Andy Shernoff of the Dictators once wrote a song called "Who Will Save Rock and Roll?," which featured the memorable verse "June first, '67/Something died and went to heaven/I wish Sgt. Pepper never taught the band to play." Maybe Shernoff was going a bit far to make a point, but the unfortunate truth is that once the Beatles released their magnum opus, it would be many years before an album that was simply a collection of great songs would seem to be enough in the eyes of the rock cognoscenti. Seemingly every act of any significance during the late '60s made a high-gloss concept album, and Chad & Jeremy were no exception; while they had a sure knack for smart and subtle folk-influenced pop with outstanding harmonies, the times demanded more of them, and in 1967 they released their response to the Sgt. Pepper's phenomenon, Of Cabbages and Kings.
Tenor-saxophonist Paul Quinichette, who had played with the Count Basie Orchestra in the early 1950's, was a virtual soundalike of Lester Young in the 1950's. On the first of two Prestige sets that pay tribute to Basie, Quinichette is teamed up with four fellow Basie alumni (trumpeter Shad Collins, guitarist Freddie Green, bassist Walter Page and drummer Jo Jones) plus pianist Nat Pierce who comes as close as anyone to sounding like Count.