LADY GREENGRASS / LOVE OF MINE (THE ONES: PRE-TANGERINE DREAM)

One year before Tangerine Dream were first founded, four years before "Electronic Meditation," this single, the only release by The Ones, was Edgar Froese's first foray into recording. While bearing very little resemblance to anything that would come later, Lady Greengrass/Love of Mine is still well worth documenting.

Very much a product of its time, Lady Greengrass is a more-than-competent slice of 60s psychedelic pop, a little lightweight perhaps, but way above average for its time and its country of origin. Unlike many bands who simply jumped on the psychedelic bandwagon, The Ones sound as though they have something relevant to say. It's not difficult to imagine Syd Barrett- era Pink Floyd doing this - it evokes its time in much the same way that the Floyd's debut disc "Arnold Layne" does, especially when the two records are played one after the other. They're not hugely dissimilar, and remember also that Lady Greengrass came first by several months.

The B-side, Love of Mine, which Edgar Froese co-wrote, is a harder-sounding soul-influenced number bearing more than a passing resemblance to "Mony Mony." Overall, this is a good single. It should be pointed out that it also benefits from quite a clean sound and generally good production, something which actually cannot be said for some of Tangerine Dream's early recordings.