This comment was brought to you with great difficulty. My amp blew in the front room last year. Rather than carting down my other stereo (as I record directly from my turntable/amp into my Mac ) I bought, from an online seller, a turntable/usb port/cd player all in one which allows me to record directly on to a flash stick thingy. It wasn't expensive but I thought, "how hard can this be".
I should have been frightened when I tried to decipher the English instructions (this was Made in China … and I suspect not in the good part of China) as there was some great Engrish going on. I was also none to happy about the flimsy arm, crappy needle or the way the turntable came to an abrupt stop when the record ended (there isn't a belt drive or even a direct drive). Anyway, it was all up and working … that was probably eight months to a year ago.
However with time I noticed that unless the unit is warm the record spins at a slightly (ever so slightly) slower speed. You may pick up that on some of the mp3s I have sent even though I try to quality control them. Lately however the records have been spinning at a slower speed generally regardless of the warmth of the unit. I think the weight of the record has a lot to do with it and I play a lot of heavy old school US vinyl from the 60s. Anyway Gary Lewis today was starting to develop a baritone so up the back I went with my Mac and I recorded Lewis from my trusty Pioneer (which I've had since the early 80s).
It was all very painful.
The lesson here is do not by the cheapo turntable/usb port/cd player pieces of crap as the "turntable" is a gimmick.
As for me I like listening to music in my front room but I have five freaking turntables and only one amp at the moment.
Mitchell … help.
Not another Gary Lewis LP I can hear some of you say. Well, yes … so I suppose I'm now officially a fan.
For background on Lewis refer to any number of comments I've made on Lewis LPs in the past.
For reference on how this LP fits in with his other albums refer to the same comments though, suffice to say, there are no seismic shifts in style across Lewis' LPs. There are however little tweakings from album to album which I find interesting, and ultimately something I trust more than holus bolus changes in style.
This album is really a culmination in one of the sounds that was part of Lewis' musical makeup – melodic, snappy, light (but not necessarily lightweight) pop.
In other words "sunshine pop", more or less. Gary Lewis always leaned towards "sunshine pop" and in some ways he can claim to being one of it's founders and this album is, more than the others, his "sunshine pop" album. Much of his Beatles and pre-Beatles rock influences are gone leaving these well crafted, lush, unmistakedly Californian pop tunes. That, coupled with the fact that it's 1968, puts him in the sunshine pop camp though, admitedly, more towards the MOR side rather than the "trippy" side.
From an artistic point of view, if song writing is your definition of the measure of a musical performer (however limited that is) the album is a step back as Lewis' occasional forays into songwriting are totally abandoned here. Covers (and a couple of songs written for him) are the order of the day and most of the songs are of recent vintage. But, he takes them all and re-interprets them with his sound. Whether it is by accident or design I do not know but they all do hold together across an album.
Perhaps it's the MOR tendencies and the abundance of covers that scared off the "sunshine pop" cultists, resulting in an overlooked gem of the genre. It's a pity that Lewis doesnt have a bigger audience (especially outside of the US) as his music is consistently of a superior standard.
Tracks (best in italics)
- Young Girl – Fuller 3:02 – the Gary Puckett hit – and a nice bit of MOR sunshine pop … but it adds nothing to Puckett's version. I'm still not sure what's up with the lyrics but in this day and age, burning effigys and censorship would be likely, even if the explanation is innocent.
- Sealed With a Kiss – Geld, Udell 2:26 – a haunting song and one of the best singles of the early 60s – lyric and music mesh together to create a memorable song of love on delay. Oddly it fits in well with the other numbers on this album.
- Windy – Friedman 2:15 – The Association's big hit and perfect MOR susnhine pop. Can't fault the cover but then again I can't fault the original. The obvious thing to do would to make a juvenile flatulence analogy but I won't.
- What Am I Gonna Do – Gordon 2:20 – not sure of the pedigree of this song but this is a pleasant enough pop tune.
- I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight – Boyce, Hart 2:40 – Boyce & Hart were legendary pop (with a capital "P") duo who made their mark as songwriters – most notably for the Monkees. It's light and fluffy but irresistable and very much in the sunshine pop mould.
- Pretty Thing – Leka, Pinz 2:24 – Leka and Pinz wrote for the Lemon Pipers and provided them with their big hit, "Green Tambourine". This is more from the "trippy" side of sunshine pop, such as it is. And it's a great song.
- Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) – Bernard, Fred 3:05 – "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" was a hit (#1) for the Louisiana-based blue eyed soul band John Fred and His Playboy Band in early 1968 and the song is a parody of The Beatles' hit, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". This is lightweight but toe tapping. And given my antipathy to the generally overrated "Sgt Peppers" I don't mind it.
- Elusive Butterfly – Lind 2:25 – Bob Lind's magnificent folk hit here given a wholly original treatment. Keyboards and a gentle samba have replaced the acoustic guitar of the original.The sense of confusion and urgency in the narrative of the original is lost but it has been replaced with a really pleasant vibe. Well done.
- How Can I Thank You – MacLeod, Margolin, Roberds 2:02 – A song by the obscure but interesting "The Parade". One of the Parade members was actor Stuart Margolin ("Angel" on "The Rockford Files")! The song is of its time and there is nothing wrong with that. This is so happy and sweet it's like being knocked over by a bunch of flowers.
- Sara Jane – Bruster, Fuller 2:11 – as "rockin out" as you will get in this set … nice punchy keyboards.
- Sunny – Hebb 2:37 – the big 1966 hit for Bobby Hebb (#1). As MOR as a song can be but it's so catchy. A perfect sing along song after a few drinks. Lewis speeds and pops it up a little further and it works.
And …
I'm Keeping this.
Sounds
Young Girl
Sealed With a Kiss
What Am I Gonna Do
I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight
Pretty Thing
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)
Elusive Butterfly
How Can I Thank You
Sara Jane
Website
Bio
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(originally posted: 20/06/2010)
