Неизвестные 60-е. Часть 01. Группа Colours

Попалось мне недавно в руки несколько десятков пластинок английских и американских команд конца 60-х годов. Достал я их из коллекции товарища, у которого им были присвоены баллы от 2 до 5+. Практически все группы, оцененные в 4+ / 5+ мне очень понравились. Что занятно, я про них практически ничего раньше не слышал.

Не претендуя на роль гуру, хочу создать на форуме серию тем, рассказывающих об этих командах с возможностью скачать и послушать лучшие их вещи.

Итак - прошу любить и жаловать - группа COLOURS.

Helping You Out - https://www.beatles.ru/sounds/hyo.rar
Bad Day At Black Rock, Baby - https://www.beatles.ru/sounds/bdabrb.rar

Биография банды с All Music Guide:

Among the many unmemorable late '60s psychedelic bands that put out a record or two, Colours do stand out from the pack a bit for a couple of reasons. One is that they were among the relatively few American bands to adopt a very British orchestrated pop-psychedelic style, which must have been honed by incessant listening to every track the Beatles did in 1967. The other is that their bassist was Carl Radle, who soon went on to play in Delaney & Bonnie and, shortly afterward, Derek & the Dominoes, as well as with J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton the solo artist. Colours drummer Chuck Blackwell also achieved some renown in the early '70s by playing with Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, Taj Mahal, Freddie King, and other artists.

However, the prime architects of Colours' sound were songwriters Jack Dalton and Gary Montgomery. They wrote all of the material on Colours' 1968 self-titled debut album on Dot, a competent if unexciting derivation of the sort of florid, bouncy, multi-textured songs the Beatles did on their 1967 LPs and singles. The problems? The songs weren't one-tenth as memorable, and the arrangements not nearly as clever or intricate, even if there was obvious attention paid to detail, with full harmonies and varying overlays of horns, strings, and even a sitar. Colours did make one further album, 1969's Atmosphere, on which no musicians other than Dalton and Montgomery are credited.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:uwaxqj1bojaa~T1

Рецензия на их дебютный альбом, с которого взяты 2 вещи, представленные вашему вниманию:

Imagine if you took some of the central attributes of the Beatles' 1967 work — chirpy mid-tempo tunes, wide-ranging harmonies, and variegated instrumentation combining piano, guitars, orchestration, and a bit of Indian influence. Then imagine if you somehow produced the equivalent of a sonic blurry black and white Polaroid to the Beatles' glorious full-color panoramic movie. That's the rough equivalent of what Colours sounds like: a distillation of some of the key ingredients, yet with the flavor and spice bleached out. The lads must have done their share of listening to "Penny Lane," "Lovely Rita," "Your Mother Should Know," and the like, as well as "Within You Without You" (as the sitar-ish drone in "Brother Lou's Love Colony" indicates) and "I Am the Walrus" (the discordant string buildup in the same tune). The lyrics, oddly, sometimes tend toward mundane griping rather than the cosmic celebration this kind of approach seems to call for — "Bad Day at Black Rock, Baby" is about a liquor store robbery turned sour, while "Helping You Out" just grouses about a demanding partner. A marginal, curious psychedelic obscurity, Colours is, ironically, rather colorless.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:lyj9kemt7q7b~T1

Band members:

Chuck Blackwell - drums, percussion (1967-68)
Jack Dalton - guitar (1967-69)
Rob Edwards - guitar (1967-68)
Gary Montgomery - keyboards (1967-69)
Carl Radle (RIP) - bass (1967-68)

http://www.geocities.com/badcatrecords/COLOURS.htm

Interestingly some reference works we've come across show this outfit as being English (probably due to the fact their name was spelled with the added English 'o'). Best know for the fact their initially lineup included future Derek and the Dominos/Jimmy Buffett bassist Carl Radle, the band survived long enough to release a pair of interesting late-'60s albums. The debut is a little heard classic; the follow-up a far less impressive work.

