Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Poppy Family: Which Way You Goin' Billy? (1969)


The Poppy Family were the most popular Canadian act of their time, but also turned out to be one of the most easily forgotten. This truly is a shame, however, because Which Way You Goin' Billy? is teeming with incredible, well-crafted pop songs (including the disc's namesake #1 single, and the 1970 single That's Where I Went Wrong).

Sound-wise, you're looking at delightful, catchy hippie's sunshine pop. Husband and wife Terry and Susan Jacks trade off on vocals, and they had an Indian drummer, Satwan Singh, who brought something distinctly unique to their sound, which, to this day, no one else has captured.
If you like pop music, of any kind, this album is worth a listen.

The group were not long-lived. They disbanded in 1973, and Terry Jacks went on to have a much larger career as a solo artist. Susan also made an attempt at a solo career, but it received a good deal less attention than that of her ex-husband. However, she is once again recording and playing, and one can only hope she receives the best in the future.


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