Not Re-made, But Re-imagined

Quilt’s Spirit of the Golden Juice is a full cover of F.J. McMahon’s album of the same name, released in 1969. F.J. McMahon was a folk singer, and Spirit of the Golden Juice was his first and only album. He wrote it detailing his time serving in the Vietnam War. While the album was not widely known at the time, it resurfaced to the scene in more recent years and has been critically celebrated.

On the other hand, Quilt is a psych-rock band, hailing from Boston. McMahon had actually reached out to Quilt years ago, and the band considers them to be friends and admirers of each other’s work. The members explained that they listened to the original album while on tour and enjoyed every second of it. They decided to cover the album in its entirety last year, and they were successfully able to make a statement and show who they are as a band while still paying homage to the original.

While the original features McMahon’s bluegrass and folk sound, Quilt brings the album to a different level. They introduce a slightly alternative take to the music, giving it a more modern feel. However, it still maintains the organic atmosphere of the original work, persisting through the writing. Rather than producing a carbon copy of the work, they introduce three interludes which are sprinkled throughout the album to break it up and showcase their own musical point of view in the work. Each is only slightly longer than a minute in length and is purely instrumental, but still highlights the aura of the album.

The most altered track compared to the original is “Enough It Is Done.” While McMahon’s version was less than three minutes and slightly upbeat, Quilt’s version is over eight minutes and features a haunting sound until eventually introducing synth at the end. Another notable track on the album is the title track, “Spirit of the Golden Juice.” Compared to the original, Quilt slows this song down and provides an almost skeletal arrangement while Anna Fox Rochinski lends her soft vocals. The music builds near the end and closes off the album with a triumphant ending.

Quilt puts their own spin on the album, while still respecting the work of the original artist. In this way, Spirit of the Golden Juice creates a bridge between psych/alternative rock and folk.