Undun by Guess Who

Label: RCA 0195
Year: 1969
Condition: M-
Price: $25.00

Another great two-sided classic from this underrated group, showing what a truly serendipitous partnership Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman had formed. When he avoided going over the top on vocals (as he occasionally did), Cummings was a classic Rock vocalist with a gift for melodic pop hooks behind most of their big hits. Somewhat in the background, guitarist Randy Bachman could also write lyrics and tunes with the best of them, and he understood the importance of rhythm, rock's rougher edges, and how to seamlessly meld them with Cumming's pop instincts. Of course, he later proved he could form a different kind of rock band ?? one with that harder edge but with the catchy, Top-40 side of great Power Pop ? when he teamed up with vocalist Fred Turner in Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

Here, the A side was the Top 10 hit, and the B side is nearly as famous. "Undun" features both lyrics and music by Bachman, and shows him waxing philosophic in his tale of a "fallen" woman. The arrangement is reminiscent of what Todd Argent had been doing with the Zombies, and in particular echoes their Spring 1969 hit, "Time of the Season."

This is the second pressing, with only one publisher (Dunbar Music Inc.) listed on the labels. Both tracks are specially edited versions of their respective album cuts (3:05 and 4:17). Note: This beautiful copy comes in a vintage RCA Records factory sleeve. The labels and vinyl look pristine Mint, and the powerful audio grades close to Mint, with almost no surface noise.