The American Breed "Bend Me, Shape Me" (1967) (single)

Bend Me, Shape Me, 7'' single

release date: 1967

format: vinyl (KSS 6)

[single rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]

producer: Bill Traut

label: Stateside - nationality: USA

Track highlights: A) "Bend Me, Shape Me" (4 / 5) (other mix) - - B) "Mindrocker"

Single by The American Breed taken from the forthcoming second album Bend Me, Shape Me (Feb. '68). Also the B-side appears on the same album. The title song may have been an international hit thanks to this version but originally, it's a song by the American songwriter duo Scott English and Larry Weiss. About one year earlier, the song was first released by another American band: The Outsiders, and their version of the song is found on the band's third album In released Feb. '67 (recorded in '66). But it was another band, who made the first cover of the song, and that was the all-girl group The Models with their only single released in 1966 [The Models' version] (released prior to The Outsiders album but recorded after). It's peculiar listenening to these highly different versions of the same song and still released within a year's time. In retrospect, I believe that the version by The Models appears as the most daring with its acid, psychedelic, and Phil Spector-like production. In that regard, The Outsiders' version is a more stripped down and simple song but it's also the one with the purest rock appeal held in a typical garage rock style, and then the American Breed came along and made it the song a hit with a much bolder mainstream appeal. Listening to both previous versions, it does appear that The American Breed take up some of the arrangements from both earlier recordings albeit it's nevertheless the most polished version of these three recordings. The song has later been covered by various other acts but over the years, it's The American Breed, who has gone down in music history with the most wide-spread rendition of this fine song.

This very single, was one of my favourites from when I was 10-14 years old. I guess, my brother must have purchased it at some early point before he threw himself over British psychedelic rock of the 70s.

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This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.