Year One -

Year One was an American post-psych band from Miami. In 1971, they recorded a double-album that appeared in 1976 on Year One Productions.

Members: Greg Kimple (keyboards), Charlie Duchant (saxophone, flute), John Simmons (keyboards), K.F.C. (vocals), Ann Holloway (bass), Bob Marcus (bass), Steve Mele (guitar), Jim Hilley (guitar)

Background

Year One stemmed from Fantasy, a Miami soul-rock/psych band that released a self-titled album in 1970 on Liberty. Fronted by the Joplin-like vocals of Lydia Miller, Fantasy scored a paradoxical hit with “Stoned Cowboy,” an instrumental written by her male bandmates, including drummer Greg Kimple.

When Lydia departed with solo ambitions, Kimple assembled Year One, a rock-opera octet with Bethlehem Asylum reedist Charlie Dechant.

Year One (double album)

In 1971, Year One recorded a 64-minute double-album that remained vaulted until 1976 when the band self-released it on Year One Productions.

Year One appeared in a gatefold with full text and a list of players, including Kimple, Duchant, keyboardist John Simmons, and a singer named K.F.C., plus two members each on bass (Ann Holloway, Bob Marcus) and guitar (Steve Mele, Jim Hilley).

Musically, Year One blends folk, jazz-rock fusion, hard rock, country-tinged ballads, and prog-tinged psychedelia, tied together by loose conceptual themes touching on love, spirituality, and personal reflection. Its diverse instrumentation—electric and acoustic guitars, saxophone, flute, piano, flute, and occasional pedal steel—combined with shifting time signatures, characterizes a willingness to experiment and defy genre conventions.

Kimple wrote everything apart from five tracks (“E=MC²,” “True My Lord,” and the bulk of Side C) written by K.F.C. Greg’s ex-Fantasy bandmate, James DeMeo, co-wrote “Jubilation.”

Side A

A1. “E=MC²” (4:18) – Opens with discordant saxophone before transitioning into a folk-rock groove with acoustic and steel guitar; a prog-rock pastiche with cosmic lyrical nods.

A2. “Now You Are In The Puzzle” (3:50) – Starts as a fragile acoustic ballad before transforming into a funk‑prog hybrid, anchored by groove and saxophone.

A3. “Morning Lights” (3:28) – Gentle, acoustic‑driven folk-rock with warm harmonies—perhaps the album’s most accessible tune.

A4. “Jubilation” (5:10) – Sparse percussion introduces this folk‑jazz fusion featuring flute, wavering vocals, and a soaring guitar solo.

Side B

B1. “Your Love, My Love” (3:34) – Acoustic ballad with falsetto vocals and woodwinds—a softer, introspective counterpoint.

B2. “Juggle” (4:31) – Quirky prog‑fusion featuring swirling keys, shifting rhythms, and whimsical narrative lyrics.

B3. “Transitory River” (3:40) – Melodic electric piano and guitar reflections; one of the album’s most richly arranged tracks.

B4. “Flood” (2:27) – A compact jazz‑rock instrumental spotlighting sax and guitar interplay.

Side C

C1. “Universal Love Song” (4:12) – Sentimental acoustic ballad with Mediterranean guitar touches—a heartfelt, if earnest, expression.

C2. “Year One” (5:15) – Title piece with narrative vocal, jazz‑fusion breaks, falsetto, and sax; prog rock ambition with an esoteric twist.

C3. “We Look Out At You” (3:49) – Rock‑oriented with tight guitar riffs and organy textures—a highlight of accessibility and drive.

C4. “As Much As I Know You” (4:40) – Country‑folk ballad featuring pedal steel; heartfelt and warmly melodic.

Side D

D1. “Rock ’N’ Roll Nights” (3:09) – Upbeat boogie‑rock rocker reflecting classic genre dynamics; released as a single in ’74.

D2. “Above You” (2:56) – Jazzy acoustic tune with light-hearted scatting, reminiscent of early AM radio fare.

D3. “True My Lord” (3:42) – Country-rock shuffling devotional; one of the album’s strongest and most affecting tracks.

D4. “Champion” (5:29) – The album’s summative piece melding country-rock, jazz, prog passages, and narrative elements.

Aftermath

Apart from the 1974 “Rock ‘n’ Roll Nights” single (b/w “We Look Out at You”), five years transpired between the completion and release of Year One. By then, the band was non-extant.

In 1977, Steve Mele and Charlie Dechant played on Hip Shot, the debut solo album by bassist/singer Stephen Dees, a recent Hall & Oates sideman. Dechant joined the famed duo’s Eighties-era backing band and appeared in many videos with his signature shaded look.

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