Lily & Maria - s/t (Columbia, 1968)

In the annals of long, strange trips, that of Lily Fishman ranks right up there. She grew up in the Bronx, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, and released a totally trippy folk-psych album with Maria Neumann under the name Lily & Maria. What's she doing today? Funny you should ask. Why naturally, she's converted to Christianity and is singing with a country gospel group that's connected to the Bill & Gloria Gaither musical ministries (for those of you fortunate enough not to know, the Gaithers are like the Walmart of contemporary gospel). Anyway, Lily & Maria's sole album, unlike many that get similarly labeled, is truly psychedelic folk. Hushed and dreamy, with spare, artful arrangements. You've got some top-notch sessions guys, including keyboardist Paul Griffin and guitarist Charlie Brown, who've played with Dylan and tons of others. It never feels like singer-plus-anonymous-prefab-backing though, the album is perfectly produced and sounds like everyone involved was on the same left-of-center, dreamy vibe. There are a couple of cheesy moments, but overall this is a totally involving, unique work. Thanks to my SSA cohort Mr. Butts (so named for his carcinogenic habits, not his posterior) for picking this one up.