The Plastic Cloud ‎– The Plastic Cloud (1968)

Plastic Cloud were Mike Cadieux on guitar; Don Brewer on guitar, vocals; Brian Madill on bass; Randy Umphrey on drums - together they were the pride of Bay Ridge, Ontario and together they released this magnum opus Canadian holy grail psych garage fuzz album in 1968 on Allied 10.

Produced by Bill Bessy and Jack Boswell (who together also produced other legendary albums such as The Folklords, Christmas, Intersystems-Peachy, Reign Ghost featuring Lynda Squires, Reign Ghost-ST, The Sinners-Go Go Trudeau, Dave Wells and the Four Winds, Eddy Bastien-Sings Something New Something Old, Jenny Reeves, among other Allied / Pentagon / Paragon works).

The album came with an insert. Reportedy, there were 500 copies pressed.

The album was first re-issued on CD out of New Jersey, USA on Laser's Edge LE 1002 in 1990 and again in 1994 (without the green on the CD or on inserts). The first Laser’s Edge re-issue is a tough CD to find and will fetch $75.00. It was first re-issued on LP on Void Records in 1999, with a pressing of 400. That re-issue has climbed in value to $80.00. In 2005, it was re-issued on CD in Italy on Akarma AK 316. In 2007, Pacemaker re-issued it on LP (700 copies) and CD on PACE 046. The album was also bootlegged on Toad Stool 2104, together with 3 inserts and was limited to 100 copies.

The Plastic Cloud album was accompanied by the 45: “Shadows Of Your Mind b/w Dainty General Rides” on Allied 6357.

From the album press release by Allied:

“The concept of a plastic cloud may seem somewhat paradoxical to scholars, but to the younger generation it is a way of life. Plastic, a production in itself, is a confusing, all too real fragment of life. A cloud, as always, is the wall of imagination upon which many aspirants have hung their fondest wishes. Reality for the Phd world is a hang-up. Locked inside a scientific world where imagination has only a price tag, they miss the creativity of a world where a flame can be anything.

Because of this, four of Canada’s finest musicians have surrounded themselves with the cloak of a cloudy imagination to form the PLASTIC CLOUD.

Brian Madill, 21, has a history of music that goes back over 11 years. When he joined the Cloud he latched onto a bass and tore his hands to pieces. Now, he can tear your mind into multi-colored pulsating pieces of happiness. Quiet, but intense, Brian forms the nucleus of the group.

Randy Umphrey, 20, is a drummer. A very good one. He wouldn’t have it any other way. Randy lives in Bay Ridges, Ontario, but it could be anywhere else, in any other time period or age, and he still would have been a drummer. He lives to play, he loves to play. A very good drummer. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

There is little one can say about Mike Cadieux, except brilliant. Mike’s bag ranges from folk to acid (rock that is) and his ability to move from one to the other is striking. Mike’s imagination knows no limits and when he plays he is in a world of his own. Beware, however. If you don’t understand his, he’ll blow your cool and send you to the sky.

Don Brewer, 22, is a composer. Don is in his last year of university (but that’s not his problem) and writes all the material for the group. He’s not particularly wild about the world, but then who really can be. Don tries, through his music, to tell it like it is, or like it should be. His bag of musical tricks is only half full, but it’s a big bag and he tries to live the part of his hero, Santa Claus. Watch for him at Christmas. His nose may be a little red, but he may ho ho you to death.”

-Robert Williston

01. The Plastic Cloud - Epistle To Paradise 

02. The Plastic Cloud - Shadows Of Your Mind 

03. The Plastic Cloud - Art's A Happy Man 

04. The Plastic Cloud - You Don't Care 

05. The Plastic Cloud - Bridge Under The Sky 

06. The Plastic Cloud - Face Behind The Sun 

07. The Plastic Cloud - Dainty General Rides 

08. The Plastic Cloud - Civilization Machine