![\"the_association\"](\"http:\/\/eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/the_association.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Association<\/strong> – Deluxe Expanded Edition New Sounds<\/em> – CR\/Now 43<\/p>\n As the UK luxuriates in its hottest summer for years, this writer settles back in his deck chair, long tall orange juice in hand, and takes in the sweet summer sounds of 1969. Otherwise known as their \u2018Stonehenge\u2019 LP, due to the perhaps ill-advised cover artwork, The Association\u2019s self-titled fifth LP is all the better for its CD release. Augmented with a carefully chosen selection of mono singles, from original master tapes, these tracks avoid the pitfalls of being produced for a modern audience with an up to date sensibility.<\/p>\n Opening track \u2018Look at Me, Look at You\u2019 has some of the sweetest harmonies heard, always a strength of this West Coast band, and \u2018Yes I Will\u2019s buzzsaw guitar is the only note of tension in this open, honest declaration of love. \u2018Love Affair\u2019s close harmonies approach that of another famous West Coast band, and \u2018The Nest\u2019s slow lament of a familial break-up touches where it should, but manages to turn hopeful toward the end.<\/p>\n \u2018What Were the Words\u2019 has a country feel, as it runs through its meditation on indecision and inaction. It\u2019s followed by the upbeat, challenging \u2018Are You Ready\u2019, all about seizing the day before it\u2019s gone, filled with street slang, brass and a bold soul feel throughout.<\/p>\n \u2018Dubuque Blues\u2019 could hardly be more different, a gorgeous, country tinged melody with all the longing you\u2019d expect of a fondly remembered childhood home. Its subtle tempo changes and that touch of bitterness toward the middle are sensitively handled in this masterly evocation of a distant time and place.<\/p>\n \u2018Under Branches\u2019 has a quiet, subtle intro in the style of \u2018It\u2019s Too Late\u2019, and those spot-on harmonies, fitting the mysterious poem perfectly. Skirting around the subject of regret, and exploring the suppression of honest impulses, the track doesn\u2019t resolve, but has enough wordplay to keep the listener guessing.<\/p>\n \u2018I Am Up For Europe\u2019 and \u2018Broccoli\u2019 are a little hippie jokiness to lighten the mood, the former an affirmation with a tight drum tattoo keeping it company, the latter a bit of nonsense about a favourite food with the band\u2019s perfectly blended harmonies making it difficult to resist.<\/p>\n \u2018Goodbye Forever\u2019s urgent love affair and the inevitable sorrowful aftermath are well realised, even if the language has a little too much distance. \u2018Boy on the Mountain\u2019 builds to a great crescendo with exciting guitar bends after its \u2018Fool on the Hill\u2019 style opening, and closes the original LP well with its striking effects.<\/p>\n Among the singles included here, \u2018Just About the Same\u2019 has a nimble bass line, great harmonies, hand claps and an overall feel-good vibe that is hard to beat. \u2018Six Man Band has fuzzy guitar, solid electric backing, and is otherwise a typical \u2018travellin\u2019 man\u2019 type of song. \u2018Seventeen Jewels\u2019 loud swell carries it up beautifully, and \u2018Enter the Young\u2019s very \u2018English\u2019 guitar sound suits this song of youthful feelings. It is a complete mystery to this listener as to why this single was withdrawn. A completely worthwhile accompaniment to a hot summer\u2019s day. Please do Buy HERE!<\/a><\/p>\nThe Electric Prunes<\/h1>\n