The Peanut Butter Conspiracy – For Children Of All Ages

“For Children Of All Ages” is the third and final album by American psychedelic rock band The Peanut Butter Conspiracy and was released by Challenge Records in 1969. The album came after the group’s contract with Columbia Records expired, with bassist Alan Brackett to produce the album himself during the recordings.

The material on the album was originally intended as a side project started by Brackett, who also composed the majority of the tracks during their 1968 tours, bringing the songs to the Hollywood Recorders studio to record the demos. Producer Dave Burgess was impressed by the resulting recordings and encouraged them to work on more refined tracks, giving them 8-channel recording, thus increasing the entire record budget.

A more revamped line-up of the group included former members of Clear Light, organist Ralph Schuckett and drummer Michael Ney. Released in 1969, “For Children Of All Ages” failed to chart nationally and was the band’s first and only release where singer Barbara Robison was not credited as “Sandi Peanut Butter” but by her real name .

PBC toured in 1970, however, a combination of their changing musical tastes on the one hand and member indifference on the other meant that the group was unable to expand beyond Los Angeles and with their subsequent albums and thus break up the 1970.

Ralph Schuckett, who in addition to Clear Light has also played keyboards with Todd Rundgren, the Monkees, Hall & Oates and many others, adds a Vanilla Fudge sound to For Children of All Ages. Alan Brackett’s vocals are a direct nod to Boston band Ultimate Spinach, and that’s perhaps the album’s only downside. On the other hand, the vocal practice in the songs and the bleached lyrics put a barrier in the group, but in any case it has its moments. Barbara Robison’s voice on “Try Again” isn’t Grace Slick, but it adds a hippy vibe one would expect, with the track punctuated by weird sound effects that make the listener think it’s over prematurely. Robison’s contribution to “It’s Alright” brings the group closer to the New Colony Six and Spanky & Our Gang, two soft pop groups of the era, and an intuitive producer would have known this was the way to go. “The Loudness Of Your Silence”, the track I select, is a real hit that would make even Paul Simon cringe.
 
Tracklist

1. Now 3:13
2. The Loudness Of Your Silence 2:50
3. It’s Alright 3:32
4. What Did I Do Wrong? 2:17
5. Out In The Cold Again 2:36
6. Back In L.A. 3:13
7. Gonna Get You Home 5:01
8. Have A Little Faith 2:48
9. Try Again 2:51
10. Think 3:04