Wheatfield Soul
Encyclopedia
Wheatfield Soul is an album
released in 1968 by Canadian
rock band The Guess Who
. "Lightfoot" is a tribute to fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot
, while "Friends of Mine" is performed in the style of The Doors
.
The most notable track on the album, is "Friends of Mine". Strange Days
by The Doors had just been released a year prior to the recording of this song, and Strange Days contained "When the Music's Over
", which is clearly an influence to "Friends of Mine", as many of the vocal chords are similar, the song is lengthy and the lyrics are an attempt by Cummings to sound like his then influence, Doors' lead singer Jim Morrison
.
An original version of "Friends of Mine" can be found on the Guess Who's posthumous compilation This Time Long Ago. The track features Cummings singing about "doing it" with "your very own mother" and smothering six month old babies. RCA most likely advised the group to not release that version on Wheatfield Soul.
Side two begins with "When You Touch Me", which has an opening guitar riff that sounds identical to that of Tiny Bradshaw
's "Train Kept A-Rollin'
". "A Wednesday In Your Garden" is another underrated track. A sole composition by Bachman, the song features jazz chords, perhaps inspired by The Zombies
' usage of the same sound on many of their hit records. "Lightfoot" is written about fellow Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot
. "Love and a Yellow Rose" showcases many of the Guess Who's musical talents, as Peterson plays the tablas and Bachman plays a sitar and a fuzz guitar on the song.
"Maple Fudge" sounds similar to a Paul McCartney ballad, specifically "When I'm 64". The Beatles
were a huge influence on the Guess Who, as the Guess Who often covered their songs on CBC's TV entertainment series Let's Go, or during any live performance in the early going of their career. "We're Coming to Dinner" closes the album.
and Burton Cummings
except as noted.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
released in 1968 by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rock band The Guess Who
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially gaining recognition in Canada, they also found international success from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with numerous hit singles, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "Share the Land"...
. "Lightfoot" is a tribute to fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
, while "Friends of Mine" is performed in the style of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
.
About the album
Wheatfield Soul, while not a popular album, is still a favorite among the Guess Who's fan base. "These Eyes" was their breakthrough single, and a radio favorite across the world. "Pink Wine Sparkles in the Glass" has notable lyrics and is also a radio favorite in Winnipeg. "I Found Her in a Star" is an underrated ballad written by Cummings, which features fuzz guitar by Bachman.The most notable track on the album, is "Friends of Mine". Strange Days
Strange Days
Strange Days is the second album released by American rock band The Doors. The album was a commercial success, earning a gold record and reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Despite this, the album's producer, Paul Rothchild, considered it a commercial failure, even if it was an...
by The Doors had just been released a year prior to the recording of this song, and Strange Days contained "When the Music's Over
When the Music's Over
"When the Music's Over" is a song by American rock band The Doors, featured on their 1967 album Strange Days. The song, at almost eleven minutes long, is their third longest recorded song, behind "The End", at 11:42, and "Celebration of the Lizard", at 17:01...
", which is clearly an influence to "Friends of Mine", as many of the vocal chords are similar, the song is lengthy and the lyrics are an attempt by Cummings to sound like his then influence, Doors' lead singer Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
.
An original version of "Friends of Mine" can be found on the Guess Who's posthumous compilation This Time Long Ago. The track features Cummings singing about "doing it" with "your very own mother" and smothering six month old babies. RCA most likely advised the group to not release that version on Wheatfield Soul.
Side two begins with "When You Touch Me", which has an opening guitar riff that sounds identical to that of Tiny Bradshaw
Tiny Bradshaw
Myron C. Bradshaw was an American jazz and rhythm and blues bandleader, singer, composer, pianist, and drummer from Youngstown, Ohio.-Early years:...
's "Train Kept A-Rollin'
Train Kept A-Rollin'
"Train Kept A-Rollin" is a song written by Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, and Lois Mann. Bradshaw first recorded the song as a jump blues in 1951—his best known recording. After a rock and roll version of the song was recorded and released by Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio in 1956, numerous...
". "A Wednesday In Your Garden" is another underrated track. A sole composition by Bachman, the song features jazz chords, perhaps inspired by The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
' usage of the same sound on many of their hit records. "Lightfoot" is written about fellow Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
. "Love and a Yellow Rose" showcases many of the Guess Who's musical talents, as Peterson plays the tablas and Bachman plays a sitar and a fuzz guitar on the song.
"Maple Fudge" sounds similar to a Paul McCartney ballad, specifically "When I'm 64". The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
were a huge influence on the Guess Who, as the Guess Who often covered their songs on CBC's TV entertainment series Let's Go, or during any live performance in the early going of their career. "We're Coming to Dinner" closes the album.
Original track listing
All songs written by Randy BachmanRandy Bachman
Randolph Charles "Randy" Bachman, OC, OM is a Canadian musician best known as lead guitarist, songwriter and a founding member for both the 1960s–70s rock band The Guess Who, and the 1970s rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive...
and Burton Cummings
Burton Cummings
Burton L. Cummings, OC, OM is a Canadian musician and songwriter.He was the lead singer and frequent keyboardist for the Canadian rock band The Guess Who...
except as noted.
CD
- "These EyesThese Eyes (song)"These Eyes" is a 1968 song by the Canadian rock band The Guess Who. The song was co-written by the group's lead guitarist Randy Bachman and lead singer Burton Cummings and originally included on the band's 1968 album Wheatfield Soul. Bachman had the original piano chords with an original title of...
" - 3:45 - "Pink Wine Sparkles in the Glass" - 2:13
- "I Found Her in a Star" (Cummings) - 2:36
- "Friends of Mine" - 10:04
- "When You Touch Me" (Bachman, Cummings, Matheson) - 3:38
- "A Wednesday in Your Garden" (Bachman) - 3:20
- "Lightfoot" (Bachman, Cummings, Matheson) - 3:07
- "Love and a Yellow Rose" - 5:05
- "Maple Fudge" - 1:49
- "We're Coming to Dinner" - 2:43
Personnel
- Randy Bachman – guitar, sitar, background vocals
- Burton Cummings – vocals, organ, harmonica, piano, guitar, keyboards, flute
- Jim KaleJim KaleJim Kale is the bassist for the popular band, The Guess Who. Kale left the band in 1973, after the Live at the Paramount album. He was replaced by Bill Wallace, formerly of Winnipeg band, Brother...
– bass, background vocals - Garry PetersonGarry PetersonGarry Peterson is a Canadian drummer who has been a long-term member of the Canadian rock band The Guess Who. Along with Randy Bachman, he has also recorded and toured with another Canadian rock band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive.-Biography:...
– drums, percussion, tabla, background vocals