Hey Joe – THE LEAVES***

Dr Stone/Just A Memory/Get Out Of My Life Woman/Girl From The East/He Was A Friend Of Mine/Hey Joe/Words/Back On The Avenue/War Of Distortion/Tobacco Road/Goodbye My Lover/Too Many People

The Leaves were part of the Los Angeles mid sixties music scene and mixed folk elements to their basic garage rock sound. Their only (limited) chart success came with an early version of Hey Joe. (US:127)

“At a time when the two big trends in American music were garage rock and folk-rock, The Leaves somehow managed to fuse the pair together and come up with garage-folk. Their debut is obviously dated, but it does sound like a fabulous relic, powerfully evoking the mid-1960s LA scene. There's a blast of pure energy that zaps the songs.”

“The music is really quite good and their take of Hey Joe is unique. The rest of the songs are also quite good and none make for throw-away space fillers. For those who want to hear what the LA rock scene sounded like in the sixties, you couldn't do any better than these guys and this album.”

“If you like mid sixties rock 'n' roll, and think that shaking and stirring The Byrds with The Rolling Stones sounds like a good idea, then this is for you. The Leaves were a good but not a great band.”

“What keeps The Leaves alive in the hearts and minds of so many, was their take on the song Hey Joe, which was the beginning of a new classic, a song still covered by many.”

"Yet fine as this release was, there was something about it, as if it were a business adventure, Solid music, but just lacking that something that was needed to carry them forward. Nevertheless, they nailed some great covers.”

“This is a well produced album by a talented group of garage musicians, yielding a comparatively polished sound.”

“Great fuzzy album that opens with the fast paced Dr Stone and keeps its edge throughout. Of course Hey Joe is what it is most remembered for, but The Leaves originals are just as iconic and innovative.”