The McCoys go psychedelic
Best-known for their 1965 number one hit "Hang On Sloopy," the McCoys provided the quintessential model for garage band success. Young, fresh-faced, and sporting an audacious lead guitarist, their sound was augmented with the catchy, hook-song trappings of bubblegum pop that made them teen favorites. When the McCoys' short string of hits ran out, they were able to set the stage for the emergence of one of the great guitar heroes of the 1970s, their own Rick Derringer.
Looking for greater artistic freedom, the McCoys signed a two-album deal with Mercury Records in 1968. Their first LP, Infinite McCoys, proved their most adventurous outing to date. Produced by Derringer and featuring the Blood, Sweat and Tears brass section, it tackled the psychedelic trend of the day. Derringer's guitar work was brilliant and expressionistic, but hit records were still the name of the game, and only "Jesse Brady" scraped the bottom of the charts. With the landscape of pop music changing rapidly and the group no longer in demand for high profile tours, the McCoys became the resident band at Steve Paul's Scene in New York City. During that time they released their second Mercury album, Human Ball. More eclectic and jazz-based than the first, it featured frequent interplay between guitar and keyboards, and lengthy Hendrix-inspired jams by Derringer. Yet like its predecessor, it couldn't find an audience, and the McCoys were looking for meaningful work for the first time since their high school days.
This post is focused on songs from those two Mercury LPs
