what Frank is listening to #75 – MORTIMER – Self titled – (Phillips) – 1968
Another one from the very old maybe pile – very little is known about Mortimer except they were a trio from upstate New York and got to meet McCartney and Lennon on the "Tonight Show" in 1968 and almost got signed to the Apple label.
They released this one album and dissolved.
This is pure psych pop and very Anglo at that – they are often said to be influenced by The Beatles but I can see more of The Hollies in them. In any event the Anglo influences may not be that surprising … I don't know what they sounded before 1968 but in 1968 they ended up in London working with record producer Daniel Secunda (brother of Procol Harum manager Tony Secunda).
In trying to find some detail on Mortimer I read somewhere that they come off like the Bee Gees. I can see that – multiple harmonies and vocals with an emphasis on pop ballads and mid tempo numbers. The Bee Gees were certainly doing this in 1968. But the comparison ends there – otherwise Mortimer are a particularly experimental Bee Gees … pop yes but not necessarily straight pop. They come off more as a Anglo version of a late 60s Beach Boys living in New York … how's that for a think through?
There are also elements of "sunshine pop" in the pot – the harmonies and gentleness (and optimism).
From allmusic: "Naturally created in California, sunshine pop was a mid-'60s mainstream pop style typified by rich harmony vocals, lush orchestrations, and relentless good cheer. It was often mildly influenced by psychedelia, but it usually didn't aim to evoke any sort of drug-induced mind expansion; it simply drew from the warm and whimsical sides of psychedelic pop, incorporating production innovations of the time (especially those of Phil Spector and the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson). Sunshine pop often resembled the more elaborate and melancholy baroque pop style, though it could also cross into folk-pop or Brill Building pop. The stars of sunshine pop included the Beach Boys (circa Pet Sounds), the Turtles, the Association, and the Mamas & the Papas; other groups to score hits in the style were the Buckinghams, the Grass Roots, and the Left Banke, while certain others — Sagittarius, the Yellow Balloon, the Millennium — became cult favorites years after the fact".
There is some baroque pop in there also.
allmusic: "Baroque Pop emerged during the mid-'60s, a time when artists including the Left Banke, the Beach Boys, producer Phil Spector, and composer/arranger Burt Bacharach began infusing rock & roll with elements of classical music, achieving a majestic orchestral sound far removed from rock's wild, primitive origins. Layered harmonies, strings, and horns are all hallmarks of baroque pop, as is the music's dramatic intensity. At the time of its inception, it was rock's most mature outgrowth to date, and its spirit lives on in everything from the Philly soul sound of the early '70s to the like-minded chamber pop sound of the mid-'90s".
None of the tracks are covers so they have to stand on their own material and stand they do. There is nothing here which has knocked me over but it is incredibly pleasant and catchy and it grows on me. The whole album is solid and I'm surprised they didn't do better. It is well played and the multi-layered harmonies with lots of reverb works. Its quite a gentle and a pleasant "trip".
Best Tracks:
- Dedicated Music Man – a nice slice of psych pop. And they've lifted a bit from some other song but I cant think of what.
- Where Dragons Guard the Door – Baroque psych pop … I suppose the "ye olde worlde" themes, dragons and what not works … if you are on drugs. A good song anyway despite the silliness. Like The Hollies circa "Evolution" (1967).
- Singing to the Sunshine – could have been done by any number of low fi pop bands today ("Cardinal" covered this in the 90s)
- Mortimer's Theme – dream pop – perhaps it's dream like as there are voices with no lyrics over light jangly instrumentation with a very slight Eastern influence.
- Life's Sweet Music – Sunshine pop
I'm moving this from the maybe pile to the keeper pile.
Sounds:
Dedicated Music Man
attached
Life's sweet Music
attached
Trivia:
- apparantly Mortimer evolved out of garage rock band The Teddy Boys
Bio:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:d9frxq85ld0e~T1
http://psychedelichouse.blogspot.com/2009/02/mortimer-mortimer-1968.html
(originally posted: 15/08/2009)
