The Chocolate Watch Band
No Way Out

The album was released in 1967 when the band's producers transformed their Garage roots into Psychedelic Pop, a common sound among all California bands (each group has its special characteristics). It is precisely the inclusion of singer Don Bennet that would make the quintet (Dave Aguilar, Sean Tolby, Mark Loomis, Bill Flores, and Gary Andrijasevich) psychedelic, trying to suppress the garage punk sounds that, however, would remain present throughout their short but intense recording career. The album never charted.

"Let's Talk About Girls" is the opening track of the album, not only the most catchy and impactful song, fully sixties-style characterized by a “Shout Shimmy” style singing, with soloist screams and a repetitive background chorus. "Midnight Hour" begins with a slow organ that paves the way for a phenomenal piece in Creation style. This piece reminds me in parts of "Get Off Of My Cloud" by the Stones, probably because of the three chords that conclude all the verses before starting over with the instrumental loop. The piece closes with the same organ that opened it. The album continues with "Come On", a frenetic beat accompanied by a spectacular harmonica, the track is very retro and sounds more '64 than '67. Already from this track, it's clear that the album features compositions that range from the past to an as-yet-unimagined future (in 1967). "Dark Side Of The Mushroom" is the best track on the album, a psychedelic and instrumental piece with an exceptional guitar loop and an essential but effective rhythm. Closing the side is "Hot Dusty Road" which starts with playful honks! It's another sixties track, nothing exceptional, just pleasant, especially for the Buffalo Springfield-style chorus. The close with a dry chord is striking.

The second side starts with another Garage song "Are You Gonna Be There (At The Love-In)", a great Kinks-like track of "I’m Not Like Everybody Else", featuring a great acidic guitar and crashing cymbals, with a compelling chorus. "Gone And Passes By" opens with a gloomy drum that accompanies a sitar and a pleasant organ, an Indian atmosphere that dissolves with the entrance of the harmonica and the usual singing. Indian interludes and Electric Prunes-like verses (difference: the harmonica) sum up the piece. It continues with the title track "No Way Out" which opens with a fine bass loop, maracas and the acidic guitar come in, the chorus is an acidic dissonant singing that makes the track phenomenal and obsessive. With the next and last two tracks, we embark on a journey into the future, starting with "Expo 2000" which has an exceptional use of synth for the time, a futuristic guitar like the soundtrack of "Reservoir Dogs", but then the incredible synth enters no longer as an accompaniment but proposes its own electro-prog arpeggio. With the final track "Gossamer Wings" we even have a New Wave style composition, very Pere Ubu, screeching guitars, and caveman-like almost off-key singing, I am truly speechless when describing this moving track, the violin (I believe it's a violin or perhaps a super-filtered guitar) weaves through the track's prog interludes that slightly lighten the new wave sounds. The piece closes with a very jazz drum loop and a fantastic singing.

The album is a pleasant listen and above all reveals a remarkable intuition for future musical trends, truly astonishing. Kudos to the Chocolate Watch Band and especially to Ed Cobb (the first producer) who guided them towards a great sound.