The Buckinghams Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
You have to hand it to the Buckinghams, who released this album over 30 years after being on the charts. And it's not bad. The band wisely includes a cover of Billy Joe Royal's hit "I Knew You When," plus a version of their own biggest hit, "Kind of a Drag," performed a cappella. The album includes ten other very listenable original pop tracks. ~ Tim Griggs, All Music Guide
'In One Ear & Gone Tomorrow'
Release Date 1/1/1968
Tracks 20
Label CBS
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The group's 1968 album for Columbia yielded their last big hit, "Back In Love Again,"along with some more solid numbers from the band, including nice versions of "Can I Get A Witness"and "Till The Sun Doesn't Shine."This compact disc reissue combines the original 11 track lineup with nine bonus tracks including "You Misunderstand Me," "Where Did You Come From," "It's A Beautiful Day (For Lovin'),"and the previously unissued "I Just Don't Know How To Say Goodbye." ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
'Kind of a Drag'
Release Date 1/1/1966
Tracks 14
Label USA Music Group
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Given its source, Kind of a Drag was one of the most extraordinary albums of the 1960s. One expected great, diverse LPs out of the likes of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, among others; by contrast, even the better albums by top garage-punk outfits such as the 13th Floor Elevators generally had a one-note feel to them, or were conspicuously strong in one direction. So when a Chicago-based garage band (or were they a garage band?) like the Buckinghams, with one serious hit (the title track) to their name, put out a long-player that embraced soul, blues, garage punk, and English pop-rock with just about equal aplomb, it must have caught purchasers, radio programmers, and music writers alike off guard. Kind of a Drag isn't the kind of searing punk document that their Windy City rivals the Shadows of Knight presented with their two LPs -- the latter group's work stood next to the Buckinghams roughly where the Who's albums did next to those of the Beatles. The Buckinghams' lean, guitar-driven garage punk versions of "Sweets for My Sweet" (a cover of the Searchers' version, not the Drifters') and the Hollies' "I've Been Wrong" are juxtaposed with a horn-ornamented version of the Beatles' "I Call Your Name" -- on which the lead guitar is playing what sound almost like mandolin riffs; and all are sandwiched between the horn-driven "I'll Go Crazy" and the raw, bluesy "I'm a Man" (patterned after the Yardbirds' rendition, with some twists that are all the Buckinghams' own). They still come off somewhat as light-weights, as on their cover of "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," but that's a minor lapse. The Sundazed CD reissue restores "I'm a Man," which was pulled off of the original LP, and it also has about the best sound that this release has ever offered. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