Produced by Danny Moore and Richard Delvy, 1968's "Colours" offered up a nifty set of Beatles-styled pop-rock. Penned by guitarist Jack Dalton and keyboard player Gary Montgomery, material such as "Love Heals", "Helping You Out", "Where Is She" and "I Think of Her (She's On My Mind)" (baring an uncanny resemblance to the forthcoming Badfinger) offered up a wonderful collection of harmony-rich, radio-ready pop. One of the year's most impressive debuts the set was full of playful psychedelic touches. Highlights included the droning, raga-influenced "Rather Be Me", the sitar-and-bagpipe (don't ask) propelled "Brother Lou's Love Colony" and the scary leadoff "Bad Day At Black Rock, Baby" (which found the band effortlessly shifting thought at least a half dozen time changes). Unfortunately with public tastes already moving beyond the summer of love, the collection was overlooked by the press and the buying public. (Dock the set half a star for Jon Borgzinner's pompous liner notes ("Colours have the crystalline sharpness of the Beatles before they turned acid.") and for the tacky Nehru jackets the band sported on the front and back covers.)

"Colours" track listing:

(side 1)
1.) Bad Day At Black Rock, Baby (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 3:06
2.) Love Heals (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 2:38
3.) Helping You Out (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 2:57
4.) Where Is She (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 2:24
5.) Rather Be Me (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 3:55
6.) I'm Leaving (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 2:45

(side 2)
1.) Brother Lou's Love Colony (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 3:56
2.) I Think of Her (She's On My Mind) (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 2:10
3.) Lovin' (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 1:38
4.) Cataleptic (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 3:06
5.) Don't You Realize (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 1:52

p1968. Company: Dot. Catalog: DLP-25854.

Вторая (и последняя) пластинка:

Following a personnel upheaval, Dalton and Montgomery continued the nameplate with the release of 1969's "Atmosphere". Anyone expecting another slice of psychedelia was in for a major surprise. Produced by Dan Moore (Richard Delvy serving as executive producer), the set found the duo pursuing a surprisingly dull and uninspired mainstream sound. Bland, jazz-rock fusion tinged melodies (check out the single "Hyannisport Soul (Lost You To The Wind)") and waivery vocals ("Angie"). Elsewhere, hackneyed orchestration ("Grey Day") and dissonant horns did little to salvage material such as "God Please Take My Life" and "When Will You Be Coming Home?". Among the few tracks worth hearing more than once were "You're High" (incidentally the only track to recall the debut) and the soul-influenced "I Tried To Make You Love Me Last Night". A commercial disaster, within a matter of months the group was history.

"Atmosphere" track listing:

(side 1)
1.) Angie (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 3:11
2.) God Please Take My Life (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 5:00
3.) When Will You Be Coming Home? (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 2:27
4.) I Tried To Make You Love Me Last Night (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 3:32
5.) Grey Day (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 3:55
6.) Smilin' In Toronto (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 4:09

(side 2)
1.) Hyannisport Soul (Lost You To The Wind) (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 2:16
2.) Run Away From Here (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 1:58
3.) It's Time To Tell You (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 4:03
4.) Announcement (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 1:54
5.) I'll Be Your Friend (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 2:15
6.) You're High (Jack Dalton - Gary Montgomery) - 2:37

p1969. Company: Dot. Catalog: DLP-25953.

Да, такая серия, будет очень даже замечательно.

Поддерживаю :-) Хоть сам их и не слышал:-)
О них у меня "завалялась" статья из Fuzz Acid & Flowers:
--------------------------
Colours

Personnel:
CHUCK BLACKWELL drms A
JACK DALTON gtr A
ROB EDWARDS ld gtr A
GARY MONTGOMERY piano A
CARL RADLE bs A


ALBUMS:
1(A) COLOURS (Dot 25854) 1968
2( ) ATMOSPHERE (Dot 25935) 1969

NB: (1) & (2) later reissued as double set (Paramount 81030).

45s:
1 Brother Lou's Love Colony/Lovin' (Dot 17060) 1967
2 Love Heals/Bad Day At Black Rock, Baby (Dot 17132) 1968
3 Hyannisport Sequel/Run Away From Here (Dot 17181) 1968
4 Angie/God Please Take My Life (Dot 17280) 1969


English spelling for a U.S. group seems illogical enough, but the liner-notes from their first album tell us that they 'have the crystalline sharpness of the Beatles before they turned acid'. That seems a dangerous thing to postulate. The first track, though, completely lives up to these pretensions and must be reckoned among the very best attempts at an orchestrated psych sound. Easily switching from key to key and with disturbingly many time-changes, which at first sound completely innocent, this particular track conveys a sense of drama seldom equalled. Menacing harmonies and superb instrumentation underscore the sorry tale of a bored lad, who vainly tries to rob a liquor store - with a tragic outcome: Bad Day At Black Rock, Baby "I'm carving a gun from an old piece of wood, dip it in black paint, it looks pretty good".

