I must confess to being having been inordinately fond of this one from the long ago moment I first heard it on my car radio via WMCA-AM, but I gotta say -- the idea that anybody thought this was a smart choice as the follow-up single to the band's huge hit "Cherish" is proof positive that indulgence in certain recreational drugs is not always a good career move.
I should also add that one of my favorite things about this is the use of a Japanese koto -- played by the song's composer, Gary Alexander -- as the record's instrumental hook; I guess they figured if the Beatles could use a sitar, why not a koto? In any case, I believe this is the first (and only) use of said exotic instrument on a pop record until The Wackers covered John Lennon's "Oh My Love" some five years later.
Meanwhile, just because I like you guys, here's a mono version of the song's instrumental track.
And just in case you're as nutty and obsessed with this one as I am, here's a download link to the stereo version of the single.
You're welcome.
7 comments:
Neil Young must have heard this..."Like a Hurricane"
Their greatest song. I wore out my Valiant single.
I wonder how many bands of the time said something like,"if the Beatles can do X, why can't we do Y?" with disastrous results...hundreds?
How about posting that Wackers track with the koto? The harmonies that they added are a thing of wonder. I like it even better than the Lennon version.
God, that's awful. Deservedly obscure.
What a stinker!
In general I love instrumentals. More bands should stretch out and do so. That said - this falls into the mellow-boring category that most of the Association's songs fall into.
On the band - I still recall that some folks in the day griped that "And along comes Mary" was about marijuana. who really cares.
Avoided the band for the most part whil young. Then -at a gear-head moment, the Association were the "headline" at a 1987 or so car show. Original folk did vocals, with a backing band. actually - were entertaining. But - cemented to me that they offered no musical significance. My thoughts.
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