The Other Half
Self-Titled

(Acta 1968/Radioactive 2004)

www.radioactiverecords.com

It's really rather fitting that The Other Half are best remembered today as the group that guitarist Randy Holden played in after LA punks The Sons of Adam and before San Fran heavy rockers Blue Cheer, because their sound basically represents a stylistic stepping stone between the respective styles of those two groups. The Other Half formed in Los Angeles in 1966, and quickly released their debut single, "Mr. Pharmacist", on Gene Norman's GNP Crescendo Records. While "Mr. Pharmacist" wasn't a success for the group, its appearance on several garage compilations (including Rhino's Nuggets box set) has made it the band's best-known song, and deservedly so, as its aggressive, punk sound and drug-related lyrics make it a prototypical slice of 1966. By the time The Other Half released their self-titled album on the Acta label in 1968, however, styles had changed. Tough, blues-based garage rock was out, and sophisticated psychedelic sounds were in. This was especially true in the new rock mecca of San Francisco, where, around 1967, The Other Half seem to have relocated in search of greener musical pastures. But regardless of the prevailing Frisco trends, The Other Half stuck to the sound they knew best--balls-out garage rock--for their one and only LP.

Sitting alongside other albums coming out of San Francisco in 1968--The Grateful Dead's Anthem of the Sun, Jefferson Airplane's Crown of Creation, and Quicksilver Messenger Service's self-titled debut--The Other Half is definitely something of an odd bird, with misogyny and power chords favored over the usual social commentary and instrumental jams. The album opens with dubbed-in applause, which bookends the appropriately titled first track, "Introduction", an indistinct, but sufficient, rock song. More applause introduces the album's first real killer, a song Randy Holden brought with him from The Sons of Adam called "Feathered Fish". Said to have been written by Arthur Lee, leader of the LA group Love, "Feathered Fish" makes for an impressive performance for The Other Half, whose version, with its shouted vocals and screaming guitar work, easily tops that of The Sons of Adam in sheer intensity. Following "Feathered Fish", the fake concert format of the album is basically discarded, much to the relief of the listener. The next song, "Flight of the Dragon Lady", is another solid rock number with some nice harmonica and good guitar feedback. The band slows and quiets down for the pleasant "Wonderful Day", but revs up again for the gloriously noisy "I Need You", which features some more great shouted vocals and intense guitar work. "Oz Lee Eaves Drops" and "Bad Day" are both competent rockers that feature some good guitar at times and maintain the album's upbeat momentum. "Morning Fire" changes the pace a bit with its eastern-flavored guitar runs, which make it by far the most psychedelic cut on the album, and also one of the best.

Unfortunately, the standard maintained through the album thus far is somewhat compromised by the final two tracks, "What Can I Do for You, First Half" and "What Can I Do for You, the Other Half." Though these tracks include some decent lead guitar at times, they are otherwise pretty sparse and too long, and they thus end the album on a low note. And sadly, The Other Half's career ended in much the same fashion. The album was a flop, due at least in part to its already-discussed stylistic obsolescence. Viewed outside of the trend-driven rock world of late-60s San Francisco, however, The Other Half stands up as a reasonably solid chunk of intense garage rock that almost predicts the heavy, guitar-based rock sound of the next band Randy Holden would play with, Blue Cheer. This straight CD reissue from Radioactive Records in the UK is a welcome one, especially since the only other CD issue of the group's music has been out of print for years.

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