Hendrickson Road House — “I Wondered If You Knew”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 31, 2023

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

909) Hendrickson Road House — “I Wondered If You Knew”

On gossamer wings, this song takes off for a brief moment, and then the flight is over. It’s from then 19 year old Sue Eakins’ “lost classic of the West Coast psychedelic folk genre” (https://www.lpcdreissues.com/item/hendrickson-road-house), “[s]o good [a] slice of acid West Coast folk that it’s difficult not to go overboard” (Jan Zarebski, http://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2012/08/hendrickson-road-house-hendrickson-road.html), “one of the great holy grails of the psych/folk rock world”. (https://thatrealschitt.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/the-hendrickson-road-house-reissue-is-a-reality/)

LPCD Reissues says “Recorded to showcase the prodigious talents of teenage singer/songwriter Sue Eakins, the Hendrickson Road House album was issued in 1970 as a limited edition pressing by the Ojai-based Two:Dot studio/label. Widely regarded these days as one of the rarest vinyl artefacts to emerge from the late 60s Californian counterculture, the LP now sells for in excess of $1000 on the rare occasions that copies surface.” (https://www.lpcdreissues.com/item/hendrickson-road-house)

Jan Zarebski adds that:

Lost for more than 40 years and coveted by a handful of acolytes willing to exchange $1,000 for a copy, this is a rediscovered gem so pure it makes all previous claims to that title look like uneducated sycophancy. The sophisticated jazzy undertow . . . and sparse, intelligent arrangements are bound together by a female vocal so delicious, it could be picked and eaten. . . . [T]he album is littered with unique and varied touches of class in all departments.

http://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2012/08/hendrickson-road-house-hendrickson-road.html

Finally, Aaron Milenski:

This rare, moody folkrock album is one of the few from the era in which the creative force is a woman, Sue Eakins. It isn’t much like all of the Airplane- wannabe bands, either. [It] has a distinctive sound with mildly jazzy arrangements, subtle lead guitar, a tad of autoharp, smooth vocals and a definite late-night feel. The guitar playing has a bit of a westcoast influence, though it’s not the least bit heavy. The closest comparison would be the Serpent Power songs with Tina Meltzer on lead vocals [see #873]. . . . local Ojai [California] 19 year-old Eakins (listed as “Akins” on the sleeve) sings all of the songs, and the album has a coherence not often felt in the genre.

The Acid Archives, 2nd Ed. (Patrick Lundborg, ed.)

Check out That Real Schitt’s cool interview with Sue Eakins: https://thatrealschitt.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/the-sue-akins-interview/.

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