I may be chancing some ridicule throwing some 70’s folk-rock up on the ol’ Broblog…but fuck it…this track is SO tight and just gets me in the gut every time I hear it….she has to be shared.

Cooley-Munson were a couple of friends from Santa Barbara spending their early 20’s in the early 70’s writing and playing psych tinged folk rock for pretty much themselves I imagine. Their only recording as the duo entitled “In Debt” was self-produced and privately pressed in an edition of 500 copies eventually becoming a much sought after psych-folk masterpiece. The songs are amateur in the best sense….far from the big studio jerk-off sessions that littered the musical landscape in the 70’s. “In Debt” could easily pass for a contemporary bedroom indy-folk-pop album if it weren’t so frickin’ good. It has that somewhat lo-fi, slightly sloppy feel….like these guys had day jobs and did this for the love.

“Never Came Back” is probably my favorite cut from the album. It’s a personal account of leaving one’s life of obligation to venture into the wide-open only to regret the decision and yearn for what was thrown away….at least that’s how I’m interpreting it. All of this emotional tug-of-war is packed into the tightest 2:15 of pop-folk mastery I’ve heard for some time. It begs repeat listens.

The original private press version of “In Debt” fetches some pretty hefty prices in the collector market. Luckely our friends at the fantastic Spanish reissue label Guerssen have made the record available to the masses. LPs and CDs can be purchased at FE or your favorite shop. The album can also be purchased digitally from Anthology Recordings.

ARTIST: Cooley-Munson
ALBUM: In Debt
TRACK: “Never Came Back”
YEAR: 1972
ORIGINAL: Private Press
REISSUE: Guerssen