Wilkinson Tri-Cycle's only album is similar to post-psychedelic heavy rock recordings by East Coast groups like
Sir Lord Baltimore and
Yesterday's Children in that they combine bluesy heavy rock with psychedelic flourishes, but the effect is largely unremarkable. The album is nonetheless treasured by European collectors, who reportedly command a high price for the LP. Highlights include their cover of
Sleepy John Estes' "Leaving Trunk," popularized at the time by
Taj Mahal, and the
Beatlesque ballads "Poursha Poe" and the elegant "Yellow Wall." It was actually released on a little-known R&B subsidiary of CBS, Date Records. None of the band went on to any major success after the demise of the group. Perhaps the most interesting item of note is that this was one of many albums produced by writers/producers
Warren Schatz and Stephen Schlaks at Associated Recording Studios in New York City. The Brooklyn-born
Schatz had originally recorded hits of his own as Ritchie Dean for the Tower label, then went on to form several short-lived groups before focusing on producing. Together, he and Schlaks (who co-wrote
the Turtles' "Your Maw Said You Cried") partnered up to produce numerous post-psychedelic/heavy rock acts like
Yesterday's Children and
Banchee.
Schatz continued to work as a producer and had his biggest success in the mid-'70s disco era as a staff producer at RCA, where he produced hits for
Evelyn "Champagne" King and
Vicki Sue Robinson ("Turn the Beat Around" went to number ten on Billboard's pop charts in the summer 1976). He also worked with the studio cast on the 1979 production of Hair -- A Disco Spectacular, and since then has worked with artists in various other genres, including jazz and country. ~ Bryan Thomas