Simon & Garfunkel: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme MONO CL 2563

I played this album on the podcast a few weeks ago, but it really deserves to be shared. There isn't much more that can be said about S&G's majestic 3rd LP. The album finds them at their most psychedelic, with songs like the Indian flavored "Patterns" and the marijuana anthem "Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine", but also at their most serene with sparkling folk ballads "For Emily" and "The Dangling Conversation". However, Simon's sharp pop sensibilities remain though with tunes like "Cloudy", "Homeward Bound" and "59th Street Bridge Song".

The version I am presenting here is an original mono LP that is very hard to find despite it being released in 1966 when mono LPs were still being pressed in numbers comparable to their stereo counterparts. The mono mix of this record I believe is superior to the stereo format, mostly because the instrumentation, mainly the rhythm section, spring to life in ways the stereo mix can't replicate. Particularly on "Cloudy", the brushed drums and the high organ tones seem much more in the pocket alongside S&G's vocal harmonies. The complexity of the instrumentation in "59th Street Bridge Song" becomes much more apparent in the mono version as well.

Ripped to HQ .mp3 @ 320vbr using EAC's .WAV editor and dbpoweramp w/ LAME 3.97. Flat transfers, no pop removal, surface noise reduction or EQ changes.

Get the album HERE

Russ Giguere: Hexagram 16 (1971) Original Warner Bros. Vinyl Transfer

Russ Giguere, one of the key cogs in the Association's sun-drenched harmony blend, had always stood out from the rest of the group. Probably the biggest "folky" of the band, his precise, wavering vocal delivery was unmistakable and he was one of the Association's best in-house songwriters, although he wasn't the hit maker that Terry Kirkman and Jim Yester were. In 1971, as the Association were in a full commercial and critical decline, Giguere must have known his band wouldn't be around too much longer. Smartly, he decided to venture out on his own, secured a deal with WB and teamed up with the Associations then-current producer, John Boylan, to make a record.

The result, Hexagram 16, is surprisingly good, and at times rivals some of the Association's finest moments, although Russ's sound does differ a good deal from the band's. Most of the music here is rooted in a folk/country soft-rock sound, with lite-psychedelic accents sprinkled throughout. The very first track on the album, the Giguere original "Now We Begin" is a haunting and sparse folk number. The harmonies that you'd find on an Association record are nowhere to be found here, it's just a delicately picked dreamy acoustic pattern, some echo-y guitar (especially at the fadeout) and one of Giguere's best ever vocals he committed to tape. One of the top tracks on the record. But there are other equally gorgeous moments. Russ's take on Judee Sill's "Ridge Rider" is a blissful country-pop trot, with an ethereal harmonica accompanying the gentle melody and Giguere's acoustic. Giguere, and maybe John Boylan, must have been listening to what the Byrds had been putting out at this time (particularly the Untitled album), as the soft country-rockers "Let it Flow" and "Rosarita Beach Cafe" are perfect examples of that early 70s twangy and breezy pop/rock that had become ubiquitous in LA around this time and they end up being two of the best tracks on the album.

There are some heavier and even psychedelic moments on the album too. The Bill Martin penned "My Plan" and the Jules Alexander composition "Pegasus" are almost prog-rock in their epic scope, with the former sounding like an organ-heavy Moody Blues number and the latter employing a massive, swirling symphony to accompany Alexander's mystical lyrics. For me, these two tracks probably don't play to the strengths of either Giguere, Boylan, and the session musicians on the record, many of whom at had played on the Association's better known material. Although the instrumentation is nice, these two songs are just a bit too..."clunky", if that makes sense. These songs lack the melodic precision of the other material and instead maybe focusing to heavily on the grandiosity of the production and stick out like a sore thumb in contrast with the soft-pop on the rest of the album. But, thats just my take on it, you guys might find these songs to be great (I hate to sound like a music critic).

Overall, a pretty great record, and a very obscure one. Never been re-issued and still isn't that well known, even among Association fans. I found a pretty clean copy of the album at a local record store and transferred it to .mp3 @ 320vbr using EAC's .WAV editor. Compressed to .mp3 using dbpoweramp and LAME 3.97. No EQing, no pop removal, just a flat transfer as always. Enjoy: http://www.mediafire.com/?en7oa0299nv198d

-Casey

Randy Newman: Randy Newman (Creates Something New Under the Sun) (1968)

