Wool : Wool

The group formed

 in the early ’60s,

 and were originally

 known as

 Ed Wool and The Nomads.  

Ed Wool, who was a 

master guitar prodigy 

and excellent songwriter,

 was influenced early on by

 the new British Invasion sound

 and later on by 

the cream-of-the-crop of soul/R&B. 

 Ed Wool and The Nomads

 were huge in the mid-60s’ 

thriving in the

 Northern/Upstate New York music scene,

 even sharing the stage with

 bands such as

 Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, 

The (Young) Rascals, 

and The Rolling Stones.

  In 1966,

 Ed and The Nomads scored a

 recording contract with RCA Victor 

and made one single,

 “I Need Somebody” 

b/w 

“Please, Please, Please,”

 which flopped. 

 Several line-up changes ensued

 as the ’60s progressed, 

but with Ed Wool still as

 the main focal point. 

The group was known as

 “The Sure Cure”

 for a brief amount of time, 

releasing the

 Feldman/Goldstein/Gottehrer penned

 “I Wanna Do It”

 for the Cameo-Parkway label, 

which also flopped.
 Next, as

 “The Pineapple Heard,” 

Ed’s group even had the chance

 to be the first group to record the

 Boyce & Hart tune

 “Valleri”

 in 1967, a year before 

The Monkees

 had a hit with it. 

 That single, released on the

 tiny Diamond label, 

again, flopped. 

 Starting circa 1968, 

Ed Wool finally settled with a

 new and final line-up, 

which included his

 younger sister 

Claudia on vocals, 

and began going
 by the simple, 

unique name

 “Wool.”  

The group traveled to

 New York City and began 

laying down tracks for their

 lone eponymous album

 for ABC Records.

This time around, 

the group managed

 to establish a

 songwriting

 connection with

 Neil Diamond, 

and had folk/pop songwriter

 and musician Margo Guryan

 at the helm for production help. 

 Surely, this should’ve been a

 recipe for success. 

Unfortunately, 

the album went virtually

 unnoticed nationally,

 and scored at the very bottom 

of the Billboard Top 200. 

 In Upstate/Northern NY, 

the album was a hit,

 with several of the
 tunes being played 

constantly on
 local radio stations. 

 Although it was
 largely unknown,

 one can assume
 that a lack of

 promotion from
 ABC Records

 was likely to
 blame for the album

 not being a hit.  

It’s a shame, because the 

music contained on the album

 is downright good, 

with even some

 moments of greatness.

The album is a super tight blend of

 psych-rock, pop, and funk.  

The album’s biggest highlight, 

a cover of 

Big Brother & The Holding Company’s

 “Combination Of The Two” 

absolutely blows the original

 out of the water in every aspect

. Both the music and vocals make

 Big Brother’s version sound

…dare I say…weak?!  

One should especially
 pay attention to 

the wild vocals of 

Claudia Wool 

and the jaw-dropping
 fuzzy bass solo, 

courtesy of Ed Barrella. 

 The second highlight
 of the album

 is an Ed Wool original,

 entitled

 “If They Left Us Alone Now.”  

A stark piece of
 psych-pop balladry,

 the tune belonged in the Top 40. 

 The Neil Diamond-penned

 “The Boy With The Green Eyes” 

also had hit written all over it.  

Their cover of 

“Any Way That You Want Me,” 

which was better known by 

The Troggs,

 The Liverpool Five, 

and later Evie Sands, 

may be the best 
recorded version. 

 The album closes with the 

nine-and-a-half 
minute cover of

 Buffalo, NY’s
 Dyke & The Blazers’ 

“Funky Walk”

 and perfectly showcases 

Ed Wool’s 
superb guitar chops.

After Wool released
 this album,

 they recorded a

 handful of singles

 for Columbia

 (yet another major label!), 

all of which fell 

upon deaf ears. 

 Ed Wool is now based in

 Albany, NY 

playing blues-rock

 with a new line-up.  

Wool reunited in 2007 

for a concert at the famous

 Bonnie Castle Resort in

 Alexandria Bay, NY 

playing some of

 their old ’60s songs. 

 As for this album,

 it was definitely Wool

 at their peak of creativity. 

Wool has become a

 cult classic of sorts,

 and can be a bit

 pricey on eBay. 

TRACK LIST 

Love, Love, Love, Love, Love

Combination of the Two

If They Left Us Alone Now

To Kingdom Come

I Don't Like You Anymore

Anyway That You Want Me

It Was Such a Lovely Night

 (Loving You Tonight)

The Boy with the Green Eyes

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