i love this psyche sounding classic. the backing track vocals compliment one another perfectly. i love the strings in this song. a little poppy but rocking.
from take a picture
28 Jun 01 ·delicado: I agree that this is quite brilliant. I've had the Spanky and our Gang version of this for a few years, and I have to admit I had assumed that they wrote it. But this version is even better! Amazingly rocking and beautiful. The rest of the album is superb as well, don't you agree? I can listen to it all day... 05 Dec 01 ·tempted: Oh yes, the arrangement and the atmosphere on each and every song by Margo Guryan is so beautiful. The intimate chamber strings, flutes and Margo's voice.. a lot like Claudine Longet's.
The version by Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell is a fine one, too.
Mind-blowing late-60s girl-group sound with very odd lyrics...words really can't describe it. Suffice to say, it's a strange song. This group started out as a very typical girl group of the early 60s mold, but kept plugging away long after those groups had gone out of style. This cut from '68 is very psych-y and "groovy", as was the fashion at the time. They eventually transformed into Barry Manilow's backup singers, but please don't hold that against them.
from Best From Bell (Bell UK BLLP-111) available on CD - Magical Musical History Tour (Mo-Banana)
22 Apr 04 ·jeanette: I agree - absolutely fantastic. Even its use in the Muller yoghurt commercial couldn't harm its basic genius.
The fact that it's sampled by Betty Boo in Doin' The Do is another plus point! 05 Apr 05 ·shakeahand: I first heard this song on the Muller ad! - which led me to hunt out the original. Great pop!
This is an absolutely incredible song. It's a melancholy, minor-key brooder much in the vein of the Zombies' more experimental work, and it really showcases how underrated the Troggs were compared to many of their British Invasion contemporaries. This appeared as a b-side to their second biggest US hit, "Love is All Around".
from Love is All Around (Fontana) available on CD - Archaeology 1967-1977 (Polydor)
This album has been called "Britain's answer to 'Pet Sounds'", and while I wouldn't necessarily agree with that, it is certainly a masterpiece of psychedelic pop, and even more impressive when you factor in that Nicholls was barely 19 when he wrote & recorded it. Nicholls was indeed influenced by Brian Wilson in his melodic construction and orchestration, however...the album's sound is very reminiscent of the pseudo-Spector work that Andrew Loog Oldham was using with Del Shannon at this period (Oldham, not so coincidentally, also produced this LP). This song in particular, with it's intricate multi-tracked harmonies really hints at the kind of promise Nicholls' career had, and had this album not been shelved at the last minute, it's anybody's guess what may have followed.
It's hard not to smile when you hear this lovely, rousing late 60s number. Roger Nichols is the composer (along with Paul Williams) of many late 60s and 70s hits for, amongst others, The Carpenters. He wrote this song with 'Pet Sounds' lyricist Tony Asher, and they created a beautiful combination of sunny soft pop sounds (handclaps, brass, group harmonies) and pleasing, happy words. Musically, it is superior and extra-catchy, with nice Bacharach-esque touches and great instrumentation. The lead vocal also deserves a mention for sounding almost supernaturally brilliant (far better than it sounds in the sound sample). The singer is Melinda Macleod; her voice is lovely anyway, but here it sounds as if 3 perfect takes have been somehow overlaid on top of each other to produce an incredibly rich, soothing effect. It's over quickly - in just over two minutes. At which point I normally listen to it again a few times.
from Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends (A&M) available on CD - Complete (Polydor Japan)
13 May 02 ·PappaWheelie: I couldn't agree more. This is the epitome of what Pizzicato Five were trying to recreate in the early 90's. 29 Jan 03 ·klatu: I didn't realize someone had picked this one already! I spelled it "&" instead of "and". Excellent choice!