Beau Brummels - Autumn Of Their Years (1964-66)

While they only had two big hits, the Beau Brummels were one of the most important and underrated American groups of the 1960s. They were the first U.S. unit of any sort to successfully respond to the British Invasion. They were arguably the first folk-rock group, even predating the Byrds, and also anticipated some key elements of the San Francisco psychedelic sound with their soaring harmonies and exuberant melodies. Before they finally reached the end of the string, they were also among the first bands to record country-rock in the late '60s.

The key axis of the band was formed by guitarist/songwriter Ron Elliott, who penned most of the Brummels' moody and melodious material, and singer Sal Valentino, owner of one of the finest voices in mid-'60s rock. Spotted by local DJ Tom Donahue in a club in San Mateo (just south of San Francisco), the group was signed to Donahue's small San Francisco-based label, Autumn Records, in 1964. With Sly Stewart (later Sly Stone) in the producer's chair, they made the Top 20 right off the bat with "Laugh, Laugh." The melancholy, minor-key original sounded so much like the British bands inundating the airwaves that many listeners initially mistook the Brummels for an English act. The follow-up single, "Just a Little," was another excellent, melancholy number that became their biggest hit, making the Top Ten.

The Beau Brummels made a couple of fine albums in 1965, dominated by strong original material and featuring the band's ringing guitars and multi-part, mournful harmonies. The best of their early work is nearly as fine as the Byrds' first recordings, yet the band was losing ground commercially, partially because Autumn, being such a small label, lacked promotional muscle. "You Tell Me Why" was their only other Top 40 hit, though "Sad Little Girl" and the Byrds knock-off "Don't Talk to Strangers" were excellent singles. The band also shuffled personnel a few times, and Ron Elliott was unable to stay on the road because of diabetes. Autumn was sold in 1966 to Warners, who made the lunkheaded move of forcing the band to record an entire album of Top 40 covers -- ignoring the fact that original material was one of the Brummels' primary fortes.

Regrouping as a trio, the group recorded a critically acclaimed, more experimental album in 1967, Triangle. Their last Warners LP, Bradley's Barn, found the group branching into country-rock, a year or so before it became trendy. The Beau Brummels did re-form for an unimpressive reunion album in 1975, and although Ron Elliott and Sal Valentino continued to make music and work on various low-profile projects of their own, they've never made records on par with the Brummels' vintage work.

The Beau Brummels - Autumn Of Their Years
Including Unissued Material 1964-66



These underrated folk-rock pioneers cut a great number of unreleased outtakes/demos during their mid-'60s prime that didn't make it onto the albums they released for the tiny Autumn label during that period. Fourteen of those songs were released in the early 1980s by Rhino on the fine From the Vaults album. Autumn of Their Years reprises ten of those tunes and adds 16 previously unreleased cuts for a grand total of 26, all of which are group originals. There are a lot of fine moments here, but it's actually a bit much for all but hardcore fans. First off, the best cuts -- ones like "She Sends Me," "Dream On," and "Love is Just a Game," which display their supremely haunting folk-rock melodicism and minor-key harmonies -- were already available on From the Vaults. The 16 newly found demos aren't as good, production-wise (several are acoustic sketches) or material-wise. Earlier demos of their hits "Laugh Laugh," "Just a Little," and "Still in Love with You Baby" are interesting in comparison to the originals, but not as good. And some strong cuts from From the Vaults are inexplicably omitted. Of the new vault finds, the highlight is "Tomorrow Is Another Day," an acoustic ballad showcasing Sal Valentino's rich and moving vocals

   1. Beau Brummels - She Sends Me                            [02:04]
   2. Beau Brummels - Tomorrow Is Another Day                 [02:46]
   3. Beau Brummels - She Loves Me                            [03:08]
   4. Beau Brummels - Woman  (Vocal)                          [02:41]
   5. Beau Brummels - Dream On                                [02:23]
   6. Beau Brummels - Cry Some                                [02:36]
   7. Beau Brummels - I Grow Old                              [01:57]
   8. Beau Brummels - No Lonelier Man                         [01:44]
   9. Beau Brummels - This Is Love                            [02:12]
  10. Beau Brummels - She's My Girl                           [02:27]
  11. Beau Brummels - I'll Tell You                           [02:45]
  12. Beau Brummels - Let Me In                               [02:18]
  13. Beau Brummels - Love Is Just A Game                     [02:32]
  14. Beau Brummels - Til The Day                             [01:57]
  15. Beau Brummels - I Will Go                               [02:38]
  16. Beau Brummels - Stay With Me Awhile                     [03:25]
  17. Beau Brummels - I'm Alone Again                         [01:28]
  18. Beau Brummels - Down On Me                              [02:32]
  19. Beau Brummels - Can't Be So                             [02:17]
  20. Beau Brummels - Fine With Me                            [02:27]
  21. Beau Brummels - Coming Home                             [02:11]
  22. Beau Brummels - That's All That Matters                 [02:39]
  23. Beau Brummels - Laugh, Laugh  (Alternate Take)          [03:22]
  24. Beau Brummels - Still In Love With You Baby  (Alternate Take)[02:27]
  25. Beau Brummels - Just A Little  (Altenate Take)          [02:29]
  26. Beau Brummels - When It Comes To Your Love  (Instrumental)[02:05]

Playing Time.........: 01:03:40
Total Size...........: 145,81 MB

**Enjoy**