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In early 1967 the Association found themselves at a turning point in their career. After two of the most significant hits of 1966 - “Along Comes Mary” and “Cherish” they immediately became one of the biggest American bands, up there with the Mamas & the Papas. Lovin’ Spoonful and Beach Boys. However they had artistic differences with their producer, Curt Boettcher. Boettcher was brought in by them with reluctant approval of Valiant Records owner Barry De Vorzon. He did a beautiful job, giving them two hit singles and a hit album. So what was the problem? In earlier times, when a performer was the willing creation of labels, songwriters and producers there would have been no issues. But this was the mid-60s and times had changed. Bands were expected to write much of their material and pop songs seemed suddenly more important than they were in the days when they were just this month’s popular tune. This attitude was greatly increased after the Beatles’ “Rubber Soul” and the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds”. Consequently, bands took themselves more seriously. In the case of the Association this was amplified by their arising out of the folk music scene at L.A.’s Troubadour, as folk musicians. As good as the songs were on their first album, the band felt they were overproduced and didn’t really present them as they actually sounded. This was probably true, especially with a rocking song like “Along Comes Mary”, which sounded like nothing they ever did afterward. Also, the album was almost entirely backed by studio musicians.
I sympathize with both sides in this case. I understand a group like the Association wanting to sound authentically like they did in folk clubs. But on the other hand the label people knew how to craft a sound that would sound good on AM radio, the only way to get your songs heard. They also knew that while a band’s small mishaps and wrong notes at a concert went unnoticed in a noisy venue full of fans, an album needed to sound perfect every time. Session players could do this on cue while a band might have to spend months trying to get an album right. Nevertheless the Association dismissed Boettcher and hired band member Jim Yester’s brother, Jerry as their producer. He had been in the Modern Folk Quartet but had virtually no production experience. The band played their own instruments throughout and Yester’s production was spare and minimal, creating an album, “Renaissance” in which they sounded like a good but unexceptional singing group. It was not a bad album but most of the songs did not make a big impression. A bigger problem arose when they released “Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies” as the follow up to “Cherish”, one of the biggest hits of the decade. The song, sung in a whiny drone that somewhat recalls David Crosby’s “Mind Gardens”, has wordy lyrics that were the opposite of a hit song and each stanza ends on either crying or dying. Its light psychedelic sound has some fans, but as a follow up to a major it was a bomb. The album dropped off the charts while their first album was still riding high and both “Pandora” and the next single “No Fair at All” barely got airplay. I cannot overemphasize the importance of radio airplay at this time when there was no other way to get heard. At this point the band was dead, a two-hit wonder.
At the same time Warner Brothers was buying Valiant Records (for a million dollars, a lot in those days). The booklet makes it sound like this was anxiety-producing for the band, but in fact everybody knew that they were buying this small local label just to get the Association’s contract. Why else would Warner be interested in a label that had only ever had three hits and those back in the early sixties? They immediately fired Jerry Yester and Bones Howe was brought in to produce. He was one of the most in demand producers at this time, having produced the Mamas & the Papas first three albums. Session musicians were once more used. The wishes of the band were totally respected and band members, especially Terry Kirkman. Were included in conferences and decisions. Together they crafted this terrific bit of sunshine pop (excepting “Requiem for the Masses” of course in that description). Howe was concerned about the band wanting to record only their own compositions, but they were quite open to any good songs. Howe knew lots of great songwriters and the non-band songs here are by P.F. Sloane, the Addrisi brothers, Tim Harden, and guitar session player Mike Deasy. “Windy”, the song that brought them back literally to the top of the charts came by another route. The Association were living together in a house, and for a while songwriter Ruthann Friedman lived with them. She had written this song and gladly gave them the option when they asked. It’s a perfect song of its moment, full of the incredible optimism of 1967. They generously gave the lead to new member Larry Ramos, who replaced founding member Gary Alexander, who had gone to India to pursue meditation. The album also contains “Never My Love” a mid 60s love song second only to “Cherish”. It’s more subtle than that song with less complex vocal arrangements, but the quieter sound brought across a feeling of sincerity. It was written by the Addrisi brothers when one of them was about to get married.
The rest of the album lives up to its hits. “Wasn’t It a Lot Like Now” was Kirkman’s attempt to bridge the growing generation gap, beginning and ending with a fuzzy funk sound between which is a 1920s vaudeville type number. This was a call back to the folk club days where an occasional old style song was in some performers repertoires. It sounds like it could have been a Smothers Brothers skit. “On a Quiet Night” is just that - an appreciation of a quiet night away from the usual hustle, sung gently and sweetly. “We Love Us” is the first love song on the album, opening with an electric harpsichord (very much a part of this time), and features the band at its mellow best. Jerry Yester contributed “When Love Comes to Me”. a jaunty love song that has a nice flute solo by Bud Shank. “Reputation” is the oddest song on the album.. The band relates a funny story about the backup vocal part that I won’t spoil. Actually the odd part for me is how much it sounds like a Neil Diamond song.
“ Happiness Is” is another Addrisi song, more on the jazzy side and the song is so sunshiny it could almost be by Harper’s Bizarre. Russ Giguere says he wrote “Sometime” while his wife went to get a sandwich. The song delves into existential questions even though Giguere says he wasn’t given to pondering. The song is almost too pretty for its lyrics. Suddenly sitars - oh, yes, it’s 1967 and this is the rather surrealistic, Beatle-influenced “Wantin’ Ain’t Gettin’” by guitarist Deasy. The original album ended with “Requiem for the Masses” an anti war song with a great polyphonic opening and mid section. It was Kirkman’s magnum opus. As the B-side of “Never My Love” it got airplay of its own. The vocal work was far beyond what anyone else was doing. The bonus tracks are the usual alternate takes, single mixes etc. The excellent oldies label. Now Sounds has done a great job with mono remastering (the way everybody heard things in 1967). Again they include the instrumental backups stripped of vocals, I guess these are meant to be a tribute to the Wrecking Crew.
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