Genre: psych
Rating: ** (2 stars)
Title:  Hope
Company: A&M
Catalog: SP-4329
Year: 1972
Country/State: Lacrosse, Wisconsin
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG+
Comments: gatefold sleeve; small cut out hole top right corner; light radio station stamp on front cover
Available: 1
Catalog number: 4810
Price: $80.00

Okay, here's the deal on this one. I bought this at a yard sale, slapped it on the turntable and thought it was one of the dullest LPs I'd heard in a long time. It ended up in a pile of stuff that was destined for Goodwill. Fast forward a couple of years (you're right, the pile of vinyl is still waiting to be taken to charity), and I start seeing the album pop up on several high priced sales lists.  Were my initial impressions that far off?
Formed in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, and originally known as The Jesters III (see separate entry), following an ill-fated 1970 single for the small Peace label, in 1972 Hope (drummer Jeff Cozy, keyboardists James Croegaert and Boyd Sibley, guitarist Wayne McKibbin and bassist David Slug) found themselves signed to Herb Alpert's A&M Records. Produced by Jack Richardson (of Guess Who fame), the quintet's self-titled debut is hard to get a handle on. Four of the five members contributed material and all five provided vocals. Unfortunately, little of the material is remarkable. Clearly interested in making a grand statement, material such as 'Where Do You Want To Go', 'One Man' and 'Find Him' boasts a pseudo-Christian agenda (maybe I'm just reading that into it). Unfortunately, for the most part the band just couldn't deliver the goods. Exemplified by material such as Croegart's 'Deliverance', weak vocals, pedestrian lyrics and hackneyed arrangements combined to make the album professional, but plodding. Hard to imagine saying this, but give me a Moody Blues album any day ... The album was originally released with a gatefold sleeve. And one further tidbit for the truly anal collector - virtually every copy that hits the market seems to be a white label promotional issue. This is one of the rarer commercial brown labels. 

"Hope" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Where Do You Want To Go? (Wayne McKibbin) - 3:41
2.) One Man   (Boyd Sibley) - 4:44
3.) Find Him (Wayne McKibbin) - 4:10
4.) Deliverance (James Croegaert ) - 4:22
5.) From Thy Father's Hands (Boyd Sibley) - 5:05

(side 2)
1.) Walkin' Over Hills and Valleys (Wayne McKibbin) - 4:00
2.) One of These ( James Croegaert ) - 4:12
3.) Little Things (David Klug) - 3:05
4.) Cold Morning ( James Croegaert ) - 4:01
5.) Everyone Needs (Wayne McKibbin) - 4:04


By the way, having seen the album on some of those high priced sales lists, I went back and gave it another spin. It's still boring, though the cover art is kind of cool.