Light years removed from the expansive psychedelia of his work with the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Shaun Harris' lone solo LP remains a compelling curio of the singer/songwriter boom of the early '70s -- while its lush country-pop sensibility sits squarely in the mainstream, the record's melodies and arrangements are atypically complex and its lyrics are profoundly introspective, exploring themes of melancholy, self-doubt, and even suicide with uncommon candor. Recorded with members of L.A.'s famed studio team the Wrecking Crew and featuring string arrangements by the artist's father, the esteemed symphonic composer Roy Harris, Shaun Harris captures the fear and resignation of an artist in the twilight of his career -- "Nothing to write that hasn't been written/What's the real point of livin'?"
Harris asks in the record's emotional centerpiece, "Today's the Day," his most direct confrontation of the despair that spreads like cancer across otherwise slick, sun-kissed productions like "Empty Without You" and "I'll Cry Out." Harris revels in such contradictions, capturing with nuance and insight the sunset of West Coast pop's seemingly endless summer.(allmusic.com)
Hmm, at first I couldn't do much with this criticism. However, since I have been studying the lyrics more closely, the criticism seems to be quite apt. Musically and (pop) compositionally there is a lot of evidence of Shaun Harris' talent for great pop music. It takes a moment before this album had becomes established in my head. But then you can't get it no more out of your head that easily.
The class as an outstanding pop musician was already shown as a member of the WCPAEB from the middle to the end of the sixties. Together with his brother Danny and the great Michael Lloyd they wrote most of the songs that made the WCPAEB one of the most creative U. S. psychedelic pop bands of the sixties. Shaun Harris' solo release is highly recommend (imho).
After the WCPAEB he worked together with Lloyd and his brother for smaller projects including ''Grand Concourse'' and ''Rockit''. Harris retired from the professional music scene in 2004.
(If somebody have music by Grand Concourse and/or Rockit please email me.)
Frank
Flac (zippy)
pass: SB1
