American Baroque - Chamber Pop And Beyond 1967 - 1971 Various Artists (Saint Etienne)

£30.98

Genre:
Pop
Label:
Ace Records
Format:
LP
Catalogue Id:
XXQLP2 146

The heyday of American baroque pop – or chamber pop - ran from 1966 to the turn of the seventies. It used string quartets, harpsichords and woodwinds to create a summer-into-autumn melancholy that was quite new, and quite far removed from rock’n’roll as Eddie Cochran would have known it. Baroque pop’s musicians often came from a folk background, with an affinity for acoustic instrumentation. Linda Ronstadt's first band the Stone Poneys had introduced the autoharp to their line-ups in 1965, while the likes of Bonnie Dobson and Nico experimented with a string quartet’s, searching for different, post-electric Dylan directions.

You can trace it back to the Left Banke who created a sound that was soft but insistently sad - where were the guitars? Their guitarist Rick Brand claimed their lyrics "were written as rather self-consciously beautiful musical whimsy, as you find in the latter 18th-century Romantic music, pre-Beethoven". They had a huge hit with ‘Walk Away Renee’ and effectively invented a genre before combusting after just one album. Splinter group Montage produced a very rare album and singer Steve Martin Caro an equally rare single - both are represented on “American Baroque”.

Though the baroque sound was quickly forced into a corner by the back-to-basics stance of power trios like Cream and Blue Cheer, many musicians weren’t yet ready to ditch cellos and harpsichords. Some groups like the Blades of Grass aimed their minor key melodies at an early or even pre-teen following. And others like Emmit Rhodes' Merry Go Round, H.P. Lovecraft and Appaloosa simply loved the feel of string quartets and woodwinds and continued to explore orchestral pop further, into the early seventies.

In doing so, they created this tapestry of delights. There was no single blueprint for the American baroque sound – it could be bordering on the gothic (Russ Giguere of the Association’s extraordinary ‘My Plan’) or as small and precise as a music box (Tom Northcott’s ‘Other Times’).

Share

Track listing

Show

Side 1

  • 01 Preview You're A Very Lovely Woman - The Merry-Go-Round

  • 02 Preview I Shall Call Her Mary - The Montage

  • 03 Preview Raggedy Ann - John Randolph Marr

  • 04 Preview Tulu Rogers - Appaloosa

  • 05 Preview Turnaway - The Pleasure Fair

  • 06 Preview Different Drum - The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt

Side 2

  • 01 Preview Emily's Illness - Nora Guthrie

  • 02 Preview Barefoot Gentleman - The Association

  • 03 Preview Land Of Sensations & Delights - J.K. & Co

  • 04 Preview Blue Jack Of Diamonds - H.P. Lovecraft

  • 05 Preview Time - Bonnie Dobson

  • 06 Preview Satin Slipper - The Blades of Grass

Side 3

  • 01 Preview My Silent Symphony - Chris & Peter Allen

  • 02 Preview Mr Webster - The Monkees

  • 03 Preview Again Again - Eternity's Children

  • 04 Preview My Plan - Russ Giguere

  • 05 Preview The Fairest Of The Seasons - Nico

  • 06 Preview Other Times - Tom Northcott

Side 4

  • 01 Preview You Lied - The Neon Philharmonic

  • 02 Preview Close To Carmel - The Fun & Games

  • 03 Preview Home Before Dark - Nora Guthrie

  • 04 Preview I Have Been Alone - The Common People

  • 05 Preview Two By Two (I'm Losing You) - Steve Martin

  • 06 Preview Lorelei - Rosebud

Delivery & Returns

Show

We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

In the event that any products supplied to you by us are damaged or defective, we agree to replace or repair the damaged or defective products or refund the amount you paid for such goods (including postage & packaging) providing you notify us (either via post at or e-mail: orders@acerecords.com ) and return the goods within 28 days of purchase. Physical goods should be sent back to us in the same condition you received them to: “Returns” Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the e-mail address above including a copy of your notification.

You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

Customer reviews

Show

Related products

Customers who bought this item also bought