Gold

Gold were a promising if derivative late-’60s San Francisco psychedelic band that only managed to release one single, “No Parking”/“Summertime” (the B-side produced by Country Joe McDonald), although they recorded about an album’s worth of unreleased material in 1969 and 1970. Much of that material was released on the 2003 CD compilation Oregins S.F. 1970, which also includes eight songs from a live performance at the Fillmore West in March 1970. Drawing from blues, the minor-keyed folk-rock that numerous San Francisco bands blended into their repertoire, and Santana-like rock-Latin fusion, Gold played with likable raw energy, though their material wasn’t as distinctive as that of the major Bay Area psychedelic acts. ~ Richie Unterberger