October Country "October Country" 1968

Prepare yourself to be mildly impressed with another Soft-Psych masterpiece! Who is October Country? What’s with the name and how can a country be described by a month? Look at that cover. Is it possible to have five stranger looking guys in one photo? Is that a Band-Aid on the girl’s finger? Who’s in charge here?  It’s hard to tell with song names like “Little Boy Smiling” and “My Girlfriend is a Witch,” if this album is going to be light and sugary, or heavy and mind blowing.  I’m not sure about you, but all these strange things make me like this album even more. I know I’m being slightly/very irreverent here, but I really think there is some exciting worthwhile music on this record. It’s just so easy to joke about Soft Psych that I really can’t help myself.   

The first thing that hits you on the opener, “October Country,” is a nervous piano figure. It reminds me of someone tapping their fingers on a table as they wait for bad news. As quickly as the strings come in to play the bass line your attention is diverted by a snare drum hit that sounds like someone dropping a phone book in an empty gymnasium. The sound rises up with a poof like a rock being thrown into a pit of ashes. The vocals are interesting as well. It sounds like boys and girls (teenagers?) singing together in unison. In contrast to the rest of the song, the bridge swings quite a bit. The song is only 2:37 minutes long, so you’re in, out, and ready to listen to the rest of the songs, none of which crack the three minute mark.   

               “Painted Sky” starts out with some great sounding electric harpsichord and a delightfully low toned female voice. I just love how simple the idea of painting the sky is. It’s just nice in that bright eyed, late 60’s, everything is going to be okay kind of way. In that same vein you also get “Little Boy Smiling” which expresses some complex thoughts about seeing a small boy smiling. At first glance the writer wonders if the boy is happy. In the second verse he wonders if the boy is really covering up some sadness. The subject matter makes me feel like I’m about 15 years old. There is another jumpy, come out of nowhere bridge in this song as well. Hearing so many parts certainly makes me feel like the writer had a surplus of ideas to explore and that usually keeps things exciting for me. The little guitar flourish as the end of the bridge (at about 1:21) makes me smile every time. 

“Cowboys and Indians” is sometimes compared to the Beach Boys track “Heroes and Villains,” although it is lyrically far less oblique. It is however one of the few songs mixed in mono, which is a Beach Boys trademark. I think it was a single so that probably explains why. It really is the barn-burner of the album and features a great organ solo. 

“I Just Don’t Know” has some of the fastest sung vocal I have ever heard. It’s one of those songs that has not aged so well. I know I wouldn't be able to play it for anyone without feeling a little cheesy. I don’t say that lightly either. I have an extremely high tolerance for Soft-Psych, and even this one makes me blush. There is also a great horn section on this track that is panned hard right in the mix. Can you imagine calling in all those guys to play and record only to mix them all the way to the right? It’s so weird and so cool. 

“My Girlfriend is a Witch” is another stand out track. I guess the first thing I would say is that I am glad the writer and his girlfriend haven’t gotten married yet. If you are taking the time to write a song concerning this, then I suggest you cut your losses and move on. Any of your friends will tell you that this is red flag. Do not by any means as this song says, “become a warlock just for spite.”  This will not serve you well long term. I would suggest putting a little distance (perhaps a long weekend with the boys) between you and your girlfriend/witch. Then, when you return with a renewed sense of purpose, calmly break off the relationship and move on. 

Tones:  The bass on “I Wish I was a Fire” is pretty great, especially because it is doubled in several places by a baritone saxophone. There is also an interesting phased effect on “She’s Been Away” that makes the snare drum sounds like it is being blown around by a gust of wind. 

Cover Note: I have already poked fun about this cover in the introduction and if you can believe it, I've still got more jokes! Seriously, did bands in the 60’s just sit around in the grass all the time?  Also, it’s not fair to make fun of the dated clothes, especially on the dudes, but nice "cinched at the waist" green shirt, guy. I've got a bath robe that ties up the same way and I just love it.

Price paid: I paid about $14.00 for this and I’m not really sure why I paid so much. It was for a brand new reissue that is very nice, but I just can’t remember why I was drawn to this record. It has been well over ten years since I bought this, and if you divide up the $14.00 by the amount of times I’ve listen to the record (and take into consideration how much I’ve enjoyed it) then it has been a good investment. 

Bottom Line: I've joked a lot about this album, but only because it is such a soft target. The truth is that this is a wonderful record that I’m very happy to know about. I never hear it talked about when I read about Soft-Psych, and that is unfortunate because it really is a pleasure. If you have exhausted your late 60’s catalogs and want something fresh yet familiar, then October Country is for you. 

