I am pleased with my "The Parade-Sunshine Girl: The Complete Recordings" CD that was released about a month ago. I am quite pleased indeed. I was only familiar with "Sunshine Girl" (of course), "A.C./D.C." (which had been compiled on one of the "Soft Sounds for Gentle People" discs), and "She Sleeps Alone" (which i found a slideshow video of on Youtube.)
It reinforced what I had a feeling about from these 3 tracks--the Parade was very talented and highly commercial without being completely derivative. It also verified that any song Murray MacLeod features on is golden. He has a voice that defies classification, sort of like a male Karen Carpenter (not trying to be sacriligeous but when he sings ballads he too sounds so damn heart wrenching.)
I would love to review the CD and ramble on about the deevolution of music. But my real intent in this post is to try to get some info on the bonus track "Montage Mirror." It is credited to Roger Nichols Trio (buy all their stuff.) It is written by Nichols and Roberds (Smokey of the Parade). There is no more info available. No producer listen, no year given. It was in the demo stage and apparently got no further than that.
My question is two-fold. Who is singing on "Montage Mirror" and why wasn't it put on the Small Circle of Friends (Complete) compilation. That even included that "St. Bernie the Sno Dog" song.
It doesn't sound like MacLeod is on the track as the mystery singer's voice is a bit lower and doesn't seem to have the same singing inflection in his voice. His sister isn't in it at all so she's out of the running. I've only heard Nichols' voice in recent years and it's much gruffer. Not saying his voice hasn't evolved in the last 30-40 years, but there is another factor that excludes Nichols from being the vocalist. He has a slower delivery than the singer on "Montage"; Nichols has more of a thought-out and reflective voice. But maybe I'm just overanalyzing. And besides, it bears little resemblence to any SCOF stuff as it has more of a garagey sound; more precisely it sounds like a song played in the background of an episode of Get Smart when Max shows up at a "counterculture party".
As to why it wasn't released on the SCOF, i'm still a bit baffled. I'd like to think the compilers just dug it up from a private owner who got it from a studio engineer or something. Those stories are awesome. To me it's more intriguing than all 3 Bourne movies. I have daydreams of stumbling upon a ratty cardboard box, with scribbles and stains and worn out masking tape on it and i open it up and i find a lost Monkees demo. Then I buy a reel to reel player and listen to it all by myself and never share it with anyone. Ain't I a stinker?
If any reader has any answers for me, it'd be appreciated. Or even if you have any cool stories to share about rare songs or Murray MacLeod or The Parade please do. I'm information starved.
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Hi kip,
ReplyDeleteThis is Murray MacLeod. Thank you for that review! The answer to a couple of your questions: Montage Mirror was a demo track recorded for Almo (A&Ms ASCAP publishing company which is now owned by Sony Universal). The voice you are hearing but can't identify is Smokey Roberds. I wasn't there when it was recorded but I can check with Roger to find out who particular musicians were on that session. I'm pretty sure it was Roger who produced it, but I can find that out for sure and confirm for you. The reason it appears on The Parade CD was that Smokey sang it and wrote the lyrics. Steve Stanley who compiled the material for the CD decided to use Montage Mirror for that reason. Montage Mirror may reappear on an SCOF CD within the next couple of years. As you know, SCOF is Roger, me, and my sister Melinda. I assume you have heard the new SCOF CD ("Full Circle"), a Japanese release on JVC Victor in December, 2007. The Full Circle CD is doing very well and JVC Victor wants us to record another one for release in Japan 2009. Now to The Parade. By coincidence, I will be seeing Jerry Riopelle this coming weekend. We haven't seen each other in about 17 years. Man, time flies. Thanks again for the sterling review.
Yikes. I miss everything.
ReplyDeleteBecause of my recent scholarly pursuits (some musical some not), and my very random computer habits, i haven't been a good blogger in the last few months and boy do i regret it. I was going to post a message about my journeys but that can wait til tomorrow. Because I'm going to reply to MURRAY MACLEOD--boy i'm giddy.
WOW.
Thanks Murray MacLeod for taking the time to clarify the creation of this track. I couldn't have asked for a better correspondent than you!
I did get the Japanese "Full Circle" CD, as well as the US release with bonus tracks when that came out a few months back.
There is musical alchemy involved in the studio when Murray MacLeod get together with Melinda and Roger Nichols. How a CD can be recorded now with all the characteristics of what made the original recordings so unique and timeless--without sounding dated or like a pastiche rehashing of the original LP--i can't understand.
I considered writing an entry about the new disc, with key tracks highlighted-but to say these are not all key tracks would be misleading. The album falls in the category of perfect pop. All the while, though the songs are heavy hitters from the Nichols writing canon, these versions don't sound like reworkings.
They sound hand tailored to Mr. Macleod's vocal style.
Take "Out in the Country". Three Dog Night recorded with a controlled intensity, almost angst by the time the chorus comes around. The Small Circle of Friends recording comes through with a sweetness and gentle purity. Whereas Three Dog Night seem to be more about getting out of the city than the destination, Small Circle of Friends revel in the serene beauty of the country that they've found.
That's it--I'm going to just have to write a post about it. I have no other choice.
SO----
Thank you Mr. MacLeod for responding to this query. But also thank you for being part of a sound that is so important to me, and anyone else who continues to show interest in the eternal and spiritual music enough that will keep it alive in a world where we need it so badly.
AND thank you for the info about the new disc that may be in the works. "Full Circle" restored my faith that new music could be recorded that could make me feel how i felt playing the Beach Boys 20/20 LP over and over again while i talked with my first girlfriend on the phone until 3 in the morning; or driving with a cheap boombox in my back seat because my cd player didn't work playing "The Small Circle of Friends" trying to get a later girlfriend to understand why i felt
"Life and death are free
but love is a treasure
and faith is the key"
was better than anything written or sung in the history of music. (She didn't understand why i felt that way--that's why i've stayed single)
Well again i'm sorry for the delay but i'm back and i would love to know everything about anything you have to share so feel free to drop in.