worth your ears. The harpsichord and guitars intertwine and take turns in a musical way. All in all, this album is a fantastic and imaginative, adventurous listen. It segues into the next song.

The American Way Of Love is a three-section piece that concludes the album. These are labelled as i. Metaphor for an Older Man; ii. California Good-Time Music and iii. Love is All. This song quickly launches into a fantastic and powerful listening experience with joyous and upbeat vocals, making it a really great musical listening experience. This is, nonetheless, a fantastic conclusion to such an underrated and overlooked album in the history of music. Joyous, imaginative and pioneering in terms of different sounds, there is no doubt that Rock musicians today should give this album a spin. This track has an extended jam section that sounds absolutely trippy, interesting and well-executed throughout. The second section of this song sounds like a parody of The Beach Boys throughout, and is quite amusing in that respect, to be fair. It quickly launches into a proto-Metal section of music and sounds very weird indeed. There are spacey and trippy sounds throughout, which are brilliantly fantastic to hear. Fragments of the album are played to conclude, as this album gradually reaches its conclusion. Again, a very fascinating and interesting listening experience. There is a great mixture of Rock Music backing band and a load of LSD-inspired fragments of sound from this album. Very, very glorious to hear. This is certainly interesting and quite amusing to hear as well. The music on this album sounds excellent. Sung vocals conclude this album, which are looped and this brilliant album is followed by a trippy section of more sounds from the previous tracks on this album. Again, loveable and brilliant.

This is definitely a Hippie album. Given that fact, however, it is a brilliant listening experience from start to finish. The music here is interesting, innovative and conceptually brilliant overall. Between Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) and this phenomenal album, not only did these albums change music forever, but are solid gold classics from the late 1960s that will forever sound great. Should you listen to this album? Absolutely, this is indescribably good. However, straight people and Punk Music fans will not dig this album.

A literal LSD trip, set to music.

9/10