Click on this link to reach the main page of this omnimously unnamed association... The Asplociation Overall Album Score: 8.0 out of 10 1969 was such a monumental year in rock music that it’s easy to see why an album such as this was overlooked. And you know what? I don’t think it was so unjustified. Songwriting was an especially championed art in the ‘60s it seems, and this band excels pretty well in that respect. But for some reason, they’ve been unable to come up with too many extraordinarily memorable melodies. The result? They suck compared to the Beatles! Even the band’s biggest hit released previously to this album, “Cherish,” is kinda more memorable with its atmosphere than its melody. Another one of their former hits, “Along Comes Mary,” is an upbeat song, but the vocal melody seems to just consist of one note. But if you just know this band for their hits, know this: They aren’t prone to writing tons of uninspired filler material. Nor do I gain the impression that every song they write is meant to gain commercial prominence. I do sense real heart in their work. … But they hardly can match the soul and wit of John Lennon. Do you catch my drift? But one thing you cannot deny this album (or this group throughout its history) is its solidness. This makes a really good listen. A lot of effort was put into this. It’s fit for, perhaps, a day’s drive in the country. It’s pretty much impossible to hate this album. I mean, this is such a straightforward album from a band that evidently didn’t do drugs. They were notable on the AM radio circuit back in their day. However, the most important quality of this group (and this album) is that it doesn’t sound particularly dated. You’ll have to like ‘60s pop music to appreciate this album, but there’s nothing about it that is only for the ears of people from the ‘60s. A writer on the All Music Guide postulated that another one of this group’s album’s is better appreciated by today’s audiences, because we won’t bother comparing it to other landmark albums such as Rubber Soul and Pet Sounds. They were brand new when these guys were releasing their albums. This group started out in 1966 as an obviously Beatles-inspired band, but by 1969, it's difficult to tell where they want to go. It seems like country rock at first. The first instrument you hear on the album is the banjo on “Look at Me, Look at You” and then a melody and atmosphere that sounds like it wants to be a war protest song. “Love Affair” is a psychedelic song, and it’s pretty nice. “The Nest” mimics the Beach Boys and “Dubuque Blues” has a very generic folk melody. Two kind of embarrassing discourses in the album is a gospel number “Are You Ready” (but it’s too spirited to really dislike) and a Hendrix-like “I Am Up for Europe.” You can probably assume that the reason this band never achieved much notoriety is that they had a hard time developing a face of their own. They mostly just imitated their already-popular contemporaries. But it’s a solid, likable album and a respectable overall effort. Overall Album Score: 8.0 out of 10 (Few people would ever cherish this … and few people will ever hate it. This is good, inoffensive, derivative music.) Average Song Score: 8.1 (Good songs throughout. There’s nothing particularly memorable. But at the same time their ill-advised discourses into hard rock and gospel weren’t even bad.) Album Tilt: 8.0 (It’s kind of shallow, but it’s structurally very strong!) Artist Rating: 8.0 (Way too much imitating … But they do take some interesting chances and they did seem to put a lot of heart and effort into this.) Track Reviews Look at Me, Look at You 9/10 I really enjoy this song even though it just sounds like a pretty generic folk-ridden country song. But the melody is pretty good and the instrumentation is slick and solid. The banjo plucking was a good (though typical) touch. The song has some nice dynamics as it crescendos in the middle of it. It doesn’t dare to push any boundaries and it doesn’t want to. It’s totally inoffensive and kind of fun too. Yes, I Will 8/10 This song has a pretty nifty groove there! It’s kind of bubbly and bouncy with some dark, distorted electric guitar lightly in the background to give it some body. The melody isn’t so good and the song’s lyrics are pretty corny, but … this isn’t a bad listen at all. Love Affair 8.5/10 I like this song. I appreciate the atmosphere and feel of it more than the melody. This sounds like a pretty lightweight version of psychedelia. The song is kind of dreary, but the group can’t help but give it good flow and make it sound happy. … Yet not overly happy to make it sound corny. It’s an appealing song that you may or may not care to remember. The Nest 9.5/10 This is more of a vocal song along the lines of a Beach Boys composition. (Hey, I don’t think anyone ever accused these guys of not being artistically associated with every single important pop band of the ‘60s!) What they do with their influence here is particularly nice, though. The vocal harmonies are heavenly indeed. There’s definite heart here, but their primary purpose is to make music that you can sit back and enjoy. So I say just sit back and enjoy the dang song!! What Were the Worlds 7/10 It’s another country-rock song that sounds a lot like “Look at Me, Look at You” except there’s no banjo, more slide guitar and the melody isn’t too catchy. It’s as inoffensive and tame as all the other songs on the album … this one is almost boring, though. There’s a vocal crescendo at the end of this, but it’s forced. Are You Ready 8/10 Maybe this should be the only time this group should try gospel. They aren’t heavy enough to do this genre effectively! … They give it a good shot, but the closest the vocalist can get to James Brown is a much weaker version of Dennis DeYoung. The instrumentals have nice spirit, but it’s clear that gospel isn’t their field. But for some reason I can still appreciate their effort. It’s kind of like watching a third-graders put on a show of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The show would suck, but you can’t bear to dislike it, because they put their hearts into it. Dubuque Blues 7/10 The melody seems like a normal old thing from an ordinary old folk musician. This folk-rock song is too dang nice to dislike. I like the flow and energy thoughout the song. The Association definitely didn’t get lazy for this… But why does the melody have to be this bland? It’s not so bad, though. Under Branches 7.5/10 This is another Beach Boys influenced vocal track. Parts of this song are about as smooth and likeable as “The Nest,” but this track isn’t overall such a great listen. The song is almost heavenly in spots but other parts seem rocky. The melody isn’t too wonderful. Some of their ideas here didn’t really work it seems. I Am Up for Europe 7.5/10 …OK, I’m not going to make the obvious sexual joke about this title! … This song attempts to go for the Jimi Hendrix style of hard rock. It’s generally better executed than their gospel song, but it’s almost as embarrassing. The guitar solo is nice, but this all seems standard in a way. They’re better off with country-rock, but this isn’t a bad effort. It’s not as embarrassing as you might think. Broccoli 8/10 This is the kind of thing Spinal Tap was making fun of in their song “Cups and Cake.” But this isn’t really corny. It’s just a silly, two-minute song about the title’s vegetable. There’s some silly high-pitched background vocals, and it ends with some dreamscape noise … This is silly but the tune is kind of catchy. (Oh and the album cover features a likeness of Stone Henge … oh dear.) Goodbye Forever 7.5/10 There’s been about 8 billion songs with a very similar chorus to this, I’m sure, but … I think we’ve already established that this band isn’t original. But that’s OK, I guess. There’s nothing particularly wrong with this song. In fact, it’s very agreeable. The melody’s bland, but the instrumentation is nice. It’s another solid track. Boy on the Mountain 9.5/10 The electric guitar in the middle of this song sounds exactly like Queen!!! But other than that, this is a very spirited number that’s fit as the end of the album. It’s kind of epic and anthemic in a way. It sounds a lot like a hippie song, but it’s tuneful and it sounds like the singers believe in what they sing. That’s always a great quality of a band! Please send me your thoughts about this album here, honeycackel.

All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. Chemistry is the root of all evil.