Index - Index 'Red Label Album' (MONSTER PSYCHEDELIC 60s GARAGE US 1968)

"INDEX - INDEX" -RED LABEL ALBUM- (MONSTER PSYCHEDELIC 60s GARAGE US 1968)

INDEX were formed in early 1966 in Grosse Point, Michigan.

Their 1967 debut - "INDEX - INDEX" -BLACK LABEL ALBUM- (MONSTER PSYCHEDELIC 60s GARAGE US 1967) - was heard by very, very few people, and their follow-up was possibly heard by even fewer.
In mid 1968 "John B. Ford" made the sound a more acoustic, mellow style. He began to listen "The Buffalo Springfield", "The Byrds", and "Bee Gees".
"Gary Francis" switched to rhythm guitar and they found new bass player, "Tom Ballew" who was only 16 years old. He played Soul music like "James Brown", "Wilson Pickett" in his former band "Joe's Soul Repair".
By the summer of 1968, "John B. Ford" met young girl called Jan and fell in love with her. She hated the feedback sound and encouraged "John B. Ford" to play mellow and tone down his music.
INDEX' sound changed.
"John B. Ford" wrote "Rainy Starless Nights" and "I Love You".
In the summer of 1968 INDEX made the so-called "Red Album" which included John's love songs along with wild "Breakout", cover of "Bee Gees"' "New York Mining Disaster", "The Byrds"' "Eight Miles High".


The "Red Album" was finished in the end of August, but was not pressed for a month because they didn't have recent photo.
To release "Red Album", "Jim Valice" sketched silhouettes of the band members for the sleeve using the photo for the back cover of "Black Album".
There was a slight upgrade in production values; it was recorded at Lakeshore Drive in Stereo, whereas the first had been done in Mono ("the super-atmospheric basement sound of the debut is gone due to normal recording facilities now being used" [PL]), but with no attempt to increase distribution; again, 100 copies were pressed, at most. Some copies came without sleeve, others have been found inside the sleeve for the first LP.
Similar to the debut, but more song-oriented and not as swathed in reverb, it was also odd in that it reprised some of the songs from the debut in very similar versions, and had a couple of covers.
By Fall of 1968 "John B. Ford" was busy on the East Coast. "Gary Francis" went to college in upstate Michigan and lost interest with the band.
It was the beginning of the end .
A local radio station WABX played the cuts from Black and the Red albums.
But it was too late.
"Gary Francis" left the band in January 1969. "Tom Ballew" quit too.
It was the end of INDEX history.