The Free
Day Of Decision For Lost Soul Blue/What Makes You
Obviously this group had nothing to do with the UK Blues/Rock outfit Free. This group hailed from Michigan and I’m fairly certain this is their only record. “Day Of Decision For Lost Soul Blue” first came to the attention of record collectors by it’s inclusion on the garage compilations “Good Roots” & “Psychotic Moose & The Soul Searchers” (which was a sampler assembled right here in my home turf of Connecticut.)
The record originally was issued on the small Marquee label before being picked up by Atco for national distribution, which most likely indicates it was a regional hit somewhere in Michigan (but of course that’s just a guess on my part.) In truth “Day Of Decision For Lost Soul Blue” was probably a little too long and involved to have been a major hit but it does have commercial appeal. The song is filled to the brim with every psychedelic trick in the book, meaning heaping helpings of fuzztone and wah wah. But what really makes the track stand out is the group’s singing, which is both vibrant and melodic. This song actually sounds like a British group and would have not sounded out of place on one of the “Chocolate Soup For Diabetics” samplers.
The flipside “What Makes You” is also quite good, but it sounds like it was recorded years earlier, possibly 1966. It’s carries a strong folk-rock sound with a kinda Bobby Fuller guitar rhythm. I’m not sure if either of these tracks is currently available on any compilations, but the A‑side has made the rounds over the years. “Day Of Decision For Lost Soul Blue” is certainly deserving of the “lost psychedelic classic” tag. It clearly shows the other side of Detroit area rock, with their strong melodic sense, I could easily compare The Free to The Amboy Dukes & SRC.