Gabor Szabo & The California Dreamers - Wind, Sky and Diamonds (1967)

Wind, Sky and Diamonds celebrates much of what was important to the guitarist – the new world of rock music, the lure of California and the hope and inspiration of the "Summer of Love." But, at best, it's an ill-conceived jazz-rock concoction. Talent like Howard Roberts, Dennis Budimer, Herb Ellis, Mike Melvoin, Victor Feldman and Emil Richards is negligible here and subjugated to terrible vocalists, corny arrangements and occasional hints of Szabo's unique playing. Contains a stirring, heartfelt version of "Guantanamera" but little more.

by Douglas Payne

Tracklist:

01. San Franciscan Nights (Burdon-Briggs-Weider-Jenkins-McCulloch) - 3:22
02. A Day in the Life (Lennon-McCartney) - 3:23
03. Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon) (Phillips) - 3:03
04. To Sir with Love (Black-London) - 2:31
05. White Rabbit (Slick) - 2:34
06. Guantanamera (Marti-Angulo-Seeger) - 3:10
07. Saigon Bride (Baez-Duscheck) - 3:11
08. The End of Life (Bahler-Bahler-Szabo-Copeland) - 2:59
09. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (Lennon-McCartney) - 3:16
10. Are You There? (Szabo-Allen) - 3:35
11. W.C. Fields (Bahler-Bahler-Copeland) - 3:42

Gabor Szabo - guitar, recitation
Mike Melvoin - piano, harpsichord
Bill Plummer - sitar
Dennis Budimir, Herb Ellis, Louis Morell, Howard Roberts - guitar
Carol Kaye, Ray Pohlman - electric bass
Jimmy Gordon, John Guerin - drums
Victor Feldman, Emil Richards - percussion
The California Dreamers: Ron Hicklin, Al Capps, Loren Farber, John Bahler, Tom Bahler, Ian Freebairn-Smith, Sally Stevens, Sue Allen, Jackie Ward - vocals

Recorded at Western Recorders in Los Angeles, CA on September 12, 1967 (#3,5-7), September 13, 1967 (#4,9,10) and September 14, 1967 (#1,2,8,11)