Dairymaid's Lament (single)

Dairymaid's Lament is an unreleased 1967 single by The Red Crayola.

Background

Record producer Bob Steffek approached The Red Crayola for a single when he saw them perform “Mother” at a club in early 1967.

In February 1967, Steffek brought the group to Walt Andrus studio for their first ever recording session. The session resulted in a potential single: "Dairymaid's Lament" backed with an improvised "Free Piece". It was likely intended for Steffek's short-lived label Steffek Records which released singles by a handful of other Houston groups in 1967. However, when producer Lelan Rogers discovered the group in March 1967 at the KNUZ Battle of the Bands, Steffek allowed the group to sign to International Artists to make an album instead (The Parable of Arable Land) and the single was never released.^[1] It is unknown if the recordings are lost. They did not appear on the band's Singles compilation in 2004.

In 1968, another recording of the song "Dairymaid's Lament" appeared on The Red Crayola's second album, God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It. The album contains a track titled "Free Piece" as well but it is also not the same recording as the 1967 single.