Mungo Jerry (1971) Simple Things - LOST 70s GEMS

 The music is incredibly rootsy, fun and upbeat with a banjo and piano always present and the mix is always raw and upfront like the crowded room ballast of Give Me Love. You Don't Have to Be in the Army to Fight in the War is an organ drenched, trippy protest song with a strong lyric, while the simple rock n roll blues and harmonica drenched beat of Pigeon Stew is satisfying as is the joyful whistling in Take Me Back. 

Hey Rosalyn is a clean and clear tune with 60s Bubblegum electric piano, Bolan esque warbly vocal and silly poetry and some Thin Lizzy smooth guitar licks. Simple Things is a pleasant flower power pop song with beautiful flute melodies, Beatles chord progressions and corralling harmonies. Shorty George is yet another quirky old timey rockn roll meets jug band jaunt with the bizarre, but then again not so bizarre for this group, addition of a jewish harp. Outskirts of Town and is a successful mix of Fats Domino piano with Chuck Berry guitars.
On a Sunday with it's Banjo kick from In the Summertime and a transcendental whistling lead harmony is incredible. Keep Your Hands Off Her has a joyous country group vocals that sounds like a Bluegrass and folk rock Countrified T Rex. The We Shall Be Free is an accordion laced knees up like a lot of the songs balancing a Kinks styled dance hall revivalism with the early 70s retro-fetishism for the 50s in a Post Beatles/Glam Rock package; clean, clear, modern yet vintage and very quirky.