Chances are, you’ve heard P. F. Sloan hundreds of times in your life, without ever knowing who he was. As a songwriter, Sloan—born Philip Gary Schlein—was responsible for a slew of ’60s classics still in heavy rotation on oldies radio: “Secret Agent Man,” “Kick That Little Foot, Sally Ann,” and Barry McGuire‘s 1965 protest anthem “Eve of Destruction.” He also worked extensively as a session man. Remember that memorable guitar riff that opens the Mamas and the Papas‘ “California Dreamin'”? Yup, that’s him, too.
But as a recording artist, Sloan fared less favorably. He released three solo albums in the latter half of the ’60s—Songs of Our Times (1965), Twelve More Times (1966), and Measure of Pleasure (1968)—none of which sold beans. Because he composed for or played with pop acts like Herman’s Hermits, the Turtles, and the Grass Roots, critics failed to take his solo work seriously. In 1970, his colleague Jimmy Webb (“Up, Up & Away,” “Wichita Lineman”), even went so far as to compose and record his own original, “P. F. Sloan,” an elegy for the aspiring singer-songwriter’s waning acclaim. “He was one of the first writers I ever knew who tried to make his own records,” Webb later said of his homage.
Sloan declined into depression and vanished from view for several decades. In the ’80s, he began playing sporadic club dates, and 1997 saw the Japanese release of a new album, (Still on the) Eve of Destruction. Now, finally, this underappreciated auteur is beginning to receive his due, thanks to his first domestic album in over 30 years, Sailover, featuring a mix of songs old and new, guest performances from A-list fans like Frank Black and Lucinda Williams, and warm production by Southern soul stalwart Jon Tiven.
The disc opens with “Sins of a Family,” a bluesy duet with Williams. Upon its original release, back in 1965, this song barely dented the pop charts. Audiences apparently took umbrage at its dark tale of a young woman driven into prostitution; “Bad Girls” it wasn’t. But the updated version finds Sloan in fine form, singing with a voice that suggests an earthier, less nasal Bob Dylan (a similarity his fine harmonica performances further enhance).
Later on, Sloan again resurrects “Eve of Destruction.” Joined by Black and alt-country icon Buddy Miller, Sloan stops just short of sounding strident as he revisits the song’s powerful images of bodies floating in the Jordan River, and soldiers too young too vote. Miraculously, the new version doesn’t carry that stench of desperation that normally accompanies such retreads; it rallies the spirit as effectively as prime Springsteen, its melody and message familiar yet strangely revitalized.
On other cuts, blue-eyed soul vet Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals, and members of Cheap Trick and the E Street Band are on hand, too. None of whom will join Sloan when he plays the Tractor on Wednesday, September 20, but it’s just as well. This time around, P. F. Sloan deserves the public’s undivided attention.
