THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,847) Wendy & Bonnie — “The Winter Is Cold”
Baby, it’s cold outside, and Wendy & Bonnie (see #1,774) know that the winter is cold! “Well it might be cold but that ripping ass [guitar] solo [in “The Winter Is Cold”] just warmed things up”! (Turkeytoad1972, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oavtoIrjFv4)
This remarkable sibling duo of (17 year old) Wendy and (13 year old) Bonnie gave us Genesis, “one of the most remarkable unheard albums of 1969[, w]ith melodic confections laced with radiant sisterly harmony”. (Sundazed Records, https://sundazed.com/c/279-Wendy-Bonnie.aspx)
Jive Time Records says of “Winter Is Cold”:
Genesis ends with perhaps its strongest cut . . . a rocker with chill-inducing, contrapuntal vocal harmonies. The song has moments of seriously groovy psychedelia, with [guitarist Larry] Carlton unleashing distorted solos that recall Howard Roberts’ work with Electric Prunes [see #893] circa Release Of An Oath.
https://jivetimerecords.com/2022/03/wendy-bonnie-genesis-skye-1969/
Joseph Neff adds:
[It] closes [the LP] with assurance, and is notably the release’s most fully realized uptempo number. Reminiscent of mainstream coffeehouse folk after a few rounds of strong espresso, the cut shows them capable of a well-mannered bluesy turn, and it’s also the one track on the platter that cozies right up to a full-blown rock temperament, featuring a nicely done psych guitar solo.
https://www.thevinyldistrict.com/storefront/graded-on-a-curve-wendy-bonnie-genesis/
“Winter” was originally to be the B-side of WB’s first (and only) single, but was replaced by “It’s What’s Really Happening’”. (Jeanette Leach, Shindig Magazine, https://wendyandbonnie.com/articles.html) I guess I get it, as the single was released in July. Nonetheless, “Winter” should have been the A-side — I think it could have been a hit!
Jive Time Records writes of Genesis that:
Genesis likely wouldn’t have ascended to its burnished status without contributions from a cast of stellar session musicians such as drummer Jim Keltner, keyboardist Mike Melvoin, and guitarist Larry Carlton. They all play their asses off for these gifted upstarts, and it’s goddamn precious to witness. Production from bossa-nova/jazz vibraphonist [Gary] McFarland and label support from Skye co-owner and Latin-jazz percussionist Cal Tjader, who’d heard and loved the duo’s early demos, further bolstered the recording sessions.
https://jivetimerecords.com/2022/03/wendy-bonnie-genesis-skye-1969/
Richie Unterberger is equivocal as to the LP:
Genesis is pleasant, if naïve, harmonized light rock with psychedelic, jazz, and folk influences. It is impressive given their tender ages . . . and the pair wrote all of the material on the LP. . . . [It] is a nice, if not truly necessary, relic of the late 1960s. It’s the sort of unconventional yet accessible project that might have had trouble finding its way into release in any other era, but managed to at least get issued, even if it was largely undiscovered until cult listeners unearthed it decades later. The sisters’ harmonies have the sweet-sour major minor blend typical of many San Francisco rock artists of the time, yet with a more homespun, intimate flavor than those of many a heavily produced band. Their songs have the sort of slightly askew lyrics that, again, were prevalent in their time and place, glowing with anticipation of an era of greater love and less social constraints, and also imbued with a certain innocent naïveté. . . . There are sometimes jazzier accents to their singing and chord progressions than there were in most psychedelic or harmony pop/rock groups. . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-bonnie-mn0000818065#biography, https://www.allmusic.com/album/genesis-mw0000006402
Irwin Chusid’s liner notes to the CD reissue of Genesis tell the Flower sisters’ story:
The were influenced by the groundbreaking pop-psych ferment of the late ’60s, without having been much a part of it. The girls absorbed rock from the radio, sultry tropical strains from Latin jazz legend Cal Tjader (their godfather and a devoted family friend), and a love of jazz and classical from their parents. . . . In 1967, Wendy co-founded a local band, Crystal Fountain, for whom she was the featured vocalist; Bonnie later joined the group on drums. They recorded a few garage-psych originals, one of which, “The Night Behind Us,” received airplay on fabled station KSAN. “Cal heard some of the things we did with Crystal Fountain and some duo compositions,” recalled Bonnie, “So he connected us with Skye Records.” Skye was a jazz imprint whose roster boased Tjader, vibraphonist Gary McFarland, [and] guitarist Gabor Szabo [see #185] (all co-owners of the label) . . . . Wendy and Bonnie were . . . Skye’s only fling with rock . . . . [They] had been writing songs for years, and were now afforded a chance to record a 45 . . . . Bonnie had written “Paisley [Window Pane” (see #1,774)] in the seventh grade and performed it solo in French class for final exam credit. . . . The initial session proved promising, and Skye asked the sisters if they could generate an album’s worth of material. Within weeks they’d conjured up eight tunes. . . . McFarland agreed to produce the project. . . . [He] was an arranger, composer, and bandleader who’d worked with [many jazz greats]. . . . Thanks to McFarland and Skye’s connections in the West Coast jazz world, the Flower sisters were graced with top-notch sidemen. . . . [including] Larry Carlton on guitar, veteran drummer Jim Keltner . . . . Then, in 1970, just as the sister’s promising singing careers were being launched, Skye eclardd bankruptcy. . . . [Wendy recalls] “One day we were . . . scheduled to appear on The Merv Griffin Show. Next day, our label was no more. . . . We were totally devastated[.] . . . We were looking forward to doing other projects with Gary. . . . We were shattered to hear he passed away[.]” McFarland suffered a fatal heart attack on November 2, 1971, after being poisoned by liquid methadone slipped into his cocktail at a New York bar. . . . ” The opportunities were [still] there,” said Wendy. “However, life was pulling Bonnie and me in different directions. I wanted to record with Fantasy, but they wanted a sister act or nothing.[“]
Richie Unterberger notes that:
Although they did sing backup vocals on a couple of Tjader albums and some jingles and background vocals at Fantasy Records, they never recorded their own material again . . . . They did perform music separately in the subsequent decades, Wendy Flower issuing a children’s music cassette, and Bonnie Flower once rejecting an invitation to join the Bangles.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-bonnie-mn0000818065#biography
Here is an alternate take:
Here is a demo:
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