I had an entirely different entry planned for my next post on the blog, I had my vinyl rip ready and everything. But then something happened, I heard Nilsson Sings Newman. I had heard about this album, it has a bit of a quiet mysticism about it, even if some of the reviews had more than just a hint of elitism about them. But still I was intrigued about the idea of the album itself. Nilsson was fresh off the success of having his first breakthrough hit, "Everybody's Talkin'", featured in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy, the perfect time in his career to really showcase his chops as a songwriter and vocalist. But Nilsson didn't want to do it the traditional way (as he rarely did). Instead, he wanted to record an album of songs composed entirely by a relatively unknown singer/songwriter named Randy Newman. I'm sure RCA Records was just thrilled (yes, sarcasm is intended) with this choice as Newman's material, although quite good, was very much an "acquired taste". I only just in the last few weeks have acquired the taste, so to speak, and my earlier preconceptions about Newman's stuff were totally wrong. This guy is special. Newman's songs, while fairly traditional, rarely had distinct "pop" hooks or melodies, and his delicate chord progressions wandered almost aimlessly behind his trademark slurry, rambling voice. And upon hearing Nilsson's takes of Newman's early material, I just had to hear the Randy Newman debut album, which I had just recently become familiar with, to compare.

Newman's debut album, released in 1968, went virtually unheard, despite being produced by two prestigious LA music scene talents in Van Dyke Parks and Lenny Waronker. Newman had worked with the two on the Harper's Bizarre's first two records and I really think there was a mutual admiration that the three had for each other. Parks and Waronker had experienced legitimate commercial and critical success with their contributions to the Harpers and Beau Brummels records and Parks' own debut album, but Newman had remained out of the spotlight, mostly just writing songs for other acts to record. But obviously Parks and Waronker saw something in Newman, probably the same thing Harry Nilsson saw. Newman was a unique and unusual talent, drawing heavily on early Americana, Blues and Ragtime for lyrical and musical inspiration, much like Van Dyke Parks. But Newman's record was stripped of all the psychedelic trimmings and excesses of Song Cycle, leaving only Newman's voice, a piano, some guitars and a very prominent orchestra. And while Waronker's production is top notch, the songs are what really shine through.

The lead-off track, "Love Story (You and Me)"  showcases all the album has to offer in one song, a delicate piano melody, sarcastic Newman lyrics, and fantastic orchestral flourishes supplied by Waronker. The next track "Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad" is a breezy, front porch-y country folk tune with great guitar work from Ron Elliot, former Beau Brummel member. "Living Without You" is a tremendously beautiful song, with Newman's voice getting the closest it's ever gotten to "sweet sounding". With another lilting piano and harpsichord melody that builds up into a thunderous chorus where Newman declares in defeat "Baby, it's so hard... living without you." The next track "So Long Dad" is a typical and bittersweet Newman narrative, an account of a man coming back to his hometown to visit his dad, who he wonders "do you still work at the drugstore, is that true?...I miss my good ol' dad." The song, backed by a wandering piano and orchestral arrangement, is quintessentially odd and "Newman" in that it really has no traditional song structure and just seems to flow and morph as Newman shares his story.

"Linda" is another highlight, the song starts out with a quiet Newman intro, accompanied by an accordian and mandolin, then segues into a section with harpsichord melodies that are eerily similar to the piano and harpsichord motifs that Brian Wilson employed on the Smile album (remember, Van Dyke Parks did co-produce this record). Then the tune turns into a wild, carnival ride of sound, with tubas and trumpets blaring and bells ringing. You start to feel like you're at some turn of the century amusement park, a really fun song.
"Cowboy" finds Newman lamenting the disappearance of the ranch-hand, as his world becomes increasingly industrialized. "Cold grey buildings, where a hill should be". The song begins a desolate and drifting orchestral piece, punctuated with some very delicate harp notes when suddenly Newman bursts into an angry revelation "can't run, can't hide, too late to fight now" with the strings and horns picking up steam. This song really blew me away when I first heard it

"I Think It's Gonna Rain Today" finds Newman at his most somber and honest. It's a devastating ballad, equal parts sad and beautiful, with a peaceful piano intro. Strings join in on the second part of the verse and they add a certain intensity to Newman's world weary lyrics. Newman, who was only 26, sounds convincingly like a sad old man here, as he sings barely above a whisper. Seriously beautiful song.

This record has really been opening my eyes lately. Newman's music and storytelling really showcase what good lyrics can do to a song, they can really take you places. This is escapist music at it's finest. The album deserves so much more recognition for the masterwork that it is. It wasn't just a collection of Newman songs patched together to get his name out there, the record has a truly uniform sound, alot of it due to Waronker's brilliance as a producer. Waronker and Newman would work together on most of Newman's subsequent work, which may be more popular in the public consciousness, but this album really shines just as bright as Sail Away or 12 Songs. It's just such beautiful music.

-Casey

P.S. Didn't put up a download to this album as it is available on CD having been reissued in 1995 by Reprise. Order a copy on Amazon.