 Arable Sunrise | |
|---|---|
| Creators | Penchant for Lettuce |
| Genre | Folk Rock |
| Year | 1964 |
| Tracks | 9 |
| Length | 39:09 mins |
Arable Sunrise
Background
Arable Sunrise is the debut album of the Elk City band, Penchant for Lettuce. It was released in 1964 treating the world to their first taste of the band’s brand of ethereal folk rock. The album consisted mostly of songs that they had been performing together as a band for a few years before they got the opportunity to record them. The band wrote songs about what they knew, so their initial offering of tracks were all related to or about their life growing up on a farm and the everyday going ons of a small agricultural town. It became a small hit within their local area and the wider public of Idaho.
Recording took four weeks to get everything right before release. They had never been in a professional recording studio before so everything was completely new to them. It took them some time to feel comfortable with the setting and get into the groove of making their music. Once they did, the album was undeniably unique and a great debut for the new band.
Because the album based many of the songs on their farming background they wanted to include some sound effects that would fit the theme. On Pitchfork Poetry they wanted goat sound in the background of the track. This was easier said than done. The studio manager, who later became Harmony’s husband, had to spend most of the day with a van full of recording equipment hoping to catch the perfect noise from the band’s pet goats. It got worse when he needed to stay up all night to get the chirping of crickets for their track, Can You Hear the Crickets?
Album Art
The girl on the cover of Arable Sunrise was Huckleberry’s high school girlfriend, Carolyn Leigh. They were no longer going out at the time of the album creation, but were thankfully still on good terms. The band felt she would be a great face for the cover. Her ethereal beauty and piercing eyes made her the perfect fit to grace the vinyl sleeve. Carolyn had to get time off from her job and travelled to the Brookes farm for a photoshoot. Dekaf Records sent professional photographer, Kathleen Kromer, to capture the grace and elegance of Carolyn. It has been reported that Carolyn was annoyed that all she got for modelling was $4, a bottle of Dredge bourbon, and her choice of song on the jukebox at the local bar they frequented. Since then she has learned to love the cover and her place within the band’s history and folk rock legend.
The rest of the cover was designed by an in house designer at Dekaf Records. The band wanted an earthly art nouveau look to the album. The choice of typefaces and colours gave the illusion that the album was older than it was and evoke the feelings of a bygone era just as the trio wanted. You might also notice the small blue rabbit in the top left corner. this little chap, nicknamed Bluey by the band, was hidden in almost all promotional material put out by the band.
Track Listing
Ode to the Hayrick – 2:31
Pitchfork Poetry – 6:10
Dreaming with You – 5:02
Up With the Rabbits – 3:13
Arable Sunrise – 3:44
Summer Showers – 3:23
Can You Hear the Crickets? – 4:11
Belle of the Ball – 3:35
Arboritum – 7:20