FACTORY SEALED 1966 ORIG = RENAISSANCE THE ASSOCIATION Baroque PSYCH West Coast

$

47

             ORIGINAL 1966 FIRST PRESS

                STILL FACTORY SEALED 

              THE ASSOCIATION

                  RENAISSANCE

\                                               USA - VALIANT RECORDS - 5004

STILL FACTORY SEALED ...never opened & never played in 49 years!

Original 1966 first pressing from this West Coast crew who struck it big with their prolific song writing skills... this Lp was a bit different with the group swerving their sound into the up and coming psychedelic scene, and you get the fabulous "Pandoras Golden Heebie Jebbies" ...and more:::  

No, this one doesn't have a big hit such as "Along Comes Mary" from their first Lp,  but to these ears, this one is every bit as good overall, and maybe even better. The psych influences are more pronounced, as well as the garage flavor of some of the tracks. This one establishes the band as more than just commercial fluff propagators. A bit of a grower, this one.

Overall the first impression was that they were nuts to get rid of producer Curt Boettcher, the wunderkind producer who guided their excellent 1966 debut And Then... Along Comes The Association, in favor of Jerry Yester. While Yester would go on to produce such important works as Tim Buckley's Goodbye and Hello, at the time he was just a struggling folk musician with little pedigree apart from being the brother of the Association's Jim Yester (nepotism apparently being alive and well in Hollywood in the sixties). The reason for the switch hinged on Boettcher's insistence that the band utilize his session musicians on all their recordings, while the Association-- capable musicians in their own right-- demanded to play all the tracks themselves. And so they did, making Renaissance their own personal Headquarters you might suppose.

As previously stated, the Association were certainly adept at playing their own instruments and had been doing so in concert since their inception. The band had an excellent rhythm section in drummer Ted Bluechel Jr. and bassist Brian Cole, a skilled and inventive lead guitarist in Gary Alexander and a maverick multi-instrumental wizard in Terry Kirkman. (Jim Yester and Russ Giguere both filled in on rhythm guitar.) As such, the instrumental backing tracks on Renaissance are nearly as tight as they were on the debut; no small feat as Boettcher insisted on virtual perfection from his musicians. 

Things start out strong with Russ's "I'm the One", a powerful opener and a great showcase for the group's most talented lead vocalist. A gorgeous ballad, "Memories of You" follows, featuring a fantastic piccolo solo by T-Kirk. The ballad "All Is Mine" is a bit less successful, but it's memorably followed by the fantastic proto-psych nugget "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies"; a mysterious Eastern-flavored rocker from the pen of Gary Alexander. "Pandora's" had already been released as the follow-up single to "Cherish" and was commended by none other than Timothy Leary as one of the key early songs of the LSD era. "Pandora's" trippy aura is partially due to it usage of the same Japanese koto that was first heard on "Message of Our Love" from their debut LP. Following this, the group switches gears completely as Terry takes over again to croon the melancholy "Angeline", one of his most heartfelt and direct love songs. Side "A" is closed out with Ted's "Songs in the Wind", a somewhat forgettable number that pales in comparison to his gorgeous "Standing Still" from the first album. "Songs" is in the "baroque-n-roll" style of the Left Banke and does not appear to feature any guitars apart from Brian Cole' electric bass, but utilizes numerous keyboard instruments instead.

Side "B" opens with another uncharacteristically tough number called "You Might Think" that features some of the band's most inventive group vocals. This short but sweet burst of punkish (for the Association) enthusiasm segues directly into one of their most underrated ballads, the gorgeous "Looking Glass" (another Alexander contribution). "Come to Me" is another treat, sharing a bit in common with early Jefferson Airplane in terms of sound. "No Fair at All", which was coupled with "Looking Glass" as the album's second single, is yet another classic Association ballad. Apparently disc jockeys were split as to which side of the single to feature, and as a result neither song really took off as expected. "You Hear Me Call Your Name" is another enthusiastic number with interesting vocal arrangements, even if the song itself is a bit indistinct. Renaissance closes with "Another Time, Another Place", which is basically a love note from Russ to his fans that the group closed some shows with back in the day.

So, overall, Renaissance remains a fine example of what the group was capable of when left to their own devices.

I'm the One

Memories of You

All Is Mine

Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies

Angeline

Songs in the Wind

You May Think

Looking Glass

Come to Me

No Fair at All

You Hear Me Call Your Name

Another Time, Another Place

CONDITION:  Fresh original colors, flat & square STILL FACTORY SEALED - 4 sharp corners - never opened in 49 years ... no delete marks, no split seams, no bends, and no writing  ... old original store price sticker on outer cellophane

SEALED FACTORY FRESH 1966 GUARANTEED ORIGINAL PRESSING!

      A cool addition to anyone's music library!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record