The Turtles – Eve Of Destruction (White Whale, 1965)

by Dave Sharp on Oct 14^th, 2010

The Turtles – Eve of Destruction (Single)
White Whale Records
1965

Side A
Eve of Destruction

Side B
Eve of Destruction

Reviewer: Dave Sharp

Did you see the musical episode of That 70s show? Here’s a refresher: Fez imagines the wonderfulness of waking up with Erik and Hyde as siblings and Midge and Red as his flaming-with-love parents. Singing and dancing ensues to the Turtles song “Happy Together.” You can watch it here.

“Eve of Destruction” is not that song and it does the furthest thing from conjure images of familial, joyous dancing. What this song is, however, is just as catchy and much more poignant and impressive.

The Turtles may own the majority of the name recognition wrapped up in this track, but the real dues are owed to the one and only P.F. Sloan.  Sloan, an old hand in the Los Angeles music scene through the late fifties and sixties penned this tune with the inspiration of Bob Dylan’s folksy, visual and anthemic tunes.  It became a leading protest song fueling the growing restlessness of the era and revitalizing Sloan’s career. The song became a number one hit for Barry McGuire in 1965, but was recorded by the Turtles and released on their debut album It Ain’t Me Babe (on the short-lived White Whale label in Los Angeles) in the same year, which featured a few actual Dylan songs like the title track and “Like a Roling Stone.”

Musically, the song fits the pop-folk sound The Turtles mastered on the full-length, but there’s a tinge of anger that comes through in emphatic vocal inflections on lines like

You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’?
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’

and

There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave
Take a look around you, boy, it’s bound to scare you, boy

Although the music itself carries merit, the lyrics define the song. They are riddled with passages that parallel today’s socio-political landscape. A couple of my favorites:

Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama

and

The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace

My recommendation: dig for some P.F. Sloan solo tracks from Dunhill Records and make an effort to hear all the different sounds of The Turtles throughout their careers.