CLEAR LIGHT: Clear Light (CD)

Clear Light’s eponymous 1967 album is one of the jewels of Elektra Records’ 1960s catalogue. A short-lived, much-loved Los Angeles aggregate, the band is best known for including sometime Doors bassist Doug Lubahn and future CSNY and Manassas drummer Dallas Taylor, but Clear Light’s blend of quirky songwriting and psychedelic arrangement has helped make their record become a cult classic.

Produced by Paul Rothchild (the Doors, Love), the record was intended to showcase the dynamic double-drumkit sound of the group. Previous reissues have sounded flat, but this definitive remaster gives the record the punch it deserves. A major bonus are several excellent, recently uncovered outtakes from the June 1967 sessions for “Clear Light”, which are featured alongside the non-LP side ‘She’s Ready To Be Free’ (in both mono and stereo mixes) and a rare single by Clear Light precursors the Brain Train.

In addition to the expanded contents and sonic upgrade, in-depth liner notes by Clear Light biographer Gray Newell and some rare illustrations help make this Big Beat release the last word on Clear Light’s legacy.