About this product

Product Identifiers

ProducerBuddy Kaye

Record LabelEsoteric Recordings

UPC5013929721524

eBay Product ID (ePID)16050179358

Product Key Features

Release Year1969

FormatCD

GenreRock

Run Time29 Mins 31 Seconds

ArtistWilliam R. Strickland

Release TitleWilliam R. Strickland Is only the Name

Additional Product Features

DistributionInfinity Entertainment Gr

Country/Region of ManufactureUSA

Number of Discs1

EngineerTerry Johnson; Doug Botnick; Terry Johnson

ReviewsRecord Collector (magazine) (p.95) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Strickland gibber, raves and free-associates throughout, hammering away with monomaniacal fervour on his acoustic guitar....There's something truly compelling about Strickland's heroically unfettered performances."

Additional informationComposer: William R. Strickland. Audio Remasterer: Paschal Byrne. Liner Note Authors: Harvey Siders; Mark Powell. Director: Philip Springer. Arranger: Philip Springer. One of the most unusual signings by the legendary Deram label, not least of all because he was American, poet/singer/songwriter William R. Strickland was paired with keyboardist/synthesizer player Philip Springer and placed under the direction of Buddy Kaye for one of the most the unique albums of the age, William R. Strickland Is Only the Name. Well will listeners of a certain age recall their first exposure to it, courtesy of the label's budget-priced compilation Wowie Zowie: The World of Progressive Music. Skittering electronics pinged and pongs across "Computer Lover," a sci-fi romance that absolutely predicted later electronic music (not least of all great swathes of ELP's "Karn Evil 9 Third Impression"). And then you ventured into the LP to discover a quite astonishing collision between beat-styled poetry and progressive rock, with Strickland's acoustic guitar playing off Springer's sympathetic and versatile backings. Hammond organ sweeps across "Romeo De La Route," sax jazzes up "You Know My Body," while pastoral flute ripples through "Touch." All the while, Strickland strums his guitar and riffs on the themes of life and love. "World War 3 1/2," however, is his piece de resistance. Imagine Arlo Guthrie eagerly joining the army instead of successfully dodging the draft, and going off to boot camp and then a futuristic war. It's a witheringly sardonic look at the military mentality that leaves the rest of the songs lyrically in the shade. It's an adventurous and bold album, that has remained little more than a collector's item in the years since its release. But it was certainly worthy of resurrection and reissue. ~ Dave Thompson

Number of Audio ChannelsStereo