DESCRIPTION:
Lyrics

101 HARRISON STREET (Who You Belong To)
I think you're lookin' round for somethin'
you can't find here
You're hidin' your head, and you're tryin'
to hide your fears
And now there's somethin' else on your mind
You're tryin' to find
Who You Belong To
Visions you're dreamin', they're only
in your mind
And your cryin', it's only
a waste of time
And now there's no place left to go
And you're tryin' to know
Who You Belong To
And you're free but you just can't see it,
You don't believe it, you're makin' your
mind up.
It can't be true, it can't happen to you,
and you're afraid to do what you should
have done a long time ago.
You do a lot of talkin' and your friends
like to sympathize
And you're searchin' for someone
when you open your eyes
But you're lookin' up at the sky
And you're passin' right by
Who You Belong To

Ford Theatre made a couple of psychedelic albums for ABC in the late '60s that were average period pieces, but respectable on that modest level. In their use of winding minor-key melodies, hard rock guitar-organ interplay, extended guitar soloing, and earnest, ambitious lyrics, they were similar to other Boston psychedelic bands of the time, but more authentic.
Ford Theatre was typical of the sound of Boston psychedelic rock circa 1968: dark, foreboding, somber songs, sometimes quite long, with sub-California acid rock guitar, and more weight on the organ than many bands of the period carried. Certainly the instrumental break on the 14-minute "Wake Up in the Morning" owes a lot to Doors songs like "Light My Fire." The gothic, classically influenced "Theme for the Masses" is reprised a couple of times after it opens the album, giving the record a thematic aura that really isn't borne out by the contents. It's easy to imagine audiences grooving out to the lengthy breaks on "101 Harrison Street (Who You Belong To)" on those nights when there weren't any major headliners passing through town, settling for a reasonable approximation of psychedelic rock heavyweights. "Back to Philadelphia" takes a funkier, more straight-ahead approach, though the lyrics maintain a sense of displacement and disillusionment that permeates much of the music and lyrics. "Postlude Looking Back" closes the album on a gentler, almost countrified note, though again with the sort of muted gloom characteristic of the rest of the material. On the whole, not a bad acquisition for the insatiable psychedelic collector looking for something typical of the era that hasn't been reissued on CD, though it's not that distinctive in approach or quality.

Trilogy For The Masses was released in July of 1968 (ABC ABCS 658) while From A Back Door Window/Theme For The Masses (ABC 11118) was released as a single.

Personnel:

HARRY PALMER songs, guitar
JAMES ALTIERI bass, vcl* (A)
JOHN MAZZARELLI keyboards, vcls
JOEY SCOTT lead vocals / bass (B)
ROBERT TAMAGNI drums, vcls
ARTHUR 'BUTCH' WEBSTER lead guitar

FORD THEATRE
TRILOGY FOR THE MASSES 1968
All Music & Lyrics by Harry Palmer

01. Theme For The Masses (2:52)
02. 101 Harrison Street (Who You Belong To) (9:22)
03. Excerpt (from the Theme) (1:09)
04. Back To Philadelphia* (4:11)
05. The Race (:26)
06. The Race (:04)
07. From A Back Door Window (The Search) (14:02)
08. Theme For The Masses (2:59)
09. Postlude: Looking Back (2:09)