The Millennium "Begin" 1968

Now this one is obscure.  The band Millennium was actually the brainchild of Curt Boettcher and a few of his friends.  Curt’s most notable work is as the producer of The Association’s first record.  This is not the kind of record you are going to stumble upon in an old record bin (unless you are incredibly lucky).  Someone has more than likely suggested this record to you (as my old buddy Vic did for me) or you have heard about it in some dimly lit corner of the internet.  The great thing about this record is that it really is a lost masterpiece.  The songs are catchy, the production brilliant, and the performances adroit. 

                The introduction to the album, “Prelude,” is a wonderful harpsichord and tuba workout.  When I first heard this piece, I was extremely impressed.  The juxtaposition of the prickly harpsichord and the fat-bottomed tuba is lovely, but what holds everything together is the sound of the drum beat.  In 1968, there is absolutely no comparison in terms of booming sonic splendor.  It would take 20 more years before people started getting into beats recorded like this.  My wife summed up “Prelude” perfectly: "This song is just waiting for a hip hop artist to sample this intro and turn it into a hit."  And she’s right.  There is nothing inherently “hip hop" about the song to begin with, but could certainly be used that way (with some gentle nudging). 

                Speaking of my wife, she loves this record, and so does my son.  This has been dinner music for over a week now.  Soft Psych is a hard sell for most people, but good music is good music, period.  There is not a song on here that she does not like.  One of her favorites is “5 A.M.”  I think it’s the rising chord progression and the way he sings “5 O’clock.”  Most people would say, “A’clock,” but he clearly says “Oh.”   “I Just Want to be Your Friend” also has a tiny sweetness to it.  Sometimes I feel like I would need a microscope in order to see the people singing this song.  There is also some great percussive use of shakers in this one. 

                Personally, I enjoy “The Island.”  There is a wonderful blend of Soft Psych and Exotica on this one.  You get cloud like vocals and watery steel guitar.  You get circular guitar figures and far off animal sounds.  The bridge is absolutely wonderful too.  In the 1960’s, record stores were inundated with Hawaiian records.  It is only natural that Curt Boettcher would have heard a lot of them.  I think it’s great he was able to incorporate these sounds into a forward thinking record such as “Begin.”

                I always got a bit of a Todd Rundgren vibe from the song “It’s You.”  It’s a little like his song “Couldn’t I Just Tell You” from Something/Anything.  It must be that double tracked acoustic guitar.  I have always thought that the lyrics were interesting as well.  The concept of someone peering through a frosted window at someone makes me feel weird.  Obfuscated points of view seldom leave me feeling warm and toasty.

Tones:  Oh man…so many.  Here is a little list for ya:

1.  The chorus effect on the bass on “To Claudia on Thursday” is very rare for the 60’s.  Chorus on bass is more of an 80’s thing to me.  I have also never heard a cuíca on a 60’s pop record before, unless it was straight out of Brazil.  It’s the best squeaky sound ever. 

2.  Speaking of squeaky sounds, the guitar at the start of “It Won’t Always Be the Same” is almost Theremin like. 

3.  The vocals in “Sing to Me” show that harmony is not always necessary.  It sounds like there are several voices singing in unison.  Harmony is the default on most Soft Psych records, so it is nice to see this vocal color used as well. 

4.  Something is going on with the trumpets in “The Know It All.”  They may be slightly sped up or on some kind of tape loop.  The drums also have a dead, flat, sloppy punch that sounds like a petulant child punching a pillow.    

5.  The vibraphone part on “Some Sunny Day” sounds a lot like “My Girl,” doesn’t it?  

Cover Note:  I wonder what they were going for here.  Certainly a cover with a black and white church scene is somewhat out of sync with late 60’s pop sensibilities.  There just doesn’t seem to be anything overly special about it.  I do like how it feels like you are looking out a window though. 

Price Paid:  I had to pick this one up new for about $15.00.  The original is extremely rare, but surprisingly you can still find reissues of this in print in both CD and vinyl formats.  It is pushing $27.00 for the LP version on Amazon, which I think is high.  Check out some other stores or Ebay for a better price. 

Bottom Line:  If one thing is true, it’s that this is a quality record.  A lot of hard work and focused energy went into this LP.   It is a niche record and will mostly appeal to Soft Psych fans.  There are some Beach Boys and Association comparisons that are fair, but at the end of the day, it’s really its own thing.  

