Open Web Player
This album takes me back to the winter of 1967. Here Tommy Roe musically embraces the more experimental atmosphere of the period just prior to the Summer of Love and creates a gem of mod/pop/rock with tinges of psychedelic influence. While Tommy Roe wrote or co-wrote all the tunes, the production of the album is heavily influenced by Curt Boettcher who produced the classic Association hits "Along Comes Mary" and "Cherish". Boettcher is credited with Vocal Arrangements although the liner notes indicate he was involved with a large part of the production of the album.
While this album is all Tommy Roe, you can hear similarities to other artists of that era. "Leave Her" is a good pop/rock opener with a Lou Christie-type feel. There's a tinge of early Neil Diamond in "Aggravation" and "Misty Eyes", two other pop/rockers.
"Long Live Love" and "Nightime" have a message similar to the non-comedy songs of Ray Stevens ("Mr. Businessman"/"Unwind") with the theme of slowing down and appreciating life.
"Golden Girl" is a pop love ballad with a Tin Pan Alley tint that could easily have been done by Davy Jones.
"Sing Along With Me" is a sunshiny-sweet 60's pop song (remember the Coke commercials teaching the "world to sing") which (for me at least) can get a little old.
"Moontalk" is a unique pre-moonlanding gem (written just as the Gemini program was winding down and the Apollo program was starting up) about the romantic ramifications of landing a man on the moon. I don't know of any other song that ever tackled this topic.
"Have Pity on Me" is a bluesy torch song which I don't remember liking that much back then, but now I see it as something that could be done by the Blues Brothers.
"Cry on Crying Eyes" is not a typical Tommy Roe song having a darker feel of a love gone wrong and reminds me of the later hits of the Turtles.
"Sweet Sounds" is a nice song is probably the tune closest to a typical Tommy Roe hit ("Sheila", "Hazel", et al.). It was released as a B-side single ("Moontalk" as the A-side). Perhaps the record would have charted better with Tommy Roe's core fans if the sides had been reversed.
The title cut - "It's Now Winters Day" - is my favorite cut. It evokes wintertime imagery and could have become a seasonal Christmas song. I find similarities in this track to the songs on the recent Kenny Loggins "December" album. Quite a nice track.
The bonus track, "Kick Me Charlie" is the B-side of the "It's Now Winter's Day" single and is a good rocking cut from that era.
According to the liner notes (which are quite informative), this album was not embraced by Tommy Roe's fans. It was a departure, less pop/bubblegum and frankly, was a more mature album. I think anyone interested in Tommy Roe, the styles of the Association, Lou Christie, early Neil Diamond or the mod/pop/pre-psychedelic period on the eve of the Summer of Love might want to give it a listen.
Enjoy fast, FREE delivery, exclusive deals and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2007
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2006
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2007
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2007
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2007