Nino & April "All Strung Out" 1966

This has been one of my "go to" albums for a handful of years.  I put it on when I have overplayed the Beach Boys, but I want something similar. Sonically, it fits somewhere in between Phil Spector’s grandeur and the Beach Boys’ loveliness. I guess it makes sense because Nino Tempo worked as an arranger/session-man for Mr. Spector. Overall, this is very complex music with a lot of musical layers. I always got the feeling that this was a mature effort by musicians who were very serious about their craft and had something to prove. The production (mixed in mono) is quite tasty and the song selection is interesting, even ground breaking. 

Let’s talk about drug references, shall we?  The two songs advertised on the cover (All Strung Out and The Habit of Lovin’ You) are written in large type. Artists were trying to be more “hip” during the late 60’s, so maybe that was not an accident. The record shop owner who sold me this LP said that Nino wrote “All Strung Out” when a musician did not show up to a session one day. When asked where he was, the other musicians replied that he was “all strung out.” Nino took this phrase, and in typical 60’s fashion, wrote a song about a girl with it. In a lot of ways this song sounds like druggy version of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” It starts similarly with a bassy lead vocal, and explodes into a massive chorus. The chorus actually feels a bit like a head rush. Maybe that’s what he was going for. The album closer, “Habit of Lovin’ You,” sounds like a love letter to heroin. Whether this song was actually about heroin or not, it’s pretty unbelievable. If Nino felt this way about heroin, then it’s powerful. If he felt this way about a girl, then it’s a disturbingly beautiful metaphor.  Check out these lyrics. They're quite stirring. 

Baby, I don’t want to lose the taste of lovin’ you.

Baby, I’ve tried so hard to make it without you, but I always lose. 

I didn’t see the danger when I met you.

I thought I’d try your love and then forget you.

But I can’t kick the habit of lovin’ you, Baby.

I can’t kick the habit of needing you.

No, I can’t kick the habit of lovin’ you, Baby

I need your lovin’ to see me through. 

While I can’t say enough about how nice the production on this album is, the vocals are equally as wonderful. April really provides some interesting background vocals on “Help You to See”. After an amazing piano intro, April sings some lightly repeated lyrics that almost sound like she is coming into her part a little late. It’s a neat effect that almost sounds a little like echo (if the echo of a man’s voice sounded like a woman’s). The melody (when they sing “I’ve been running around, putting you down”) of this song has some really great bent notes as well. I just love how they slide into the word “running”.     

There is just so much good stuff to enjoy all over this record. The opener, “You’ll Be Needing Me Baby,” has that frantic right hand piano tapping that Brian Wilson so much favored, and a delightfully wandering melody. There is also an interesting folk-rock number written by Warren Zevon called “Follow Me”. It sounds like something that would have been on an early Turtles record. Nino & April were in fact label mates with the Turtles on White Whale, so that make sense. “Wings of Love” has a falsetto line that is a blatant rip-off of “When the Lion Sleeps” by the Tokens. You also get songs like “I Can’t Go on Living (Without You)” that is wonderfully restrained in its repetition. There is also some really nice tambourine playing in there too. I also love the little touch of vibraphone in the bridge as well. I guess the vibe player was just standing around smoking cigarettes up until that bridge, ‘cause I only hear him in that one part. Not the hardest day’s work, but I’m glad they called him in for the session. 

Tones:  Deep, dark, murky, thick reverb covers this record like a heavy blanket. I’m not a fan of the song “Sunny,” but I just love how well the reverb rings out on April’s voice. Herb Alpert did a version of this song on “The Brass are Comin’” that I really like as well. It’s occurring to me that perhaps I just don’t like the original version of this song. Liking two out of three versions ain’t that bad.    

Cover Note: Jeepers, don’t let your kids play on that staircase. I’m not even sure Nino and April should be up there. Can we get a railing on there or something? I certainly wouldn’t let my son play on that rotted out staircase with the world’s oldest collection of broken tiles and gross mortar underneath. Seriously, guys. We know you’re hip…just be safe!

Price Paid: This record was actually suggested to me by a local record salesman, based on my love of the Beach Boys. It was only $5.00, so I took a chance.  It is an original White Whale pressing (I just love that little whale drawing on the record) so that is always cool as well.  Never underestimate the power of a good suggestion from a record shop employee. I would have never heard of this otherwise and would have easily passed this by on my own. 

Bottom Line: I am always satisfied after listening to this record. The melodies stick in your head and the production is great.  There are songs on here that deserve to be heard more than they are. I could see some of them fitting nicely into an obscure 60’s compilation mix. As I said earlier, I keep coming back to this record over and over again. I guess I can’t quit the habit of loving this record.