H.P. Lovecraft II, as the title suggests, is the second album by the American psychedelic rock band H.P. Lovecraft, released in September 1968 by Philips Records. As with their first LP, the band combines psychedelic and pop-rock influences, although they place a greater emphasis on psychedelia than on their first album. H.P. Lovecraft II failed to sell enough to enter the Billboard Top LPs chart or the UK Albums Chart, despite the band being popular on the American psychedelic concert circuit. Legend says that the album was the first major album release to be recorded by musicians all under the influence of LSD.

Recording sessions for the album began in June 1968 at I.D. Sound Studios in Los Angeles, with the band’s manager George Badonsky producing and Briton Chris Huston as sound engineer. H.P. Lovecraft toured at a brisk pace during the first half of 1968, leaving a lack of properly arranged new material for the album. As a result, much of H.P. Lovecraft II was improvised in the studio, with Huston playing a central role in enabling the unprepared band to complete the recordings.

Huston was also determinant in creating the psychedelic sound effects that graced much of the album’s content. The band’s lead singer and guitarist, George Edwards, recalled the importance of Huston’s contributions during an interview with journalist Nick Warburton: “Chris came up with a lot of very innovative techniques that hadn’t been used before this album. We had no material, the band was exhausted, and Chris helped us make a record that would never have been made without him.”

Among the tracks recorded for the album were the compositions of George Edwards, the group’s lead singer, guitarist, and bassist, “Electrollentando” and “Mobius Trip”, the latter of which has lyrics that music historian Richie Unterberger has described as “disoriented hippie euphoria”. In addition, the band performed “Spin, Spin, Spin” and “It’s About Time”, both sung by Terry Callier, an old friend of Edwards from his folk singing days. Both songs featured the oddly impressive vocal interplay of Edwards’ tight harmony singing and the band’s keyboardist Dave Michaels.

Jeff Boyan, the band’s youngest member, who had only been with the group since early 1968 as a replacement for bassist Jerry McGeorge, appeared on vocals on his own composition “Blue Jack Of Diamonds” as well as on a cover of the folk song “High Flying Bird”. The song “Nothing’s Boy”, which featured vocals from Ken Nordine, and the cover of Brewer & Shipley’s “Keeper Of The Keys” were released as singles in late 1968, after appearing on the album, but failed to chart. The improvised “At The Mountains Of Madness” was based on the 1931 novella At The Mountains Of Madness by horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft, after which the band members named their band. Written by George Edwards, Dave Michaels, and guitarist Tony Cavallari, the song was characterized by its chaotically acrobatic and interwoven vocals, as well as the abundant use of swirling, looping effects played in reverse from recorded tapes, which served to highlight the song’s ominous theme.

Although the album failed to become a hit at the time of its release, and had been out of print since the early 1970s, it managed to grow in popularity over the years. Richie Unterberger described it as “much more progressive than the group’s first album, although it seemed that the band had begun to lose touch with some of their most obvious strengths, which were the rigor of their compositions as well as their sharp songs.

From this historic album I select the amazing “Spin, Spin, Spin”.

Tracklist

A1. Spin, Spin, Spin 3:26
A2. It’s About Time 5:20
A3. Blue Jack Of Diamonds 2:55
A4. Electrallentando 6:27

B1. At The Mountains Of Madness 4:48
B2. Mobius Trip 2:46
B3. High Flying Bird 3:15
B4. Nothing’s Boy 0:40
B5. Keeper Of The Keys 3:06