Yellow Hand

This rather unusual collection of early ‘70s rural psychedelia is probably best known for the inclusion of six Stephen Stills and Neil Young compositions that were written and rehearsed for Buffalo Springfield, but never officially recorded. Throw in a cover of Delaney and Bonnie’s “God Knows I Love You” and you’ve got yourself a fairly unoriginal platter of west coast-styled country rock. Unoriginal doesn’t necessarily mean bad, however, and Yellow Hand’s self-titled debut, first released in 1970 on Capitol Records, is at the very least a competent attempt at reworking the Stills/Young songbook. The band’s brand of harmony-laced, guitar-driven pop is best represented on “We’ll See” (Stills) and “Down to the Wire” (Young), a demo of which eventually found a home on the Neil Young compilation Decade. Not surprisingly, the group’s original material pales in comparison. “Home” and “My World Needs You,” both written by vocalist Jerry Tawney, are rather dull and lifeless, although “Freedom Express” carries with it a fairly memorable hook. Perhaps Yellow Hand sought to better its commercial fortunes by capitalizing on its loose connections to the Buffalo Springfield name, but not even the growing reputations of Stills and Young could save this project. The album quickly vanished, a musical curiosity lost to the sands of time.