The Yankee Dollar - The Yankee Dollar 1968 (USA, Psychedelic Rock) Full Album

According to the liner notes on their album, drummer Nick Alexander, singers Liza Gonzales and Dave Riordan, guitarist Greg Likens, keyboard player Bill Masuda and bassist Bill Reynolds met while students at San Luis Obispo's Cal Poly. Signed by Dot, their 1968 debut teamed the band with producer Frank Slay. Musically "The Yankee Dollar" was nothing less than wonderful. Gonzales and Riordan were both gifted with nice voices and on tracks such as "Sanctuary" and "City Sidewalks" effortlessly trading lead vocals. Backed by Likens' fuzz guitar (check out the great solo on "Live and Let Live"), Masuda's stabbing organ chords and occasional sound effects, the collection sported a sound that successfully blended folk-rock with Jefferson Airplane-styled psychedelic. Musically the set offered up a standard mix of popular covers (Donovan's "Catch the Wind", Dylan's "The Times, They Are A-Changin'" and Chet Power's "Let's Get Together") and original material. While the covers were all nicely done, group penned originals such as "Follow Your Dream's Way" and "Johann Sebastian Cheetah" were even better. Inexplicably the set failed to sell. The band apparently subsequently called it quits. Bad-Cat Tracks: 01. Sanctuary (John Carter, Tim Gilbert) - 2:18 02. Good Old Friends (John Carter, Tim Gilbert) - 2:21 03. Catch The Wind (Donovan) - 2:53 04. If In Swimming (David Riordan) - 3:54 05. Follow Your Dream's Way (Greg Likins) - 6:37 06. Live And Let Live (John Carter, Tim Gilbert) - 2:20 07. City Sidewalks (John Carter, Tim Gilbert) - 2:57 08. Let's Get Together (Chet Powers) - 4:30 09. Winter Boy (Buffy Sainte-Marie) - 2:23 10. The Times, They Are A-Changin' (Bob Dylan) - 3:06 11. Johann Sebastian Cheetah (David Riordan, Greg Likins, Roy Freeman) - 3:03 Personnel: - Liza Gonzales - female vocals - David Riordan - vocals - Greg Likins - guitar - Bill Masuda - organ - Bill Reynolds - bass - Nick Alexander - drums + - Frank Slay - producer