ON THE ROAD AGAIN - VOLUME 48

BOBBY DARIN: "Inside Out"

Original released on LP Atlantic SD 8142 

(US, May 1967)

Encouraged by the critical reception to the Carpenter album if not by its failure to make the Top 40, Darin returned to the recording studio in March 1967, to fashion a follow-up. The result was this "Inside Out", a similarly folk-inclined offering. One that, again, dipped into the Hardin and Sebastian songbooks but also included Randy Newman's reflective "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today", a subtle interpretation of the Stones' "Back Street Girl", and a trio of songs penned by Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon, formed members of New York group The Musicians, who'd become suppliers of hits to The Turtles. Additionally, Bobby had shaped a couple of originals that fitted snugly into the concept, "Hello Sunshine" sounding for all the world like something Lovin' Spoonful might have cooked up, I am proving to be a ringer for anything that might have appeared on a Best Of Tim Hardin album. Darin, not just vocally but also from a songwriting point of view, was always the chameleon (Fred Dellar)

BLUES MAGOOS: "Electric Comic Book"

Original released on LP Mercury MG 21104

(US, 1967)

The Blues Magoos' first album, "Psychedelic Lollipop", earned the band a major hit single, "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet," and in the grand tradition of striking while the iron was hot, the New York-based quintet were back with their second LP, 1967's "Electric Comic Book", less than five months later. The sophomore effort is a noticeably more ambitious piece of work than the Magoos' debut, and while psychedelia was a catchphrase more than anything else on the first record, "Electric Comic Book" sounds trippier and a bit more expansive by comparison (the goofy "Intermission" tosses in some fairly obvious marijuana and cocaine references which would have been almost unthinkable in 1966, and the drug angle in "Pipe Dream" isn't exactly subtle). In addition, a few months of playing live had tightened up a combo who already sounded pretty good together, as well as bolstering the confidence in Ralph Scala's vocals and keyboard work and the fuzzy interplay of guitarists Mike Esposito and Emil 'Peppy' Thielhelm. However, the blues and R&B elements that were a large part of "Psychedelic Lollipop"'s strength have faded into the background here (except for a overdone cover of Jimmy Reed's "Let's Get Together"), and though the band could come up with a respectable pop tune, "Baby, I Want You" and "Take My Love" sound like throw-aways that were tossed together quickly to fill out a record not quite 30 minutes long (though "Take My Love" does have the very memorable line 'Take my love and shove it up your heart'). "Psychedelic Lollipop" is well short of a classic, but overall it's a stronger and more coherent set of songs than "Electric Comic Book", which sounds like the quickly recorded follow-up that it truly was, though it does have moments that suggest the band could have made another album as good as the debut with a bit more time and attention. (Mark Deming in AllMusic)

THE WHO: "The Who Sell Out" (DeLuxe Edition - mono + stereo + bonus tracks)

Original released on LP Track 613 002

(UK 1967, December 16)

Pete Townshend originally planned "The Who Sell Out" as a concept album of sorts that would simultaneously mock and pay tribute to pirate radio stations, complete with fake jingles and commercials linking the tracks. For reasons that remain somewhat ill defined, the concept wasn't quite driven to completion, breaking down around the middle of side two (on the original vinyl configuration). Nonetheless, on strictly musical merits, it's a terrific set of songs that ultimately stands as one of the group's greatest achievements. "I Can See for Miles" (a Top Ten hit) is the Who at their most thunderous; tinges of psychedelia add a rush to "Armenia City in the Sky" and "Relax"; "I Can't Reach You" finds Townshend beginning to stretch himself into quasi-spiritual territory; and "Tattoo" and the acoustic "Sunrise" show introspective, vulnerable sides to the singer/songwriter that had previously been hidden. "Rael" was another mini-opera, with musical motifs that reappeared in "Tommy". The album is as perfect a balance between melodic mod pop and powerful instrumentation as the Who (or any other group) would achieve; psychedelic pop was never as jubilant, not to say funny (the fake commercials and jingles interspersed between the songs are a hoot). [Subsequent reissues added over half a dozen interesting outtakes from the time of the sessions, as well as unused commercials, the B-side "Someone's Coming," and an alternate version of "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand."] (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

BOOKER T. & THE MG'S: "Hip Hug-Her"

Original released on LP Stax 717

(US, May 1967)

Still riding high years after the success of "Green Onions," "Hip Hug-Her" is another 11-song solid session of Southern soul delivered by one of the best bands in the business. In an attempt to appeal to the up-and-coming mod movement, the cover features an alluring model flanked by fashionable faceless people. But not to judge the album by its cover, "Hip Hug-Her" finds the group diving deeper into soulful territories, no doubt aided by the addition of bassist Duck Dunn to the fold. The title track is clearly one of the stronger cuts on the album, but other tunes such as the midtempo Motown anthem "Get Ready" and the group's interpretation of "Groovin'" make this one of the strongest full-lengths in the Booker T. & the MG's catalog. (Rob Theakston in AllMusic)

Garota De Ipanema (OST)

Edição original em LP Philips R 765.022 L

(BRASIL, 1967)

Os NIGHT STARS e Outros Conjuntos Moçambicanos (1965 >>> 1972)

