Linda Bruner, Pisces, A Lovely Sight

Linda Bruner sounds a lot like Janis Joplin at times, often intense, troubled, and totally bare. Her accent was deeply Southern, her hair was described as “a rat’s nest”. She grew up in Loves Park, the poor sector of Rockford, Illinois, in the late-‘60s and was discovered by her guitar instructor, Jim Krein. At seventeen, she joined Krein’s struggling yet determined psych band, Pisces, and recorded four songs with them. She is also said to have worked on a solo album around the same time which she abandoned and left unfinished. Pisces’s story and music will be released by the Numero Group on an upcoming CD, A Lovely Sight, fifteen unreleased songs that include Linda Bruner’s lone recordings. According to the liner notes: “When last heard from, Linda was embroiled in a check fraud scheme and was on the run.”

A Lovely Sight places Bruner’s dim story into the context of Pisces’ larger saga. Pisces was just another exuberant late-‘60s psych band, purposely woozy and highly derivative, but in a good way. And while the project is, I think, anchored by Bruner’s contributions, Pisces’ psychadelia isn’t corny or wildly fragmented, and sound like a mix between Jefferson Airplane and Donovan.

Below is “Sam”, the Pisces’ third single that never was. It begins like a late ‘80s rap cut before clumsy snares are joined by muddy bass. It all works well, made especially effective by Bruner’s uneasy vocals. Hear a clip of it below.

Hear “SAM” BY PISCES FEAT. LINDA BRUNER

Bruner’s other tracks from the album are also killer, particularly “You Are Changing In Your Time”. To hear those, and to purchase A Lovely Sight, please visit Numero’s storefront.