Ultimate Spinach

2,324 listeners (20,689 plays)

psychedelic, psychedelic rock, 60s, rock, explorations

Boston, United States (1967 – 1969)

Ultimate Spinach is an obscure ’60s Psychedelic/Hard Rock/Blues group from Boston, Massachusetts, similar to the likes of The Lost, Front Page Review, Country Joe & the Fish, Orpheus, Mandrake Memorial, Earth Opera, Boston Tea Party, The Beacon Street Union, and Jefferson Airplane.
Ultimate Spinach was formed in 1967 and comprised keyboardist/guitarist Ian Bruce-Douglas and singer Barbara Hudson.

The music is undeservedly forgotten. Despite suffering claims of dishonesty, they published technically sophisticated but also musically fascinating albums. On Ultimate Spinach (MGM, 1968) the standout cuts are “Ballad Of The Hip Death Goddess,” with an instrumental interval for theremin (an early electronic instrument), feedback and reverberation, the psychoanalytic folk-blues “

Ego Trip,” the 4-part suite “

Sacrifice of the Moon,” as well as “

Your Head Is Reeling” and the Frank Zappa-esque — but less nasty than he typically was — “Plastic Raincoats.” While there was a rumor that Bruce-Douglas had been taken to court by Country Joe McDonald for having copied “The Masked Marauder” in his “

Baroque #1,” this was pure fantasy.

More complex compositions such as the suite in four movements “Genesis of Beauty” and “

Fragmentary March of Green,” two pieces soaked in mysticism, enliven the second album Behold & See (MGM, 1968). The tracks “Jazz Thing” and “Mind Flowers” experimented with unusual tempos and atmosphere, while the graceful “

Gilded Lamp of the Cosmos” exemplifies the best of their psychedelic folk ballads.

Top Tracks

1	Your Head Is Reeling full track	27
2	Ego Trip full track	19
3	Pamela full track	15
4	Baroque #1 full track	13
5	Funny Freak Parade full track	11
6	(Ballad Of) The Hip Death Goddess full track	10
7	Sacrifice of the Moon full track	9
7	Dove In Hawk's Clothing full track	9
9	Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse full track	7
9	Gilded Lamp of the Cosmos full track	7
11	Jazz Thing full track	6
11	Visions of Your Reality full track	6
11	Sacrifice of the Moon (In Four Parts)	6
11	Mind Flowers full track	6
15	Fragmentary March of Green full track	5

Top Albums

Ultimate Spinach
Ultimate Spinach
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Behold & See
Ultimate Spinach
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Ultimate Spinach III
Ultimate Spinach
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The Very Best of Ultimate Spinach
Ultimate Spinach
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BillStrange wrote:
May 2008

Also see "The Beacon Street Union" These were two of the more well known Psychedelic Boston bands that got the Record deals in response to the success of the San Francisco bands of the era. Your Head is Reeling is a cool song that recalls early Jefferson Airplane

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dysiee wrote:
February 2008

youve got laughin colours singing in your brain.

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pixel-by-pixel wrote:
December 2007

simply amazing stuff!!!

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wujekszatan wrote:
September 2007

maybe it's not really related at all, but still - join if you like spinach ;) http://www.last.fm/group/Spinach+Eaters

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Ton87 wrote:
September 2007

Just got their selftitled album and it's some really nice stuff!!

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Wooshmeister wrote:
August 2007

Word brotha, word.

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oldpink wrote:
May 2007

ultimate spinach looks like some fuckin dank weed

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