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300 copies limited! In 1969, The Lemon Drops ventured from Chicago to San Francisco, hoping to break into the psychedelic rock scene. Rehearsals at the Redwood City estate of financier Dan Herron were intense and promising, with a rotating cast of musicians dropping in—among them Cold Blood with Lydia Pense, and Gram Parsons with the newly formed Flying Burrito Brothers, who sometimes stayed for days. But a series of misfortunes derailed the dream, leading to the band's breakup.
Out of the ashes emerged Watermelon, a new project formed by former Lemon Drops members, joined by ambient music pioneer Raphael (a.k.a. Rafael). This fresh collaboration birthed a sound that was both raw and otherworldly.
Watermelon’s music fused hard-driving psychedelic rock with moments of eerie, hypnotic ambiance. Their style has been described as blending “an ethereal sound of yesterday with an infinite hope for tomorrow.” Others compared them to “Booker T. meets Quicksilver Messenger Service,” highlighting their soulful grooves and vibrant instrumental interplay. One critic summed it up: “If you're into late-’60s/early-’70s psychedelic rock with a blazing organist, this one’s for you.”
The recordings—thought lost for decades—were made using just two microphones and a professional Ampex two-track machine, thanks to producer Reggie Weiss, who was then working in Ampex’s magnetic tape research division. Weiss recounts the backstory in the reissue’s liner notes: “They sound so good, it’s hard to believe how simply they were captured. My boss lent me his pro machine for one night. Thank God he did.”
Now restored and released, these long-buried tapes reveal Watermelon’s fierce and evocative sound—a hidden gem of post-Lemon Drops psychedelia ready for rediscovery.
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