F.J. McMahon - Spirit of the Golden Juice Playing in surf bands all through high school as a kid in California, McMahon then gigged a bit around just North of San Francisco after enlisting in the Air Force between '65 and '67. In '68 he shipped out
for a tour of duty in Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand where he formulated the basis of Spirit of The Golden Juice; said "golden juice" being a euphemism for the I.W. Harper bourbon that was found on base at the time. Pressed in small quantities by Accent in 1969, the album became a grail among collectors of the psych-dappled loner folk that permeated the era. McMahon has drawn several comparisons to Fred Neil but the record is not as caustic as his sometimes biting world view. Instead it paints a sparse image of 69's war ravaged atmosphere, coming direct from someone who'd seen it first hand and who spent time dealing with it well afterward. McMahon's road weary croon is laid sparse atop folk lines and spare drums that keep his tales of lost faith, disillusionment and quiet suffering at the forefront where they belong. This is the first approved reissue of the album,transferred by Nemo Bidstrup of Time-Lag and comes as the first LP release by Circadian Press, the venture run by Keegan Cook, who was instrumental in bringing to light the wonderfully singular Carl Simmons reissue for Sacred Bones a while back. Just as intriguing, the McMahon reissue is a prime example of collectors’ treasures that deserve a second light. Download: [MP3] F.J. McMahon - The Road Back Home Support the artist, buy it HERE