The Misunderstood "Before the Dream Faded" 1992

Like others, I strongly recommend this album. The second half is decent 1965/66 era American garage rock. However, as others have noted, the best cuts on the album are the first six tracks. They were recorded in London in 1966, and represent the group's creative peak. In my opinion, those six tracks stand with the finest psychedelic rock ever created…...In some respects, the Misunderstood could be considered an American version of the Yardbirds. Like that innovative British group, the Misunderstood mixed blues, raga, the Middle East and rave-ups. However, they were louder and crazier than the Yardbirds on the whole. The guitar work often went into territory unexplored within rock (or any) context, and this was due largely to Glenn Ross Campbell's unique usage of the steel guitar. He was able to produce unheard-of-for-the-time tones, including distortion, noise and feedback with an unusual method of guitar playing. His playing was revolutionary, unlike anything heard before or since.
The group also recorded pretty early in the psychedelic era. Even though Children of the Sun was released as late as 1969, the London tracks were recorded in mid/late 1966, before Hendrix waxed his initial late 1966 recordings. This renders the Misunderstood's performances and guitar work as groundbreaking. The Misunderstood may indeed have been the loudest group of their era, if only for a short time. At the time of their recording, arguably only the Yardbirds and the Who had seriously experimented with feedback and guitar noise. The Misunderstood pushed the envelope and took those innovations to greater heights. Indeed, they had a cosmic and otherworldly quality in their music, as well as their lyrics.
The group's interpretation of 'Who Do You Love' was quite interesting, a psychedelic update of the Bo Diddley classic. To the Misunderstood's credit, they matched the demented lyrics of the song with a mind-blowing band performance. 'I Unseen' was an excellent rendition of Hikmet's poem, and arguably superior to the Byrds' later attempt. I argue this because mind-melting guitar noise and feedback are perhaps more effective in conveying the emotional words, which represent a protest against nuclear warfare. They also used an eerie harmonica for this track.
The lyrics in some of the original songs perhaps had some protest that could be detected, about either a lack of spiritual fulfillment in this world, or a feeling of disappointment with others not willing to go along with their spiritual explorations. This was most apparent in 'I Can Take You to the Sun,' where the singer intones ''I can take you to the sun, but you don't want to go.'' This sentiment may also be in line with the band's actual history, as several external forces (among them the US Draft board) would serve to break this version of the band up. For this reason, Before the Dream Faded is aptly titled.
The peak the Misunderstood had did not last long, but fortunately it has been captured for all to hear. If you're looking for a great lost psychedelic band of the 60's, look no further. (Eight Miles High)trax:
01 Children of the Sun 02 My Mind 03 Who Do You Love 04 I Unseen 05 Find a Hidden Door 06 I Can Take You to the Sun 07 I'm Not Talking 08 Who's Been Talking 09 I Need Your Love 10 You Don't Have to Go Out 11 I Cried My Eyes Out 12 Like I Do 13 You've Got Me Crying Over Love
…originally served by Gyro1966...