Anne Murray + Sounds of Our Times

What Anne Murray has to do with the Sound of Our Times who can say.

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Western Daylight

This album picks up where my last album, "Eastern Standard," leaves off. A sequel of sorts, then.

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Primo People

Move over Cowsills and Osmonds ... here are the Primo People.

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My Son the Surf Nut

Don't know what it's like where you are, but it's pretty much summer weather-wise here in Boston.

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The Bell Curve

I construct my albums like puzzles, with each song a piece that's part of the greater whole - and the instrumentals play a critical role. They are meant to heighten or shift a mood, or add a sense of drama that lyrics can't quite convey. Removed from their respective albums, they take on whole different meanings. I have endeavored here to maximize the effect of each track by arranging them in such a way that creates a definite ebb and flow; an acoustic number is followed by a funk workout, which is followed by a more abstract ambient work followed by a hip-hop piece. You can play this collection a track at a time, but it is my hope that you will crank up the ol' headphones, fire up your favorite substance, tune out the world and tune in to "The Bell Curve" for the full two hours.

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Best of the Soundtracks

Seriously serious shit from my fave budget label.

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Stephen Ambrose

Robert Christgau gave this one a D+, so I figured that it must be good.

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Eastern Standard

I scream at you but you don't hear
You flash an evil grin
"I am Henry the Eighth," you say
"And you're my Anne Boleyn"
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We Got a Groovy Thing Going

There's a dream that I have
And I'm with you again
There's a dream that I have
And we're laughing
And in this dream that I have
You are writing your name in the sky
In this dream that I have
You are dancing
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Split Level

By request, here is Split Level's "Divided We Stand," which has been described as a "record driven by a relentless wave of feel-good pop melodies - its eyes positively blaze with tartrazine-fuelled, can-do optimism - all mixed up with glorious sunshine psychedelia, none-more-timely 'raga' twanglings and, oh yes, full-on, churchified, ecclesiastical chanting."

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Spanky & Our Gang

Spanky and her cohorts reveal a more mature country-pop sound for what would be their final record. Who was buying it?

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Stu Phillips

A very mellow record of the hits of the day, arranged by Stu Phillips. This one goes out as a big thank you to Jason, who made a nice $$$ contribution to this site.

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The Surfing Song Book

The Rincon Surfside Band were really just an alias for P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, the production and songwriting team that eventually contributed to the careers of The Mamas & The Papas, Barry McGuire, and many others. Backing them were the Wrecking Crew, which turn what could be a minor piece of exploito into something pretty boss, as the kids used to say.

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Westphalia

"Westphalia" was my fourth album, and even though several songs were done at least in part at Woolly Mammoth Studios in Boston, most of it was recorded on my own. In fact, the very first track I made for it, "Dime in My Pocket," was the first one I ever did solely at home. In the beginning I thought it would just be a demo, but the more I worked on it and the more it started to come together, the more I thought, "Hey, I can do this." The song itself is a bit strange - very few rhymes and I'm not sure exactly what it is about - but what it taught me was how to create a certain feel, and that was as important as just about anything else. Overall, I think this is me at my most unhinged, my head ringing with possibilities.

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San Diego Reader Interview

Yeah, so I a did an interview recently with the San Diego Reader where I talk about my album Quartet and some other things.

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Thomas & Richard Frost

The Frost bros bring you something harmonious for your Sunday morning coming down.

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The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

"Ricochet," the Dirt Band's second album, finds the group transitioning from a folky-pysch sound into something a little more rootsy. It's a fun record with a couple of rare Jackson Browne tunes tossed in, but I could've used with a little less kazoo.

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Pendulum & Co.

Obscure Boston-based psych-rock band on the Perception label.

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Jerry Merrick

Jerry's songs have been recorded by B.J. Thomas, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Susan Tedeschi, but he is best known for writing "Follow," which appeared on the 1967 Richie Havens album "Mixed Bag." Here is his LP from 1968.

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The Abstracts

One-off record on Atlantic’s short-lived Pompeii subsidiary. No great work of art, but not without merit.

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Chad Mitchell

In which the veteran folkie jettisons his trio and becomes ... himself. If anyone has his "Love, a Feeling Of" album, please put a link in the comments.

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Heart

No, not that Heart.

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Remember Me

So I am a peephole
Into a windowless room
Where the sweat on the tiles
Is the only perfume
On the desk is a diary
And next to it a vase
The rose draws blood
And it drips on the lace
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Nino Tempo

In which the sessioning sax man sheds his sultry chanteuse.

