Affinity (4) – Affinity

A sort of holy grail in psych music and this US release is one of the most frequent to pop up for sale. The record I would say is well sounding but is most likely lacking in comparison to the UK counterpart. With experience between other US vs UK first press releases of the time I could speculate about how an original might mainly have superior dynamics not only giving attacks of sound like vocals more punch, presence and realism but also destinguishing instruments better in the mix as the US can become a little mushy and flat when it gets busy.
On its own its still praise worthy for its use of low end and at least some high end sound, still giving an enjoyable experience of the album. Its mostly just that stereo imaging and instrument separation, you could say detail, which I would like to hear better.
To comment on the pressing quality I would just preface by saying that I own what I would consider a very close to NM copy all around and barely even looked at seemingly. The most intrusive part even after RCM cleaning is the surface noise which given my circumstance is indicating a likelyhood of poor vinyl being used. Not strange considering Monarchs involvement in the pressing. Never being a disturbance during music however.
The US issue will serve most well enough but to truly hear this album at its best there is no other way than to get that UK Vertigo release.

Equipment Used:
Rega RP1 with Nagaoka MP-110 Cartridge
Cyrus 2 Amplifier
System Fidelity SF-3050 Tower Speakers
Custom made HQ Speaker Cables

Affinity rode in on the psychedelic wave, with very trippy artwork to boot, though nothing could have been further from the truth. Affinity is a brilliant jazzy organ driven rhythmical selection of music that has a strong indication of progressive rock, yet harkens more to what the likes Blood, Sweet, & Tears were laying down, though developing rock sensibilities rather then the blues. The other release that shares similar ions, is the work done by Al Kooper, Steven Stills, and Mike Bloomfield on the Super Session album. Their sound is quite stylish and very lush, with riffs that often remind me of Led Zeppelin without the heaviness.

The vocals of Linda Hoyl are the first thing one notices, they’re low pitched, yet full of energy, perfectly balanced without standing in stark juxtaposition to what the rest of the group is doing. There are no show-offs here, Affinity is what it is, a straight forward dip into the last days, the final golden rays from the Summer of Love, stunningly suited for that last hit of Owsley Sunshine.

*** The Fun Facts: The name Affinity was derived from the 1961 Oscar Peterson album Affinity.

Review by Jenell Kesler