West

Among the numerous rock acts that Columbia Records and its Epic imprint signed during the 1960s, West found itself overlooked amid widespread under-promotion. The group specialized in gentle folk-rock that highlighted precise, polished vocal harmonies. Bob Johnston, already known for his work with Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, and Johnny Cash in the latter half of the decade, produced the band’s self-titled 1968 debut, which emerged as a lighter Byrds-style effort tinted with country and pop touches. By a considerable margin the best-known participant was Michael Stewart, previously the frontman of We Five and brother of singer-songwriter John Stewart, though determining the rest of the lineup proved difficult. The terse sleeve notes for that first album declared, “West is comprised of no less than four and no more than six members--Ron Cornelius, Michael Stewart, Joe Davis, Lloyd Perata, (Bob Claire and Jon Sagen).” Photographs on the cover added to the uncertainty by depicting five individuals. Public curiosity remained minimal in any case, because few listeners encountered either that record or its 1969 successor.