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The Rubber Band

The quintessence of exploito.

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Siegling & Larrabee

Look label-mates saddled with the CSN tag for their layered harmonies.

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Ray Brown

Aussie Ray came to L.A. in 1967 with high hopes, one would assume. After all, Capitol had just signed him, and studio ace David Axelrod was to be his producer. But despite a $30,000 budget, the album tanked - something about an odd choice of cover songs. Still, this lush little record has its moments. (This is a re-up, by request.)

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Stephen Monahan

Keeping you up to date on the obscure.

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Geoff & Maria

A slice of pie with some sweet potatoes on the side. Enjoy.

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Pure Love & Pleasure

Indeed it is.

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Les Baxter

Got your Les Baxter right here.

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Los Feliz

Here is my new album. It's got Sharon, my ex, on the cover. I took this shot in 1985 when she was going to college in Santa Cruz and we were about at the peak of our crazy love thing. After that, her mom committed suicide and, of course, she (and we) were never the same. She eventually had an affair, and then after we split she married the guy. She went on to become a therapist, and on her web site now she talks about the virtues of being kind and honest and authentic ... ironic, because those are all the things she denied me. She has kids who are in their 20s, and I'm guessing they don't know that she was ever married before or that I ever existed. Hell, I bet if you asked her, even she would say that I never existed and that our relationship never happened. This photograph is my proof. Look, see for yourself.

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Dick Campbell

Never was a Dylan rip-off so blatant. Doesn't hurt (or help) that Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield are on board.

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B.S. I Love You

By request, here's the soundtrack to "B.S. I Love You," featuring Stouffville Grit, whoever they were.

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Christopher Kearney

Once again, many thanks to bayouangel for fulfilling this request!

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Great Movie Themes

By request, here's a re-up of this sweet Colgems comp.

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Maxine Sellers

Thanks to bayouangel, here is Maxine Sellers' album, produced by Beach Boy associate Nick Venet and featuring a host of Wrecking Crew sessioners.

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Christopher Cloud

In 1973, Tommy Boyce (sans Bobby Hart) teamed up the the band Aim (see entry below) to record this glam-rock album. Perhaps he was trying to distance himself from his bubblegum past, because this record has a meatier edge to it, and Boyce billed himself merely as "Tomme."

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Aim

Here's an obscure '70s pop-rock record that features guitarist and singer Michael W. Overly who, along with Tommy Boyce, was part of the group Christopher Cloud (which I'll post soon).

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Nancy Michaels

Found this one at a crate dig yesterday. Nancy definitely sounds influenced by Joni Mitchell, which more than likely is why she was on Warners. Alas, "First Impressions" would be her last impression. The vinyl is pretty noisy, but I did my best to clean it up.

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Smokey and His Sister

Before White Stripes, there was this brother snd sister act.

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Dreamland

This was an attempt to make an album in singular style (in this case, a mostly acoustic record), rather than hopscotching all over the map stylistically, as I tend to do. I wouldn't exactly say that this is a mellow record; rather, like the title, it's more dream-like. A couple of the songs - "How Can Anybody Get Anything Done 'Round Here," "Late Night Companion" and the title track - are among my all-time personal favorites. I also like "Turtles All the Way Down," which came about after watching an episode of the long-ago cancelled series "Awake." If you are having trouble sleeping, I suggest putting this one on the ol' hi-fi.

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Spirit of Rock

Here's yet another choice sampler that was released on Probe, which was an offshoot of ABC/Dunhill.

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Jacob's Ladder

A mystery surrounds me
Like none I've ever known
And I don't know the meaning
As it spins 'round me like a cyclone
I have spent whole my life searching
Trying to figure out just why I'm here
But try as I may and try as I might
I don't think I've ever come near

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Friend & Lover

Music from a seemingly more innocent time.

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Don Kirshner

In which dandy Don lets his hair down (so to speak). A prime slice of exploito, from a guy who really knew how to cash in on the craze of the day.

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Michael McGinnis

Here's another wonderful record I picked up at In Your Ear. Check the comments for a link for Michael's third album, "Hobo's Holiday."

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The Bully Boys Band

Not sure who the Bully Boys really were, but since this was recorded in the late '60s and because it is on Dunhill, it likely has some of the Wrecking Crew on it. In any event, this is a minor treasure.

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The Aquarians

There's a breezy Latin vibe about this record that makes me think of spring. Hope it does the same for you.

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Original Caste

Update: Check the comments for a link of this obscure Original Caste album.