Sunday 30 September 2018

Solo work by 60s Pop Producer Terry Melcher: Terry Melcher - Terry Melcher 1974 (2005 Reprise WPCR-2321, Japan)



Although he'd been a fixture in the West Coast rock & roll scene since his teens, Terry Melcher only issued two solo long-players. His 1974 self-titled outing indeed reflects the unique tastes of one-time 'Golden Penetrator,' -- an elite group of Los Angeles scene-makers consisting of Melcher, Beach Boy Dennis Wilson and Gregg Jackobson. Melcher calls on a notable cast of support from his days as a staff producer for Columbia Records in the early- to mid-'60s, where he worked with the Byrds as well as Paul Revere & the Raiders. Chief among the luminaries is singer/songwriter Bruce Johnston, with whom Melcher had previously collaborated in the short-lived surf-rock combo Bruce & Terry, which evolved into the Rip Chords. The latter aggregate is best remembered for the Top 40 entry "Hey, Little Cobra." Johnston co-produces and provides the occasional vocal alongside Spanky & Our Gang's Spanky MacFarlane and Melcher's mother Doris Day (yes, that Doris Day). The project is split between the artist's compositions and eclectic reworkings of familiar tunes, such as the rural rock reading of "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms," recalling latter-era Byrds-meets-Tower of Power horns. Conductor/arranger Jimmie Haskell's refined string score accompanying the cover of Jackson Browne's "These Days" gently unfurls with an added hue of wistful nostalgia. "Dr. Horowitz" -- co-penned by Johnston -- is a derisive observation of 'cure-all' psychic physicians and the intentionally schmaltzy melody is assuredly a sonic send-up, matching the tongue-in-cheek lyrical content perfectly. The dubious down-home lamentation "Beverly Hills" is given an incongruously twangy rural feel and the opening line "Beverly Hills is funky/Just plain folks, livin' close out there" is equally surreal and perhaps depicts Melcher's point of view better than any documentary or bio ever could. Granted, Melcher's interpretation of "Arkansas" doesn't bear the same authenticity as the Osborne Brothers or the Wilburn Brothers respective renditions, yet it remains a standout, mirroring a Randy Newman-like introspection with Melcher's expressive leads. The countrified waltz infused into the remake of Bob Dylan' s "4th Time Around" is a recommended spin, as is the medley containing Melcher's own "Halls of Justice" and the Dylan titles "Positively 4th Street" and "Like a Rolling Stone." (Lindsay Planer)


This is not a bad album but i think Terry Melcher was a better pop producer in the sixties. I like his voice and the album is a good production. Also the songs are good, ''These Days'' is a very fine ballad i.e. . And you could also say that about some other songs. When I hear one or two songs from the album it works great, but when I listen to the whole album it gets sometimes boring. But that's just my opinion, which often changes with this album. And that since 1974, lol. My favourites are definitely the ballads and his version of ''Stagger Lee''. Enjoy.(Frank)
New Flac
mp3@320 

5 comments:

  1. I remember buying this album because of the Bruce Johnston coonection & it's still somewhere on my shelves & played occasionally.

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  2. I find the album to be brilliantly produced and groundbreaking in the radical 'deconstructiveness' of its cover songs' versions.... plus the Manson ref & mom doris day's brief great cameo lines.
    I also delite in the liberties terry takes in his faithfulness to the originals' actual words.
    The 2nd solo album also good! ['Royal Flush']

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    Replies
    1. Hello ge,
      thanks a lot for your comment. It's always appreciated to read opinions, ideas, critics and/or suggestions by visitors of my blog. Thanks for that and have a nice day
      Frank

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  3. Hi Frank,
    Thanks for uploading this album. I have a version of this album in 192kbs I downloaded years ago that has some different tracks. The version I have includes track 11 old hand jive and Track 12Four Strong Winds.Discog shows the vinyl as including track 11Old Hand Jive, but not Four Strong Winds. The version you uploaded has one track that my version doesn't have which is, Track 6, Out Of Me. Anyway, this is just FYI. Thanks for all the great music you post.

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  4. Dear Frank, the FLAC link is dead.

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