The Illusion “The Illusion” 1969. Steed Records. Hard psychedelic rock from Long Island. The Illusion was the band’s debut LP and went to no. 69 in the US. They had one hit single from the album, “Did You See Her Eyes” which went to #32; while most of the record was written by the band members that track is from their producer (and owner of Steed Records) Jeff Barry, known for co-writing other 60’s hits like “Do Wah Diddy Diddy,” “Leader of the Pack,” and “River Deep-Mountain High.” That Illusion hit is one of the strongest tracks on the record but the LP is an overall good 60’s rocker: the band toured with other 60’s heavies like The Who and Jimi Hendrix as well as funksters like Sly and the Family Stone. Besides the swirly acid-psych there is also a fair amount of funk and soul on songs like “Talkin’ Sweet Talkin’ Soul” and parts of “Medley: “Run, Run, Run” / “Willy Gee (Miss Holy Lady).” There’s also some poppy 60’s sunny vibes: “Alone” and parts of “Medley: “Why, Tell Me Why” / “The Real Thing,” the former also has some exotic trippy elements that are quite good. However, I really don’t get the whole medley thing that seemed pretty popular around this time, maybe it had something to do with the radio market but I don’t think either of these medleys were released as singles. The Illusion lasted another couple of years, releasing two more records, before splitting up.