MOTIONS Impressions of Wonderful '68 freakbeat psych LP

$

45

If the Dutch Outsiders were the tulip-twirling equivalent of the British Pretty Things, and Group 1850 were the Netherlands’ own herring-eating Hendrix worshippers, then the Motions were clearly the blonde-haired, blue-eyed cousins to the Hollies.  Their careers run nearly identical too – after a few years of cranking out straightforward, squeaky-clean beat pop, both bands discovered the joys of psychedelia around 1967, and started spiking their harmony-rich pop with some truly trippy tricks.  This is the Motions’ psych pop magnum opus, “Impressions of Wonderful” from November 1967 – the northern equivalent of the Hollies majestic “Butterfly” from the same year.  Even the resplendent exploding color wheel covers are nearly identical.  Of course, with their long colorful robes and kaftans, the Motions really looked the part of flower power hippie kids, but “Impressions of Wonderful” showed that they could be an equally explosive psych rock force too, when they weren’t showcasing their impeccable Brothers Gibb soaring harmonies.  “You’re My Adee” is a perfect example of the Motions’ popsike craft – okay, the title got lost in translation – but as it kicks in, you can’t help think this is the Hollies circa 1965, a pretty but sad acoustic ballad.  Then, out of nowhere, the descending minor keys that jumpstart the chorus come in, and you’re off into Wonderland, accompanied by four beautiful Dutch hippie chicks trilling softly in the background, tossing out tulips and free invites to the nearest “coffee shop.”  By the time the singer gets to the final yodeling falsetto notes of “Adee”, you’ve fully escaped the confines of your corporeal body, thanks to a bunch of long-haired Dutch boys who probably live a few blocks away from the Red Light District.  Beautiful, simply transcendent stuff.  The equally pretty “Memories of Fair Haired Mary” bounces along on a nice Zombies-like harpsichord melody, breaking off into a little psychedelic waltz when the chorus hits.  But the Motions aren’t all sweetness and light – they’ve been “experimenting” of late, a fact they can’t hide when they decided to call one of their new songs “Green Chewing Gum Machine.”  Even more obvious – “Make it Legal” – which finds our windmill-loving quartet going FULLY psychedelic – with echoed-out twangy garage guitar and sound effects of a dripping faucet inside an underground cave.  “If you want to fly like an eagle, make it legal, make it legal” they sing, predating the Steve Miller Band by the good part of a decade, while the repeating title is gradually sucked under by a slew of psychedelic effects and echoes down into the cold, black abyss (Amsterdam, for those who’ve been there).  And besides, isn’t it ALREADY legal there anyway?  Elsewhere, the murky, heavy sonic crunch of “Red Balloons” sounds like vintage English freakbeat, with its chunky rhythm section and megaphone vocals.  This one could’ve elbowed its way onto a volume of the Rubble series and no one would’ve questioned its heritage.  All in all, then, a super strong popsike album from the Motions – the Waterpipes and Dykes version of the Hollies “Butterfly” with a little extra…er, something.  A bit of a lost treasure, really, and so SO much better than the Shocking Blue.   This GREAT album was released in several countries at the time, and this is a rare Italian pressing on the JOB label.  Thankfully, the Italian pressing copied off of the Canadian pressing and went with a MUCH better psychedelic sleeve than the original Dutch pressing.  This is a beautiful cover, and is in VG++ shape with minimal wear.  Vinyl plays VG+ to VG++, one skip detected on Side 1.
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