7th Seal - 1967 - Reflection

7th Seal
1967
Reflection

01. Sympathy
02. Midnight Hour
03. Till the End of the Day
04. Mr. You're a Better man Than I
05. Mustang Sally
06. Well I Know
07. It's My Pride
08. Come on Up
09. Proud Reflections
10. Make Your Bed
11. I've Got a Mind to Give Up Livin'


The quintet, attending college in Bridgewater, Virginia were previously known as The English Muffins. Their album, a limited edition of 400, is taken from tapes for an unreleased Justice LP recorded in Winston-Salem, NC in 1967. Whilst many on the Justice label suffer from a dearth of originals and a similar selection of cover material, several originals are included here, which occupy minor-mood introspective garage-ballad territory. Well I Know is a fine example and their reworking of It's My Pride, from their English Muffins repertoire, is very Zombiesque in the vocal arrangements. Proud Reflections is a moody jangler. The dark horse and arguably the best track is Make Your Bed, a low-key folk-punker that ends surprisingly in a crescendo of drums and feedback.
Of the covers, Till The End Of The Day and Mister You're A Better Man Than I are above-par with searing lead guitar. Soulful aspirations are aired in Midnight Hour and the Rascals' Come On Up, whereas blues reign in the near five-minute finale I've Got A Mind To Give Up Livin'.
Numerous photos and an insert with the band's history complete a welcome release, certainly one of the most interesting and rewarding from the Justice stable.
By April 1968 and the Gama 45, Schroeder was the sole survivor of the LP line-up. Organist Bob Altic had been an early member of the English Muffins; he was replaced soon after the 45 by Richard Price. People Grow On You is great psych with whispering vox at the beginning and end (sans music) and nice guitar work. The flip, composed by Steve Hale, is a ballad - OK but nothing exceptional.
(Max Waller/Frank Uhle/Brent Hosier)