Eric, Rick, Wayne, Bob Plus

Liner Note Author: Oliver Schuh.
Illustrators: Harald Mau; Wayne Fontana; John Beecher; Willi Zinzow; Wolfgang Lackmann.
Photographers: Harald Mau; Wayne Fontana; John Beecher; Willi Zinzow; Wolfgang Lackmann.
Bear Family's reissue of Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders' second album, Eric, Rick, Wayne, Bob, bears a subtitle of Plus and that "Plus" does cover a lot of material: nine bonus tracks in all, including the 1965 EP Walking on Air and assorted singles and B-sides that haven't made their way onto CD. All of these provide added value to an album that was already appealing. Essentially, Eric, Rick, Wayne, Bob is a Brit-beat covers album from the mid-'60s, with the group running through a bunch of standards of the time -- "Memphis Tennessee," "Some Other Guy," "Skinny Minnie," "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man," "Duke of Earl," "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um," "He's a Rebel" (which becomes "She's a Rebel") -- and a bunch of other similar-sounding tunes, all given spirited, joyful readings. The Mindbenders aren't especially bluesy, as their "Hoochie Coochie Man" amply illustrates, but they have a bright, infectious spirit that flows throughout the LP and its accompanying bonus tracks. It's a period piece but an enjoyable one. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine