What I like about the Association ... part 2

Insight Out's follow-up was overseen by Bones Howe again, but was more of a transitory work. More songs by the songwriters who provided the previous hits, more orchestrations (and thus less bandmembers playing), but on the other hand more songs by the bandmembers too, who wanted to re-gain some control over their sound.

Still a classy record though.

All that, and they came this close to being offered 'MacArthur Park' too, say the band members.

We're in 1969 now, so it was time for a more organic, more rootsy sound. 'Say guys, with just a little tweak our harmonies can sound just like Crosby,Stills and Nash!' 'Hey, that's right!' - the album cover in no way sounds like the brown music within.

For the first time since 'Renaissance' the band conceived the record as a band-project (produced by John Boylan, ex-Appletree theater), and the results are very good indeed.

The first two songs that open the record:

Is that a banjo? On an Association record? Yep.

More singer-songwriter roots pop, with lots of harmonies.

And surprisingly hard edged stand-alone single:

And so on to the end:

1972. 6 years on from their 1966 debut, the Association sound like elder statesmen of music, dispensing fatherly advice to a new generation. It's laidback but still very beautiful. Amid covers of 'Darling be home soon' and Carole King's 'Snow queen' there are performances like these:

It ends on this beautiful song:

By their bass player who died sadly that same year.

I suspect the Association went on, but I lost track.

Anyway, having travelled all this way, maybe I should take back what I said about lack of talent. They were pretty weird for such a mainstream band. They seemed lost nearly half the time. But they made some fine music and there's a lot to cherish.
(Jeez, see what I did there? I'll just stop right now.)