A song that moved and still moves me deeply... like a breath of fresh air... a feel-good song with a lot of tenderness... I would say a typical exponent of the Summer of Love ... a great
underrated song...which moves me to tears (mind you I am a straight male, but music can
play your emotions to the fullest... this is such a song).
Another one of my faves... grrrrrrrreat orchestration, unbelievably well produced and heavenly
vocals in perfect harmony. A song to bring me on my knees... hoping it won't stop... so sweet, yet goes very crescendo... a definite 'two thumbs up' for this one... This group never made an album. It's one of those typical 'studio groups' who produced a sound that could knock you KO (IF you like the positive sound of the late 60s). It takes a genius to arrange a song like that: 'And may my heart be cast into stone" (immediately followed by two short orchestral outbursts pa-taa pa-taa) "And may the world go deaf when I roar" (pa-taa pa-taa)... One word: d e l i g h t f u l
16 Nov 04 ·trebole: I was going to recommend this same song and looking for some info on the net I discovered by chance you have already recommended it. Just listening to it makes me feel like clapping my fingers and sing aloud to heaven with my eyes full of tears. Love the background vocals too! 16 Nov 04 ·trebole: Just wanted to add, the song I have is performed by a girl group called Toys. Is that right? 24 Dec 05 ·PaulLevinson: Thanks for the good words about our record, Ron.
Actually, we weren't a studio group. Here are some details on The Other Voices:
The Other Voices consisted of me, Stu Nitekman (who later wrote a book about Scrabble, the board game, under the name Jonathan Hatch - JH also does voice-overs and commercials under that name now), and Ira Margolis. We had previously been a folk-rock group called The New Outlook. We were singing in Central Park in NYC one Sunday afternoon. Ellie Greenwich
and Mike Rashkow walked by, liked what they heard, and said they'd like to produce us. They signed us, changed our name to The Other Voices, and landed us a contract with Atlantic Records.
May My Heart Be Cast Into Stone was one of three songs we went in and recorded in a NYC studio. The other two were "Hung Up On Love" and "No Olympian
Heights". Only "Hung On Love" was written by one of
us -- me (and Mikie Harris). "Hung Up On Love" was included on Rhino Handmade's Come to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets for the WEA Vaults in 2004 (Andrew Sandoval compiled it).
I now a professor, author of science fiction and books about the cellphone (I'm currently working on a book about the First Amendment), appear a lot on television, etc - details on my web page: www.sff.net/people/paullevinson
All best wishes and Happy New Year!
Paul
PS - The Toys also have a version of Cast Into Stone - same song, different recording.
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.)
Most of the soundtrack to this comedy-caper flick is pretty standard '60s soundtrack material. This track, however, is moody, top-notch crime jazz... The arrangement is chaotic but stirring with some really heavy bass-piano, wailing brass, and organ (used more as an atmospheric sound effect than to deliver any melody). Special thanks to Darrell Brogdon for playing this on his Retro Cocktail Hour.
from Treasure Of San Gennaro (Buddah BDS-5011) available on CD - Jazz In The Movies, Cinecitta (CAM (Italy))
I always thought Nico was kinda ridiculous. But when I saw the Royal Tennenbaums a few months ago and they dropped this tune, I was sold. This whole album is a great mixture of strings and Nico's barren, exact vocals. The soundtrack is great, no doubt, but get "Chelsea Girl" for the full impact.
available on CD - Chelsea Girl
19 Mar 06 ·b. toklas: No, she was not ridiculous at all. She was rather one of the darkest figures in pop history. I saw her twice in concert before she died in 1988. It was very intense and even disturbing.
Lou Reed didn�t like her, but John Cale obviously considered her a true artist and produced several of her albums. In places she has a dark beauty, in others the darkness turns into a frightening abyss. But it�s always innovative and of an high originality.
I don�t listen to her music very often, but I feel great respect for her.