The Association "Birthday" 1968

               Uh oh, did someone say soft psych masterpiece?  I have a running joke here at the house with my wife about soft psych.  Whenever I play an album, and she realizes what it is, she gives me a look that I have come to recognize.  On her irritating music scale, soft psych is in the 49% range.  It’s not grating for her, but it is just left of pleasant.  I always say, “But, it’s soft psych.” in a pathetic wanting voice.  Unfortunately, that does little to improve the situation.  She is not a huge fan, but tolerates my love of the genre very well.  She has even grown to like several albums by bands like The Millennium, The Free Design, and (today’s featured artist) The Association.  Soft psych is definitely an acquired taste.  You could compare it to a sweet bourbon or brandy.  The first time you try it, you are overwhelmed by its sweetness, and complexity.  However, once your pallet has matured, you can sit back and enjoy its glowing, sugary warmth. 

                “Birthday” by the Association was released in 1968, and stands as a crowning achievement for both the band and this great year in music.  While other albums were focusing on far out sounds and instrumentation, The Association spent most of its time polishing their vocal arrangements.  The result is one of the more complex vocal albums of the time.  I feel like the harmonies are far denser than other records of the era, and considering the era was known for dense vocals, that’s saying something.  When I listen to a song such as “Like Always,” I am struck by how the vocals function.  The background instruments are just simple drums, piano and bass.  The vocals act like an organ filling up the space, and provide a smoothing effect.  Move over to the bridge of the song and we get another effect.  The vocals have a jumping quality that sound more like a bouncy string quartet.    

    

            “Everything that Touches You” was a top ten hit when the album was released.  My buddy Vic had this song on a mix at his wedding, and we shared an appreciative glance as it played.  The perky, percussive bass line starts things off, but once again, it’s the vocals that carry the song through.  The tail of the song ends with a multi-layered lyric which repeats, “Love, love love, everything is love.”  I often hear that the super optimistic 60’s gave way to the cynical 70’s.  I wonder what it must have felt like to hear such a wonderfully simple proclamation of love back in a time when an entire generation of people believed that only music and love could change the world.  Imagine being a 16 year old kid sitting in your room listening to this song.  The singers are thousands of miles away sending you a harmonized message of love.  Now there’s a reason to get up in the mornin’.

                 There are also some other interesting lyrics on record.  “Time for Livin'” feels like a pretty good approximation of the Buddhist philosophy.  Every lyric explains how the singer cut through the garbage around himself and got into the present moment.  “I took off my watch and found I had all the time in the word.”  In a time when our cell phones take us so far out of the present moment, I feel like this song is more relevant than ever.  This sentiment is also echoed in “The Bus Song.”

                We also get some experiments with some interesting song structure and chord changes in “The Bus Song.”  I love how the last word of the chorus (it actually feel like you are falling) slips right back into the introduction of the song.  There is also an extended middle section that sounds like it was simply cut and pasted into the middle of the song.  It features some sleepy 'barbershop' type harmonies.  Listening to the very last chord of the song also pays off because there is a surprise inverted major 7^th chord (maybe with a 3^rd in the bass) that ends the song.  I like to think of it as a super tiny encore.     

Tones:  The vocals have a toasty quality that makes you feel like you've taken several deep breaths.  Hearing these guys breathing in and out while they are singing actually will slow down your heart beat and get you breathing easier.  I also noticed a lustful harmonica tone in “Birthday Morning” that I really loved.  It really floats the most positive qualities of wood and metal together.

Cover Note:  It’s blatantly psychedelic in both color and pop.   I also love how serious their facial expressions are.  It makes it feel a lot less goofy than some of the fun time, jumpy, throw your arms in the air and grin, album covers that I have seen (I’m looking at you Cowsills “We Can Fly”).

Price paid:  This was one of the first psych LP’s I ever bought and it was $3.00.  I know I bought another copy for my buddy Dave too.  It’s an underrated record, with one hit song, by an underrated band (a nice combo for record collectors).  That means you too should be able to find it easily.  I would hold off if it was $10.00, $7.00 should be your absolute max. 

Bottom line:  Soft Psych will put you into that nice middle territory with your family.  Most won’t love it, but most won’t hate it.  But be warned.  Just like candy, the average person can burn out quickly on soft psych.  There is a song called “Rose Petals, Incense and a Kitten” for crying out loud.  Don’t push your luck. You have been warned.