The Now Sound Of THE BRASS RING

Original released on LP RCA Victor DS 50023

(US, 1967)

With a title proclaiming "The Now Sound of the Brass Ring", the instrumental purveyors of space age pop effectively abandoned the practice of padding their long-players with dated show tunes and standards, some of which dated back to the '40s. The success of "The Dis-Advantages of You" apparently encouraged Phil Bodner - the ad hoc combo's primary component/musical director - to continue mining the modern pop songbook for selections that would be suitable for a Brass Ring treatment. For the most part, lightweight and catchy melodies, such as "Sunny," "Up, Up & Away," "The Look of Love," and "Don't Sleep in the Subway," - encompassing practically the entire first half of the album - are uniformly excellent choices for the "music as wallpaper" ethos that defined the easy listening leanings of the Brass Ring. However, there are a few musical truffles to be rooted out over the latter half of the disc. The Paul McCartney-penned "Love in the Open Air" was taken from Macca's score to "The Family Way" (1966). Another mod cinematic number comes from Lovin' Spoonful leader John Sebastian who had written "Amy's Theme" for Francis Ford Coppola's major directorial debut comedy "You're a Big Boy Now" (1967). Again, the fresh, unconventional approach uncovers a minor classic, in terms of the original and Bodner's sax-filled interpretation. (Lindsay Planer in AllMusic)

BRASS RING - "The Dis-advantages Of You"

Original released on LP Dunhill DS-50017

(US, 1967)

The Phil Bodner-led Brass Ring took their light instrumental pop back into the Top 40 for a final time with the Mitch Leigh-penned title track "The Dis-Advantages of You." On its own, it is doubtful that the tame melody and equally docile performance would have made much of an impact. However, stateside the song was concurrently being incorporated in a humorous cigarette advertising campaign for Benson & Hedges 100s, thus making it all the more memorable. To similar effect, "Music to Watch Girls By" - which had been used in a late-'60s diet soda commercial - was updated by Bodner for inclusion on this LP. Continuing a trend that began with the Brass Ring's debut collection, there are a few show tunes worked into the project. "I Will Wait for You," from the film "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1964) takes on a definite Tijuana Brass feel, while the "Theme From (The Sand Pebbles)" aka "And We Were Lovers" is served up in a pensive and wispy arrangement. By contrast, the tempo of the catchy and familiar theme to "A Man and a Woman" is quickened, giving it a freshness and buoyancy that escaped many of the better-known versions. Bodner even dips back into the Brass Ring's previous long-player "Lara's Theme" (1966) for an encore presentation of "Born Free." The trend of recycling material off of earlier albums doesn't end there as the cover of "California Dreamin'" - by Dunhill Records labelmates, the Mamas & the Papas - had also been featured on the aforementioned "Lara's Theme" platter. In 2007, Collectors' Choice Music reissued "The Dis-Advantages of You" coupled with "The Now Sound of the Brass Ring" on a two-fer CD - making both available for the first time in decades. (Lindsay Planer in AllMusic)

BRASS RING - "Sunday Night At The Movies"

Original released on LP Dunhill DS 50015

(US, January 1967)

The Brass Ring was a New York City-based, Herb Alpert-esque outfit from the '60s, led by reed player Phil Bodner. The group specialized in a short-lived musical style called "the Now Sound," which was largely instrumental and possessed a looser rhythm than Alpert's trademark style. The Brass Ring scored several minor hits in the '60s, their best-known being "The Love Theme from the Flight of the Phoenix," while another of their songs, "The Dis-Advantages of You," was used in a series of TV commercials for Benson and Hedges cigarettes. Bodner and the Brass Ring issued several largely overlooked albums during their brief career. (Greg Prato in AllMusic)

AL CAIOLA - "Warm & Mellow"

Original released on LP Unart S 21003

(UK, 1967)

SAVOY BROWN Debut Album

Original released on LP Decca SKL 4883

(UK, September 1967)

Their only release featuring the original lineup, and, dare I say, clearly their strongest. This will appeal primarily to late 60's British blues boom fanatics. It's all blues rock, some of it hard, and some heavy, but always consistently good. (in RateYourMusic)

SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL '66: "Equinox"

Edição original em LP A&M SP 4122

(US, 1967)

"Equinox" continues the scrumptiously winning sound that Sergio Mendes cooked up in the mid-'60s, this time a bit more fleshed out with John Pisano's guitar, a slightly thicker texture, and even an imitation sitar (this was, after all, 1967). Again, the mix of American pop tunes old and new and Brazilian standards and sleepers is impeccable (although it didn't yield any substantial hits), and the treatments are smooth, swinging, and very much to the point. While Mendes reaps a predictable harvest from Antonio Carlos Jobim - he was one of the first to discover and record "Triste" and "Wave" - he also likes to explore the work of other outstanding Brazilian writers like Jorge Ben, João Gilberto, and especially Edu Lobo (whose "For Me," with its bright flashes of combo organ, is one of the album's highlights). Lani Hall's star was just rising at this time, and it is her cool, clear voice that haunts the memory most often. Like its predecessor, "Equinox" is exceedingly brief in duration, yet not a motion is wasted. (Richard Ginell in AllMusic)

The ANIMALS Complete French EPs & Singles