Other tracks can't quite keep the standard that high, but feature several more highlights and very versatile playing, like the sitar droned Rather Be Me, the commune-song Brother Lou's Love Colony with bagpipes and later covered by Moon, and the eerie Cataleptic. Definitely an underestimated LP. Their second album is sadly not in the same class. Without any credits to other musicians than Dalton/Montgomery, this album takes in some progressive rock, some undigested country and also has a cluttered production. Only the very last track on Side Two You're High comes anywhere near the former style and intensity. This album is best forgotten. The first needs rehabilitation.

From Tulsa, Radle and Blackwell were close friends of {Leon Russell}. They both guested on {Don Preston and The South}'s album and later enjoyed successful careers. Carl Radle was with {Delaney and Bonnie}, Derek and The Dominos, J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton. Chuck Blackwell played with Taj Mahal, Joe Cocker and {Leon Russell}. Rob Edwards has also previously played with {Eddie and The Showmen}.

Where Is She, a Dalton/Montgomery song, surfaced on {Harper and Rowe}'s album, whilst Cataleptic was also covered by {Aorta}.

Звучит довольно приятно и мелодично. Правда не уверен что в этой группе есть что-то реально интересное для меня, но конечно это зачительно лучше чем халтура плодимая пачками нынче.
Подождём "часть 2" и т. п. Может обнаружится что-то стоящее :).

2Grigory:

>Звучит довольно приятно и мелодично. Правда не
>уверен что в этой группе есть что-то реально интересное
>для меня, но конечно это зачительно лучше чем
>халтура плодимая пачками нынче.

Не сравнится конечно с великими, но после 3-го повтора слушается с большим удовольствием! Очень душевные вставочки духовых в "Bad Day At Black Rock, Baby" кстати.

Завтра будет группа Twinn Connexion.

что удивительно, ни одного кавер-хита, в отличии от групп 60-х того времени!!!

Ну так не всем же везет с сочинительским даром. Жаль, похоже, Далтон и Монтгомери толком больше нигде не засветились.

Совсем не понравилось.
Заоркестрованный поп (может где-то в других вещах и была психоделия) со стандартными ходами...
Скидка на год тоже не проходит: все-таки 68-й.

Очень даже добротно!
Конечно влияние времени чувствуется и супер новаторского не услышал (хотя кто сейчас разберет что у кого заимствовалось), но сделано очень качественно и на хороший балл определенно тянет.
Очень даже неплохо для поддержания атмосферы середины 60-х.

Корвин, обеими руками ЗА твой проект!
Ждем продолжения.

Напоминает ранний Би Джиз.Заметно влияние сами понимаете кого:-).Вокал неплох.Первая вещь совершенно беспомощной показалась.Вторая поинтересней,но переаранжирована.Продолжать знакомство с этой командой не возникло.А сам проект по ознакомлению с редкостями очень нужный.

Идея замечательная.
Когда-то на форуме был такой порыв выкладывать целые бутлеги.
Пусть же и это начинание не умрет!

Come on!!!

Я и не ждал, что услышу шедевры, но весьма недурно. Ждем продолжения.

Послушала. Чувствуется сильное влияние "Сержанта", что неудивительно :) Приятная группа. Нельзя сказать, что гениальная или оригинальная. Но приятная. И дух 60-х чувствуется.
Корвин, а можно будет в "Неизвестных шестидесятых" рассказать о такой группе как "The Creation"?

2Mr.Moonlight:
>Я и не ждал, что услышу шедевры
Нет уж. Даешь шедевры!

Несамостоятельная группка-то. Но, в целом, на уровне.

2Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds:

>Корвин, а можно будет в "Неизвестных шестидесятых"
>рассказать о такой группе как "The Creation"?

Не такая уж и неизвестная группа кстати, один ее участник даже приезжал в 98-м в Москву в составе Rolling Stones. ;-)))