:: The Hobbits - Feeling ::

The Hobbits were a Sunshine Pop, Psych-Folk group masquerading as some kind of J.R.R. Tolkien cult. Of course most of their songs had nothing to do with Tolkien, but who's counting. The band was the brainchild of one Jimmy Curtiss, who by 1967 was already a veteran of the music business. In the late '50s he was groomed as teen idol who actually wrote his own songs, but he didn't get any hits. He tried fitting into various different trends in the early '60s, but didn't make a dent until psychedelia came along. For a couple of short years, everything changed.

When most people think of psychedelic music, they think of loud, heavy bands that play songs which included 15 minute fuzz guitar solos meant to accompany their audiences drug induced "trip". The other side of the psych coin though was discounted at the time as lightweight and ultimately square.

Born out of the Folk movement of the '50s, and the Folk Rock of the '60s, Psych-Folk took the message of the flower children and packaged it for people who tended to bathe everyday. Not all Psych-Folk was mind numbingly sugar-coated pop, and the last few years has seen a resurgence in it's appreciation. This song, "Feeling" is simply a bad example of the genre. Co-written by Curtiss and vocalist Marcia Hillman, the song combines a "White Rabbit" sort of Bolero with hackneyed lyrics delivered by an overwrought singer who "feels" a bit too much for the listener's own good. One can only hope this feeling does not spread like bird flu as it is surely fatal.

The name of the album is Men and Doors - The Hobbits Communicate. The communication is ill.


Mike

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