Three cover versions on one LP, and right in the middle: “California Dreamin” On Don’t Open by Recreation (1970), the West Coast classic shows up in a pretty wild, unconventional version.

The original comes from The Mamas & The Papas and was released in 1965. Written by John and Michelle Phillips, the song became one of the defining tracks of the “California Sound” and reached top 5 chart positions in the US.

Recreation take things much further. The Belgian band, an organ-driven prog trio, is known for its sound collages and deliberately unconventional arrangements. 

On the second side of the LP, they string together several well-known songs in a row: alongside “California Dreamin’,” also “Summer in the City” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There.”

Sunshine pop is transformed here into an extended, over-five-minute Belgian psych trip.