Declaration of Independence

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This 14-track compilation features some key sides from the Florida-based '60s garage rockers We the People. Their musical versatility works in tandem with the equally affective songwriting of Wayne Proctor (guitar/vocals) and Tommy Talton (guitar/vocals) -- the latter of whom would go on to work with the seminal Allman Brothers Band as well as his own Southern rock outfit, Cowboy. Although We the People never got an album deal, the band issued half a dozen or so 45s for a variety of regional as well as national labels. In addition to a few stray sides, Declaration of Independence (1993) includes a majority of those singles. The band began as a sort of Orlando-based supergroup in late 1965/early 1966 with members of three local teen combos -- the Trademarks, Offbeets, and Nonchalants. This cross-pollination of already developed styles was a key element in giving We the People such versatile strength. This set begins with the title track, "Declaration of Independence." This punkish waltz bops by with much of the lyrical and instrumental economy of Brit mod pop acts such as the Zombies. Inventive melodies such as this are typical of even the harder-edged R&B raver "Mirror of Your Mind" or the acid-tinged fuzz guitar on "You Burn Me Up and Down" -- both of which easily equate similar work from the Standells and the Sonics. That material is likewise contrasted by the languid and equally trippy and charming "St. John's Shop" or the balladry of "(You Are) The Color of Love." Personnel changes ultimately did the band in, and by 1970 We the People had all but disbanded. While this budget-priced collection offers a healthy sampling of the group's most notable contributions, the audio archaeologists at Sundazed Music more than double the selection and running time on their 40-song Mirror of Our Mind (1995) two-disc set, including demos and primordial wax from both the Trademarks and the Offbeets.
© Lindsay Planer /TiVo