 genre: beat
country: us
quality : lossless (flac, cue, log, booklet scans)
time: 1:00'29" size: 339 mb
Fuzz Acid & Flowers:
While they only had two big hits, The Beau Brummels were one of the most important and underrated American groups of the '60s. 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 sixties.
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-sixties rock. Spotted by local DJ Tom Donahue in a club in San Mateo (just south of San Francisco), the group were 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 were 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 knockoff 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 Brummels' primary fortes.
Regrouping as a trio, the group recorded the critically acclaimed, more experimental album Triangle, in 1967. Their last Warners LP, Bradley's Barn, found the group branching into country-rock, a year or so before it became fashionable. The Beau Brummels did reform 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.
Ron Elliott later played in Joyous Noise (Musical Ensemble)
(Vernon Joynson / Max Waller / Stephane Rebeschini)
01. Laugh Laugh 2:55
02. Still In Love With You Baby 2:34
03. Just A Little 2:24
04. Just Wait And See 2:23
05. Oh Lonesome Me 2:23
06. Ain't That Loving You Baby 2:24
07. Stick Like Glue 2:00
08. They'll Make You Cry 3:07
09. That's If You Want Me To 2:37
10. I Want More Loving 2:23
11. I Would Be Happy 2:40
12. Not Too Long Ago 3:07
13. Good Time Music [bonus track] 3:05
14. Gentle Wanderin' Ways [bonus track] 2:45
15. Fine With Me [bonus track] 2:17
16. Just A Little [Demo, bonus track] 2:25
17. It's So Nice [Demo, bonus track] 1:48
18. How Many Times [Demo, bonus track] 2:07
19. She's My Girl [Demo, bonus track] 2:28
20. News [Demo, bonus track] 1:55
21. I'll Tell You [Outtake, bonus track] 2:45
22. No Lonelier Man [Demo, bonus track] 2:01
23. She Loves Me [Demo, bonus track] 3:11
24. Tomorrow Is Another Day [Demo, bonus track] 2:44
RON ELLIOTT gtr, vcls
RON MEAGHER bs
DECLAN MULLIGAN gtr, vcls
JOHN PETERSEN drms
SAL VALENTINO vcls
see also:
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