Biography
Among several lesser-known West Coast or near-West Coast groups from the 1960s that recorded for Mainstream, the Superfine Dandelion issued a single unremarkable album in 1967 whose sound fused San Francisco psychedelic textures with folk-rock, pop, and jug band touches. Mike McFadden, the singer, guitarist, and chief songwriter, assembled the band in Phoenix during the early months of that year. Beforehand he had performed in the local garage unit the Mile Ends, whose 1966 single “Bottle Up and Go” delivered a solid, punk-edged performance in the manner of the Rolling Stones. Bassist Ed Black, a late addition to the Mile Ends, also played in the Superfine Dandelion. The self-titled LP contained abundant sub-Jefferson Airplane folk-psych-rock passages built on minor chords, vocal harmonies, and wistful lyrics. Country-tinged passages in the vein of the Lovin’ Spoonful and Buffalo Springfield appeared from time to time, as did occasional good-timey jug band inflections, yet no truly standout compositions emerged. The record attracted scant notice, and the group dissolved in 1968. Bassist Rick Anderson, who had joined only weeks before the sessions ended, subsequently entered the Tubes, while Black toured and recorded with Linda Ronstadt throughout the first half of the 1970s and later worked in Karla Bonoff’s band. Sundazed reissued the Superfine Dandelion album on CD in 2000, appending non-album 45 tracks and outtakes that included four songs the Mile Ends had recorded prior to the Superfine Dandelion’s formation.