Larry Norman, People! - I Love You Korea

Reviewed by Trevor Raggatt

Psychedelic pop isn't a genre which has aged particularly well. With the exception of a few accepted classics like "See Emily Play", "Flowers In The Rain" or "Eight Miles High" it's a style best left as a mildly diverting footnote in musical history. Bearing that in mind, it's probably fair to say that the seven tracks presented here are of interest more for their historical than their musical merits. People! were formed in the mid-'60s with a young Larry Norman firmly at the helm and with challenging visions of what he wanted to achieve. However, a large slice of the songs follow a template based around noodling guitar and Hammond melded with deliberate whimsy which is typical of many bands in the genre. The standout track is probably the title track "I Love You", a cover of a Zombies b-side which is pleasantly jangly in a Doors-meets-Byrds manner and which was to be People!'s only hit. The "Korea" of the album title refers, cryptically, to the source of the CD masters (apparently sonically superior to the US masters). Of most interest is the 13 minute long closing track, aptly called "The Epic". This translates the gospel story into a medieval George and the Dragon setting. Shifting through several mini-movements and musical styles Norman has long maintained that it was "The Epic" that created the rock-opera and directly inspired Pete Townsend to write "Tommy". 'I Love You Korea' is a patchy album and something of a period piece at best. One best left for Norman completists and musicologists.