“Diamonds In The Rough” / “Universal Stars”
by Sunlight And Thee New Seeds b/w Universe Sun
1975? 7-inch single
Label: Emerald Light [8]
Sometime around 1974-5, Sky Saxon released a 45 rpm 7-inch record, pairing the songs “Diamonds In The Rough” with “Universal Stars”. The record was on a label called Emerald Light, catalog number 8. Nothing else is known about Emerald Light Records — how they were established, whether there were ever any other releases besides this one, et cetera.
The a-side, "Diamonds In The Rough", was credited to Sunlight and Thee New Seeds, while the b-side, "Universal Stars", was credited to Universe Sun. They are, however, quite possibly the same set of musicians.
The two songs are very similar — in fact, the differences are mostly in the arrangements and in Sky’s lyrics, which differ on either side of the record but are cut from the very same cloth. "Diamonds In The Rough" is slicker and more pared-down, while "Universal Stars" is denser, heavier, and more psychedelic, though it retains its a-side’s tempo.
This 45 would be re-released around 1976, with a few minor changes in editing and artist/title information, on the Expression label. The Expression release is fairly easy to find for sale, while the Emerald Light release is much harder to find, though it does pop up for sale occasionally.
