The Association - Renaissance

Jim Yester’s brother Jerry (of Modern Folk Quartet fame) took over the production reigns from Curt Boettcher for this November 1966 release, and the result was one of the group’s most varied albums—oddly enough, the single chosen from the album, Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies, was the strangest, most psychedelic song on the record! The rest of the record veered from the folk-rock-pop harmony sound for which the band was already well-known to jazz to bubblegum-ish pop without a hitch…a fine record in a year full of ‘em. Includes I’m the One; Memories of You; All Is Mine; Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies; Angeline; Songs in the Wind; You May Think; Looking Glass; Come to Me; No Fair at All; You Hear Me Call Your Name, and Another Time, Another Place. Album Description

Association Treading Water Between 1st and 3rd LPs

This second LP by the Association is not a renaissance but a step backward by a group missing Curt Boettcher or Bones Howe. Jerry Yester was too close to the band to produce and it shows. First the good stuff. This album is still the Association. But the album should have been built on the tracks "You Hear Me Call Your Name", "Memories of You", and "No Fair At All". There are too many overdone vocals, solo ("Angeline" sounds like a singer going through surgery without anesthetic) or groupwise, especially on the psychedelic songs. "I'm the One" begins vocally in James Shatner territory. "Songs In the Wind" gets blown out of the water with whining and squeeky lead vocals or it would be a nice song."Come to Me" has some nice guitar work that sounds like circa "Jefferson Arplane Takes Off", but is weak songwise. Overall the lush harmony is here, but the road isn't paved... the group harmony seems forced and rough at times. Also there is one too many sour psychedelic notes sung. The Association were playing on this for the first time in their album career and perhaps Jerry Yester was concentrating too much on the instrumental tracks. The songs overall, less the 3 mentioned above just aren't strong enough to carry 4 or 5 star ratings. June 8, 2006

Great 2nd LP

If you can find the Jap import of this.....get it....the domestic sounds thin and tinny.....the highs are too sharp......the Japanese did a much better job of remastering....warmer, thicker sound.....all the highs...and bass....much easier on the ears March 6, 2005

Renaissance, the Association

There is a cosmic Romanticism we all know and aspire to. A rebirth of this "cosmic Romanticism" occurred in popular music between 1965 and 1968. One of the best examples of the cosmo-Romantic view is the album "Renaissance," by the Association. Best known up to that point for "Along Comes Mary," and the gushingly beautiful "Cherish," the Association followed up their top ten successes with this commercially less appreciated masterpiece. The album has echoes of the Beatles '65, "Rubber Soul," the Gregorian chants of the Yardbirds, harmonies of the Beach Boys, the folk rock elegance of the first two Byrd albums, the socially conscious here-and-now stance of the Buffalo Springfield, with a touch of the explosive creative fire of another L.A. based group, Love.
The record begins with "I'm the One," a song that sets the stage for ensuing meditations on love and romance. The second track, "Memories of You," is a moody reflection on the problem of separation from the beloved. Next is an upbeat paean to the romantic quest, sung in three/four time, "All is Mine." "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies" serves up a kind of unsettling depiction of ego loss and purification on the cosmic romantic cycle. This is grounded next by the track, "Angeline," a ballad that verges on the bombastic, whose lyrics convey a redeeming sense of transcendence in the face of lost love. Next in suit comes the puckish "Songs in the Wind". Then, try to imagine an intermission to reflect upon the first half of what you've heard. "Not bad," you could say before listening to the second half.
The group now seems to pull out all the stops with "You May Think," "Looking Glass," "Come to Me," "No Fair at All," "You Hear Me Call Your Name," and the snappy close, "Another Time, Another Place." There is a foreshadowing, in this sequence, of the rock and roll opera soon to become de rigueur. Like Percival entering the Grail Castle, the song "Looking Glass" asks the crucial questions..."Who's that standing there? Who's that standing there? What's Her Name? Does she still wear morning in Her hair? Does She smile the same?" (caps. added) And whom does She serve, one could further add?

If you already appreciate the music of the era, including the groups mentioned above, or listen to retrospective collections such as the Nuggets Box Sets I and II, you will more than likely dig "Renaissance." Besides the fantastic singing and impressive harmonies,the Association is a group of outstanding musicians. If in doubt, check out their performance on the expanded edition of the Monterey Pop Festival. Lastly, the sound quality on this Collectors' Choice CD is excellent.
December 19, 2004

The Association's Renaissance

"Renaissance" is the Association's 2nd album, and, once more, these guys deliver the goods with catchy, inventive, memorable pop songs and truly unique vocal harmonies. I really, really dig this band. "Renaissance" features a couple of Association hits, albeit minor ones: the lovely "No Fair At All," and the spectacular psychedelia of "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies," one of the band's very best confections. But there are many more first-rate songs, including "I'm The One," "Memories Of You," "Angeline," "Looking Glass," and "You Hear Me Call Your Name." I'm very, very happy to see most of the Association's catalog available in North America at last, and "Renaissance" is definitely a major highlight for this remarkable group. So pick it up, and enjoy the superb sounds of the Association! May 24, 2004

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