Anonymous and J. Rider - Shadow Lay

Anonymous & J.Rider

FANTASTIC guitar-driven 60's-inspired Folk-Rock and West-Coast heavily influenced by the Psychedelic sounds of "The Byrds", "The Beatles", "Crosby Stills & Nash", "The Mamas and Papas", "Buffalo Springfield".
Marvellous blend of male/female vocals, strong songwriting and some extraordinary guitar passages.

Formed from the ashes of the late 60's Garage-Psychedelic band "Sir Winston and The Commons", Anonymous were a four-piece studio band from Indianapolis.

The songs on 1976's "Inside The Shadow", built around "Marsha Rollings"' lovely voice and "Ron Matelic"'s heavily Byrds-influenced guitar (the ultra-jangly "Pick Up And Run" could be an outtake from Byrds'"Fifth Dimensions"), are an impressive lot, with a stronger sense of melody and structure than the aimless jamming that typifies so many Psychedelic albums.

"Ron Matelic"'s songs are determinedly on the Poppy end of Psychedelia, with catchy choruses, soaring harmonies, and plenty of instrumental riffs to keep the listener's attention.
Even the nine-minute "Baby Come Risin'", with its extended jam middle section, sounds more composed than one would expect.

There are few albums where a 1960's "The Beatles"-influenced songwriting sensibility moves seamlessly into the 1970's without sounding overly derivative.
"The Zerfas" and "Michael Angelo" are the only others that are in the same league as "Anonymous' Inside The Shadow" album, which, in terms of songwriting and execution is as good as anything released in the 70's by anyone. 
"Inside The Shadow" is the lighter, and better, of the two; a nice blend of vocal harmonies, guitar hooks, heavy Psychedelic and acoustic, Byrds style guitar work.
"J. Rider"'s "No Longer Anonymous" (same Anonymous' lineup without "Marsha Rollings") continues the tradition, without mellower moments for a harder edged sound. 

in: http://psychedelic-rocknroll.blogspot.com/2009/02/anonymous-j-rider-inside-shadow-no.html