It’s Frisco west coast, Midwest hippie rock a touch of prog, Thirty Days Out is a mash of all of those.
Written by: Eric
ARTIST: Thirty Days Out
ALBUM: Miracle Lick
LABEL: Reprise
SERIAL: MS2085
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: John Micaleff – lead vocals, guitar * Jack Malken – lead guitar, organ * Phil Lowe – drums, lead vocals * Monte Melnick – bass, backing vocals * Nicky Harrison – strings * Bing McCoy, Teddy Taylor – keyboards, mellotron * Madeleine Bell, Doris Troy, Lisa Strike, Christine Ohlman – backing vocals
TRACK LISTING: 01 Honey I Do * 02 I Need You * 03 Any Other Day * 04 Tupelo * 05 The Sun Keeps Right On Shining * 06 Everybody’s Got To Have A Song * 07 Phoenix * 08 Never Felt Better * 09 Take A Look At Yourself
Background
Thirty Days Out bass player Monte Melnick ended up as tour manager for New York punk darlings The Ramones, but trying to find much else on this east coast band is next to impossible. The group released a self-titled album in 1971 sent to record stores not in shrink wrap, but housed in a poster of a Steamliner.
A novel idea and it received a lot of attention from store owners and record buyers, but the band’s second album ‘Miracle Lick’ didn’t fare quite as well and the band folded shortly thereafter.
The Songs
Playing a well behaved version of San Francisco west coast and Midwestern hippie rock with slight progressive moves, ‘Miracle Licks’ will appeal to those who long for the hazy days of Grand Funk Railroad, early REO Speedwagon and more importantly Quicksilver Messenger Service.
‘Honey I Do’ is standard 70’s good time rock, pleasant enough blue-jean boogie and the type of thing that backed-up clogged airwaves in the early part of the decade, but it’s the final track on this side that wins points for creativity.
‘The Sun Keep Right On Shining’ with its well placed use of Mellotron and haunting melody makes searching for this record all the more worthwhile. As shamefully post-Woodstock a title as ‘Everybody’s Got to Have A Song’ is, you would be forgiven for expecting the worse but it’s actually a very good tune with excellent vocals from John Micaleff who shines on much of the record.
‘Never Felt Better’ sounds like an REO Speedwagon/Neal Doughty styled rocker featuring a prairie burning organ solo and barroom piano with ‘Take A Look At Yourself’ closing out the album along similar lines making for a slightly above average album of groovy Midwest rock- New York style.
In Summary
The more I listen to ‘Miracle Licks’ the more I like it, although I’ve yet to come across a copy of their first album. I imagine with the Steamliner poster intact it has to be worth a fortune.
