It is surprising that there weren't more bands named after the drug that was such a ubiquitous presence in the musical culture of the late 1960s. If nothing else, you would think it would offer a band instant publicity. Such was not the case for Rhode Island's Cannabis, whose only album, Joint Effort, a solid collection that eschewed heavy rock for pop/rock, never made much of an impact outside New England. The band had its beginnings with a mid-'60s outfit called the Acetones, whose drummer Bob Randall asked Gary Wilkinson to join them on bass. The two immediately felt a special compatibility in their playing and began to jam together outside the band. This led them to the decision to put their own band together, and the two enlisted Lonny Gasperini to play keyboards in the band. Gasperini left soon thereafter, and Tony Rodriguez and Charles Robillard joined up on lead guitar and bass, respectively, with Wilkinson moving over to keyboards. Calling themselves Organized Confusion, the band recorded a few Randall/Wilkinson compositions that went nowhere as singles. After a couple of months, Robillard was drafted, and Gasperini rejoined the band with Wilkinson returning to bass. The band renamed themselves Cannabis, playing cover songs while Randall and Wilkinson continued writing their own original songs. Robillard re-entered the fold as manager and booked them for gigs all the way to Texas. While in Texas, Cannabis entered the studio to record "See You in the Morning" and "The Only Rock 'N' Stock," which were well-received, convincing the band to record a full album. Adding guitarist Brian Kelly and vocalist Keith Tweedy, Cannabis returned to New England and entered Eastern Sound Studios in Methuen, Massachusetts, where they recorded Joint Effort. The LP received airplay in Providence and Boston but the band's swift breakup kept the record from going any further. ~ Stanton Swihart