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. Steffek brought the group to Walt Andrus studio for their first ever recording session in February. This session resulted in a potential single: "Dairymaid's Lament" backed with an improvised "Free Piece". The single 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 late March 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 also featured a new recording titled "Free Piece".