Interesting early composition/production work from Axelrod. Vaguely calypso-inspired orchestral pop with a very prominent piccolo and what sounds like a French horn solo...I think that I hear a glockenspiel in there, as well. All layered over trademark Axelrod drums and a cool walking bassline.
18 May 02 ·Sem Sinatra: I'd be interested to know exactly what David McCallum did on this track ... maybe the glockenspiel 24 May 02 ·tinks: well, according to the liner notes, he supposedly is the conductor of the thing. i've seen his conducting in action in the film "the big tnt show" and all that i can say is that it looks sorta dubious. 30 Oct 03 ·utada: David McCallum's father played french horn for the london symphony-he played french horn on the Beatles "for no one"-I think this is he and not the son
It's hard to pick a particular Gary McFarland song to recommend: although I love almost all of them, there aren't that many that particularly stand out. Most have some of the same trademarks: whistling or wordless vocals, brass, guitar, and a gentle bossa nova beat. They're slightly wistful, and make me feel like it's summer whenever I hear them. McFarland also worked with some outstanding musicians, including Gabor Szabo and Kenny Burrell on guitar, Grady Tate on drums, and Willie Bobo on percussion.
Long live the king is actually slightly different - it's a simple, upbeat number with a rock beat, bacharach-style trumpet, and picked guitar; a boogaloo-style saxophone also makes an occasional appearance, as does a hammond organ. The German 'Latin Lounge' CD showcases his work on the Verve label, and it's all excellent.
from Scorpio and other signs (Verve V-8738) available on CD - Latin Lounge (Motor)
01 Jul 02 ·tinks: i'm glad to hear that mcfarland has finally been put on cd in some sort. i absolutely love him, just because he's so ridiculous. if you like this, you should check out the album he produced for cal tjader entitled "tjader sounds out burt bacharach". 19 Mar 06 ·b. toklas: There actually is at least one album that�s standing out a bit. It�s called "Butterscotch Rum" (1971) and has a guy called Peter Smith accompanying Gary McFarland. He sings and wrote the lyrics and even illustrated the cover! I suppose he�s an Englishman, because his voice has a kind of Robert Wyatt-ish timbre. It�s a very good album with a slightly melancholic mood, and with that special laid-back and somewhat loose instrumentation that is characteristic for a lot of McFarlands later work. Very cool and heartwarming at the same time. Would like to have met him and have little chat sitting in rocking chairs.
(Oh I forgot: some of the songs on "Butterscotch Rum" are Seventies Rock�n�Roll. They are not too bad, but usually I skip them.)
The Temptations may be first in your mind when you think of psychedelic soul, but this group, featuring former Turnkeys leader Maurice Dollison and the woman we can blame for "Lovin' You", Minnie Riperton, defined it with this single scorching, fuzzy, crunchy, swirling, doped-up masterpiece. Long-time Chess arranger Charles Stepney milks the string section for all it's worth.
from Aladdin (Cadet Concept) available on CD - Aladdin/Dinner Music (Raven)
05 Sep 02 ·Liv: A strange hybrid of styles.. Psychedelic soul? 05 Sep 02 ·tinks: yeah, and it wasn't even the strangest...there was an off-shoot that i'll hereby dub "native soul", which was a blend of psychedelic soul, with it's fuzz guitars and such, and native american drums. the sound is best exemplified by the instrumental group the electric indian, who were from philadelphia (and featured len barry of "1-2-3" fame") and had a moderate-sized hit with "keem-o-sabe". they recorded a couple of lps in the idiom, while all other examples i've heard have been one-off attempts. there's also good stuff out there by a group called the little big horns and a song called "warpath" by the isley brothers which is an all-out masterpiece. 07 Dec 05 ·Swinging London: Thought I didn't like The Rotary connection. Hearing that, I've changed my mind.
It's outa-sight!
one of my fave songs at the moment. what's better than a funky sitar mover? a funky sitar/moog mover! i think you can find it on ebay or on some indian comps.
27 May 03 ·n-jeff: A true go-go swinger! It works in ways that it quite clearly shouldn't. The LP should be quite available, it was re-issued cheaply fairly recently. 24 Jun 03 ·tinks: oh hell yes. i love me some ananda...but i also have a special affinity for such lesser more exploitative sitarists such as big jim sullivan or lord sitar. i recently dug a sweet thelma houston version of the song at the swap meet, for what it's worth.
This is the sound of ecstasy, the most joyful song to ever hit the charts! Quite unlike the mope-rock of recent decades (although I like the Smiths too). It just rings out, I think because it has a very heavy emphasis on the "dominant" musical tone.
The Association, of course, had several huge hits in the 1966-68 period, like "Cherish", "Windy", and "Never My Love", and the also-wonderful "Along Comes Mary" (their debut), but in my opinion "Everything That Touches You" is definitely their best.
22 May 03 ·konsu: Yes indeed! Birthday is such a great album. I think this one was a minor hit for them, but the rest of this record is just as worthy of exhaltations. Check out the tune "Like Always" as well. Pure genius!! 24 Jun 03 ·tinks: i heart birthday. but then again, i heart the association. even stop your motor. 22 Dec 04 ·ronin: Their interweaving vocal harmonies still blow me away, especially on songs such as this one, my personal fave. "Insight Out" was 1st album we ever purchased independent of parents. "Requiem for the Masses" is another powerful harmonic tour de force. Who sings (not yells) like this anymore? Every member of the group (even Brian!) sang. 14 Apr 05 ·Goes Up To 11: My then-girlfriend (now wife) and I had breakfast with the Association at about 2 am in the Atlanta Hyatt-Regency's coffee shop after a concert at Georgia Tech in 1969 or 1970. Nice guys! Although the Association took a lot of critical heat in the years since, I remember them as extremely professional musicians, able to precisely recreate their complex studio vocal harmonies live in concert. Part of the reason may have been that they were the first band I remember employing a mixing board out in the audience during a concert, something that became standard practice in the industry within a few years afterwards.
