Album Review: Ultimate Spinach — Behold & See (Mono)
At the time of its 1968 release, Ultimate Spinach‘s Behold & See suffered from critical backlash. Those brickbats were directed primarily at the ill-advised “Bosstown Sound” marketing hype that surrounded the group. Considered on its own, Behold & See is a worthwhile and oft-overlooked artifact of its era.
Yet the flow of Behold & See is diminished by poor sequencing; the two songs that open the disc are among the least distinguished here. “Gilded Lamp of the Cosmos” sounds like Smith; “Visions of Your Reality” recalls mid-period Moby Grape. Trippy song titles notwithstanding, many of the songs on Behold & See aren’t especially psychedelic; instead, they lean in a pastoral hippie direction. The longer, psych-flavored tracks are the best ones here. The extended “Mind Flowers” is a credible stab at laid back, acid fuzz; it anticipates Hawkwind‘s music/poetry approach by a year or more.
Paradoxically, Behold & See‘s most musically interesting track is the one with the least imaginative title: the proto-fusion “Jazz Thing” features a lovely running musical dialogue between electric piano and vibraphone, and the most tasteful guitar solo on the entire record. The song’s flute and bass(!) solos are a treat as well. Despite its length – a shade over nine and half minutes – “Jazz Thing” is a well-structured tune that shifts musical gears a few times. “Suite: Genesis of Beauty” showcases church organ and electric piano and ethereal harmony vocals. Despite the chaos its title portends, “Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse” is about as high energy as your average Grateful Dead cut.
At over 50 minutes, Behold & See is atypically long for a single LP; judicious editing might have made for a stronger, more consistent album. But on balance, the album’s best moments more than offset its weaker ones. Sundazed’s reissue features a crystalline monaural mix, and the vinyl is pressed in spinach-themed green.
An edited version of this review appeared previously in Goldmine Magazine.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.