The First Edition – THE FIRST EDITION***

I Found A Reason/Just Dropped In (Too See What Condition My Condition Was In)/Shadow In The Corner Of Your Mind/If Wishes Were Horses/Ticket To Nowhere/I Get A Funny Feeling/I Was The Loser/Dream On/Home Made Lies/Marcia 2am/Hurry Up Love/Church Without A Name

Eponymous debut album from the American pop group The First Edition which launched the career of country star Kenny Rogers. It includes the US No. 5 hit single Just Dropped In, an inventive song light years away from the kind of mawkish mush their lead singer would put out as a solo artist. (US:118)

“This debut album includes their breakthrough hit, the anti-drug anthem Just Dropped In. The rest of this is not as interesting, a lot of Beatles-esque hippie-pop stuff. Kenny Rogers doesn't sing a lot of lead here and to me they became more interesting when they incorporated a more country sound later. This doesn't really stand out for 60s pop/rock although it shows that a lot of talent is involved here.”

“The First Edition were best known for their hit Just Dropped In. It's probably the only song you'll find interesting if you're just looking into this album expecting more psychedelic rock material. There isn't a whole lot of that on here. Shadow In The Corner Of Your Mind could perhaps be a little psychedelic.”

“There are a few great pieces on here of mainstream 60s pop such as If Wishes Were Horses, Dream On and Hurry Up Love. But other than that, it's kind of a bore. I even get a slight country pop feel coming through off this recording too. Well performed, but unfortunately it never really interested me. Still, not a bad listen.”

“Despite the reputation this outfit earned from their later pop releases, their first LP contained some noticeable psych influences worth investigating. It still contains sizable helpings of their traditional orchestrated vocal harmony pop fare, but some tracks, in particular the hit Just Dropped In, contain rewarding psych flavour. At times, they actually sound reminiscent of a somewhat heavier Mamas and Papas.”

“The album's one drawback is that the band don't go all the way in exploring different styles the way they did on the hit Just Dropped In. This track not only made Kenny Rogers' voice the most familiar first, it's an all-out assault on the senses, its wild abandon necessary but absent from other aspects of this disc. Church Without A Name explores the blues, adding to the feel of a band looking for a sound.”