Plain Jane is one hell of a reissue against all odds out there these days; as the closets grow thinner and thinner with hidden treasures, it seems an increasing number of things can go wrong with a promising psyche reissue - from poor if not terrible sound quality (Jade Stone and Luv), to a lack of original songs (Velvet Night) to simply being utterly distinterestingi (Ultimate Spinach). Plain Jane suffers from none of these faults. Pristine sound qualitty, excellent musicianship, creativity, originality, and ten excellent songs. How Plain Jane has been under the radar for so long is one of those great psyche reissue mysteries.
Sure, the sound is not perfect, there is a bit of tinniness, but it's fairly good and you can hear that the album was well recorded and produced in its time. Soaring vocals and excellent harmonies reminiscent of psyche/pop/country bands of the time are one of the defining aspects of the Plain Jane sound. Beyond that there's a ton of great playing from all band members - excellent guitar work, drums, bass and keyboards. Though understated, you can hear jazz chops under the surface....
The group shared songwriting chores quite equally amongst themselves, with every band member contributing to at least one song. I find the sound familiar -- you can hear moments that sound like they've drawn on influences from other bands of the era, but I do find the sound fairly original. But you might hear echoes of The Beatles, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, Steppenwolf, etc... A little mellow, a little folky, a little bluesy, a little pop and a little rock - there's a little bit of everything in there, and as mentioned even the jazz sensibilities crop up in a few brief spots.
Plain Jane is one of the most memorable and enjoyable sixties reissues I've heard in a while, especially for this genre. Well worth checking out.
