Yesterday's Children were an American psychedelic rock band formed in Cheshire-Prospect,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, outside of

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

, in 1966. The group's earliest release was the psychedelic rock-influenced single "To Be or Not to Be". Though, at first, Yesterday's Children were a standard garage band, they transitioned into a psychedelic proto- heavy metal outfit that released one cult classic

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

before disbanding in 1970.

Trajectory

Formed in 1966, Yesterday's Children featured brothers Denis ( lead vocals) and Richard Croce ( rhythm guitar), along with Reggie Wright (

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

), Ralph Muscatelli ( drums), and Chuck Maher (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

). The band took an aggressive garage rock musical stance, while incorporating aspects of psychedelic nuance into their compositions. Later in the year, the group released their debut single, "To Be or Not to Be", on the London Records subsidiary label,

Parrot Records Parrot Records was an American record label, a division of London Records, which started in 1964. The label usually licensed (or leased) recordings made by Decca Records, England, for release in the United States and Canada, most notably by the ...

, and became a regional success. It is also one of the rarest and sought after releases by avid record collectors. Over the following three years, Yesterday's Children released two additional singles. In 1970, the band recorded their only

, ''Yesterday's Children'', which was released on Map City Records. It exemplified the group's development of a psychedelic proto-heavy metal sound, among the earliest of its kind. The album is marked by Croce's high-pitch screeching wails that prefigured those of former AC/DC vocalist

Bon Scott Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (9 July 1946 – 19 February 1980) was an Australian singer and songwriter. He was the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. Born in Forfar in Angus, Scotlan ...

, and the fuzz-toned double guitar instrumentals played by both Wright and Muscatelli. However, despite its innovative qualities, the album was perhaps released too early to be commercially accessible and failed to chart nationally. The group disbanded soon thereafter. Reinterest in Yesterday's Children resulted in some tracks appearing on the ''History of Garage Bands in Connecticut'' compilation album in 1995. In 2004, Akarma Records released a remastered version of ''Yesterday's Children'', which music critic Dean McFarlane described as a "stunning object to behold and an audiophile remaster of this underground classic". As a result of its distribution, the album has received more recognition for the early progressive music by Yesterday's Children. Another reflection of the album on the Sputnikmusic website boasts it is a "forgotten gem" and "

Vanilla Fudge Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band known predominantly for their slow extended heavy rock arrangements of contemporary hit songs, such as their hit cover of The Supremes' " You Keep Me Hangin' On". The band's original line–up—vocalist ...

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

and the

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

are often considered as three of the major influences on the future development of hard rock and metal. This obscure little band from Connecticut show, however, that these glory boys weren't the only ones trying to build upon their blues and psychedelic influences and attempt to deliver something distinctly harder edged".

Membership

*Dennis Croce (lead vocals) *Richard Croce (rhythm guitar) *Reggie Wright (lead guitar) *Chuck Maher (bass guitar) *Ralph Muscatelli (drums)

Discography

*"To Be or Not to Be" b/w "Baby I Want You" (Parrot 314, January 1967) *''Yesterday's Children'' (Map City, August 1970)

References

{{Reflist Cheshire, Connecticut American psychedelic rock music groups American hard rock musical groups American garage rock groups Rock music groups from Connecticut Musical groups established in 1966 Parrot Records artists