Fantasy-Fantasy (1970)

Throughout history, there have been quite a few bands called Fantasy. In fact, this blog features a British band that released a superb album in the early 70s, oriented towards progressive pop. But today we'll talk about another "Fantasy." This one, like the previous one, is from the late 60s, but they were American, more specifically from Florida, and would be the first to officially adopt that name. Emerging amidst the effervescent hippie and flower power era, this band consisted of Billy Robbins (lead vocals), his twin brother Bob Robbins (bass), Jim DeMeo (guitar), Mario Russo (keyboards), and Greg Kimple (drums). Initially, their style was related to what leading bands like Jefferson Airplane were doing at the time. However, this band gradually refined their style, moving towards more avant-garde sounds without abandoning their psychedelic spirit. Their enormous reputation led them to open for Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, Grateful Dead, and The Doors. But in 1970, their lead singer suddenly disappeared, his body later found in the Everglades. The rest of the band had to quickly reinvent themselves to fulfill their contracts and began the arduous task of replacing such a charismatic singer as Robbins—something seemingly impossible—until a young woman of just 16, named Lydia James Miller, managed to convince them and landed the lead singer position. Despite her young age, this singer performed and sang like a seasoned professional with a vocal range very similar to that of Grace Slick of Airplane!, and even to Janis Joplin herself. Miller's vocal abilities allowed the rest of the band to explore a wider range of musical ideas, and conventional psychedelic rock transformed into something more progressive, just as the simplicity of the 1960s was being replaced by sophistication and musical ambition. This development quickly caught the attention of Liberty United Artists, with whom they signed a contract and recorded their self-titled album. The album contained hints of folk rock, psychedelic pop, jazzy textures, and even sounds very close to what many years later would be called new wave. Tracks like the epic "What's Next," the psychedelic "Circus of Invisible Men," the bluesy "Understand," and the catchy "The Stoned Cowboy" led Fantasy to enjoy a successful but ephemeral period of glory that didn't last much longer than this phenomenal album, now lost in the mists of time.