What I am listening to : FJ McMahon

One of the recent trends is “lost albums”. In a musical industry context much different than even a decade or two ago. I have mentioned a few albums that were released to near complete silence and have been embraced by a new generation of indie rockers. I can only picture record scouts traveling across the country hitting garage sales and thrift shops, the way they used to go to small clubs. “Spirit of the Golden Juice” by FJ McMahon was first recorded and released in 1969, but in 2017 was released by Sacred Bones records- a fantastic record label known for bands who usually make a certain amount of noise like The Men, Crystal Stilts, and Moon Duo. I’m my mind, there are similarities to Jim Sullivan’s lost classic UFO. For one, both were championed by Uncut magazine which is where I first discovered them. They both came out in 1969 and show a hint of the songwriting boom of the 70s. Both stay close to the Fred Neil/Tim Hardin school - a rich voice telling personal stories. In McMahon’s case, he was a California musician whose life took him from playing surf rock to returning a Vietnam War veteran. He released a small presssing of his album and toured the coast. So it was a career in computer electronics for him, until he picked up a guitar again in 2017 to relearn his classic album and play backed by the band Quilt. “Golden Juice” is sparse, but couple that with McMahon’s talent as a guitarist really creates something magical. It is for me, some stronger songs that being this album along. It also no doubt benefits from brevity. Surely at some point, McMahon would have had to recorded more pop schmaltz. “Five Year Kansas Blues” is one of those first listen “grabber”s. It is pretty clear that it’s about a conscientious objector but it took me a couple of listens to piece together the references to the Draft and Leavenworth, as it has an old Western feel. I was imagining 1860s and not 1960s on first listen. Opening track “Sister Brother” sounds like the song selected for a single. It’s a little bit more produced but the same elements are there. “One Alone Together” is a juxtaposition of a plaintive ballad over a guitar and drums that seemingly want to break free. Vietnam themes pop up with regularity. Production inevitably helps differentiate the songs, which can feel similar end-to-end which is probably the weakest part of what is otherwise a contemplative and melancholic lost classic.