U.F.O. - Jim Sullivan - NEW reissued 1969 psychedelic, sci-fi classic LP

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AllMusic Review (4 of 5) by James Allen  [-]

This is one of those albums whose backstory looms so large that it threatens to overwhelm the actual music, which would be a shame, because it's a bit of a lost classic of the singer/songwriter realm. Southern California troubadour Jim Sullivan -- was a big man with a big voice who built up a small regional following in the late '60s and convinced an old friend to start a label for the sole purpose of releasing his debut album in 1969. The limited-run release eventually became a high-priced holy grail for record collectors, partly because of its quality and rarity, and partly because of the mysterious Sullivan story. In a nutshell, after recording only one more album, he took off on a road trip in 1975, during which he literally disappeared, never to be seen again, despite the best investigative efforts of family, friends, and admirers. His car was found still containing his wallet, guitar, and other possessions, with no trace of their owner. Several theories about his fate sprung up, from murder to alien abduction.

Despite the album's humble origins, it sounds more like a major-label recording than a lo-fi D.I.Y. effort. This has a lot to do with Sullivan's benefactor hiring top-flight L.A. Wrecking Crew musicians Don Randi, Earl Palmer, and Jimmy Bond, and then there are Bond's string arrangements, which bring an atmospheric, orchestral feel to Sullivan's simply conceived, acoustic guitar-based tunes. Sullivan's deep, bluesy singing falls somewhere between Fred Neil and Tim Hardin, as does his songwriting, which subtly tweaks conventional folk-blues templates without veering into psychedelic, post-Dylan excess. The lyrics are those of a man with wandering on his mind, especially the title track, in which Sullivan's mind's eye moves out among the stars. It's probably this track that inspired the aforementioned alien abduction theories about Sullivan's disappearance, and as unlikely as that scenario may seem, it's nice to imagine Sullivan smiling down from some unearthly plane.

Tracklist

Companies, etc.

• Exclusive Retailer – Vinyl Me, Please
• Copyright (c) – Light In The Attic Records & Distribution, LLC
• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Light In The Attic Records & Distribution, LLC
• Remastered At – Elysian Masters
• Pressed By – GZ Media – 188840E
• Published By – Grow Your Own Music
• Published By – Light In The Attic Music Publishing LLC

Credits

• Arranged By, Producer, Bass [String Bass] – Jimmy Bond
• Art Direction – Jerry Dumas
• Art Direction [Re-Release Art Direction] – D. Norsen Design*, Darryl Norsen
• Artwork [Original Artwork - Print] – Chris Gambrell
• Bass [Fender Bass] – Lyle*, Max*
• Co-producer – Jerry Dumas, Jim Pewter
• Coordinator [Project Coordinators] – Kate Peterson, Patrick McCarthy
• Design, Photography By – Ken Kim
• Drums – Earl Palmer
• Engineer – Peter Abbott*, Richard (79)
• Executive-Producer – Al Dobbs, Chad Dulaney, Norman Skolnik
• Keyboards – Don Randi
• Liner Notes – Andria Lisle
• Music By, Lyrics By – Jim Sullivan (3)
• Other [Belief In Me] – Al And Chad
• Other [Faith And Understanding] – Bob Ginter
• Reissue Producer – Matt Sullivan (4)
• Reissue Producer [Re-release Executive Producers] – Josh Wright, Matt Sullivan (4)
• Remastered By – Dave Cooley
• Restoration [Sound Restoration] – Dave Cooley
• Technician [Help In The Sound Booth] – Lee Kiefer

Notes