- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- I hadn’t expected such a textured album as Wheatfield Soul from a band like the Guess Who that was mostly known for their singles,
The Guess Who – Wheatfield Soul (1969): The Guess Who is one of Canada’s most successful rock bands, and they regularly had hits in the United States as well. I hadn’t expected such a textured album as Wheatfield Soul from a band that was mostly known for their singles, and I was delighted to uncover this particular copy, which came out on a South Korean record label called Taedo. The album opens with one of their first and biggest U.S. hits “These Eyes” and meanders its way from there.
“Friends of Mine”, which closes Side 1, was a real surprise – in part, the lyrics as well as their delivery are lifted directly from a Doors song called “When the Music’s Over” that I never found in the original. The Guess Who couches their version within a mildly mocking psychedelic backing, in contrast to the deadly serious spoken-word recording by Jim Morrison and the Doors. After “These Eyes” cracked open the door, the Guess Who scored numerous hit songs throughout the 1970’s, as did their spinoff band Bachman-Turner Overdrive and lead singer Burton Cummings as a solo act.