SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE GENTRYS – IT’S BEEN SO LONG

THE GENTRYS
IT’S BEEN SO LONG
SUN RECORDS

The Gentrys were a rock band that made it very big in 1965 with their song “Keep On Dancing.” Other hits followed (“Everyday I Have To Cry” and “Spread It On Thick”) mainly in the UK, but the band carried on with numerous member changes until the early 1970s. When the band went their own separate ways, members found careers in and outside of music. Lead singer Jimmy Hart, for example, would leave music and develop a very successful wrestling career. It’s Been So Long is composed of songs the band was recording in the early 1970s when they were with Sun Records. Knox Phillips, son of Sun’s original owner, Sam Phillips, produced the tracks and the band found themselves entering a new chapter in their career.

After signing with Sun, the band released one, self-titled album, and a number of singles. This collection features songs from those singles and the album, and previously unreleased songs. Their cover of The Beatles’ “Two Of Us,” for example, sees the light of day for the first time. The same can be said for their cover of Cat Stevens’ “Father And Son.” While the band stays close to the original, they add their tone and style to the songs to create their own versions. Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” has been released previously, but here it has been remastered and sounds very exciting and, again, although faithful to Young’s versions, The Gentrys throw in a few curves.

Their music is very much of its time. The songs are folk-rock, with a little bit of country. A song like the previously unreleased “Friends” gives the band an opportunity to show off their playing and harmonies, while “ “Wild World” (previously unreleased) sees the band successfully transforming Cat Stevens’ song into more of a pop hit. It works fine.

It’s Been So Long is a great album that takes the listener back in time to the folk-rock explosion of the 1970s. Unlike the harder bands at the time, The Gentrys grabbed their acoustic guitars and created some very fine music. That doesn’t mean they do not turn the volume up to 11 at times, because they do (“God Save Our Country” which was written by two members of the band) but the overall feel of the album is more mellow. It’s Been So Long is a great album and one can thank Sun for digging some of the songs out of their archive and finally releasing them.

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