The Vejtables - Anything b/w I Still Love You (Autumn - 1965)

Recently I purchased the wonderful 4-cd/book boxset - Love is The Song We Sing; The San Francisco music scene 1965 - 1970 on Rhino Records and have thus far thoroughly enjoyed the set, it is well packaged and is a great compilation full of facts and cool pictures.

The Vejitables are a group I've overlooked in the past, I dunno why??? but I guess I've always assumed they had no real songs that I'd dig, I was proven wrong. I've been into 60s underground music since I was a teenager, so almost ten years of intense research into the genre and I missed the boat with The Vejtables, until very recently, I guess that is the good thing about music, it continuously surprises.

The track 'Anything' blew me away when I heard it and  has since become one of my favourite songs of the moment.

The track was recorded and released in mid 1965, which is amazing as it sounds like it belongs  a couple of years later in 1967, it easily sounds like it influenced what the Mama and The Papa's went on to later do, the rich harmonies, the strange chord progressions and general summer time vibe.

The Vejitables consisted of -

Bob Bailey - lead vocals, percussion

Ned Hollis - lead guitar, organ and backing vocals

Reese Sheets - rhythm guitar and backing vocals

Rick Dey - bass and backing vocals 

and the ever so gorgeous and talented Jan Errico - drums and backing vocals.

Jan was one of the first ever female drummers and she was highly talented, not only was she pretty but she was also a phenomenal songwriter, musician and later went on to be in the Mojo Men.

The Vejtables were a short lived group but I feel in their short time were pretty important if only for their initial influence via their harmony style.

They had four 45rpm singles ranging from Folk-Rock, Beatles-esque Garage pop, and Psychedelia, they disbanded in late 1967.

For me the highlight of their recording output is 'Anything', have a listen to it below.

Pics taken by Jim Marshall and photographed from the 'Love Is The Song We Sing' cd/book set on Rhino Records

Thanks

Paul Messis