by Richie UnterbergerAlthough they started releasing records in 1965, this was the Ides of March's first album, issued in the wake of their huge hit, "Vehicle." As could be expected, much of the material on Vehicle the album was in the same sub-Blood, Sweat & Tears vein as "Vehicle" itself, though lacking in the monstrous hooks that made "Vehicle" a number two hit. The LP did, however, allow for some variation from the horn-soul-rock format, and even some of the horn rock reflected more of a Midwestern pop/rock base than BS&T ever did. There was, for instance, the orchestrated smooth harmony pop/rock of "One Woman Man" (their debut single), the MOR Righteous Brothers feel of "Home," and the quasi-progressive extended arrangements of "Wooden Ships" and "Eleanor Rigby." Less impressively, "Factory Band" is an obvious imitation of Creedence Clearwater Revival. All of the tracks from the LP have been reissued on the Rhino Handmade compilation Friendly Strangers: The Warner Bros. Recordings, which also has everything from their second and final Warners album (1971's Common Bond) and a few non-LP singles from the period.