Customer Reviews

Bradley's Barn

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

San Francisco's Beau Brummels were amoung the first of the the American counter-invasion bands of 1965. Songs like "Laugh Laugh" and "Just A Little" were big hits and revealed an unusual mastery of harmonics and songcraft that many of "ragged but right" garage bands of the counter-invasion lacked. The Brummels, like the Byrds in L.A., were firmly imbeded in the folk rock explosion which placed an empasis on chiming guitars, minor chord progressions and haunting vocal atmospherics. It was the shimering songcraft of Ron Elliot and the Sal Valentino's expressive vocals that distinguished the Brummels for any number of Beatle wannabe bands in America in 1965.

By 1968 the Brummels were pared down from a quintet to the duo of Elliot and Valentino. In 1967, as a trio, they had recorded "Triangle" which earned the respect of the undergound rock critics but never gained a large audience. It was arguably one of the best releases of 1967, but the long shadow cast by a new wave of psychedelic bands doomed "Triangle" to the lower reaches of sales charts. "Bradley's Barn", recorded one year later was the Brummel's swansong and has become a page that was torn from the book of rock history. Elliot and Valentino went to Nashville to record the album in the famed studio named for Owen Bradley, the legendary country music producer. The excellent Nashville hired studio guns are so good they sound as if they have been members of the Brummels for years. Elliot's maturity as a songwritter shines on cuts like "Cherokee Girl", "Turn Around" and "Deep Water". There is not a single throwaway track on the entire album. Valentino's bittersweet vocals are well suited to the Brummel's new countrified context and the rough-hewn expressivness of his vocals rivals that of his peer Gene Clark of the Byrds.

This album is truly a lost classic. I have been looking for it for nearly 30 years and finally the venerable Collector's Choice label has taken the initative to reissue it. The icing on the cake is that Collector's Choice just released "Triangle" which with "Bradley's Barn" constitute the crown jewels of the Beau Brummels musical legacy. If you want to hear two of the best albums of the sixties, you will want to buy both "Triangle" and "Bradley's" which are the final two chapters in the lost history of a great band.

One thing about the Sixties was that everybody was experimenting musically and not just the Beatles. The Beau Brummels were the first rock group (they were out there before the Byrds at least) and they also dabbled seriously in psychadelia. Then in 1968 producer Lenny Waronker had the band in Nashville to record "Bradley's Barn." Actually, at this point the Beau Brummels were down to just two members, vocalist Sal Valentino and guitarist Ron Elliott. Joining them on this album were two of the finest sessions musicians in Nashville, guitarist Jerry Reed and drummer Kenneth Buttrey (both had worked with Bob Dylan). The end result is that musically the group sounded as fine as it ever had, if not better, albeit now playing country rock instead of folk/psychadelic. However credit has to be given to the songwriting as well, particularly "Turn Around," "Deep Water," and "Cherokee Girl." The only non-original song is the final track, "Bless You California" by Randy Newman. Unfortunately, this was the last album the Beau Brummels record for Warners. However, with "Bradley's Barn" and their 1967 album "Triangle," they proved themselves to be pretty good at experimenting with various musical styles. The more you listen to them, the more you might be inclined to think that the Beau Brummels are the best of the essentially forgotten Sixties groups. They are worth rediscovering.

Bradley's Barn was, for years, the Holy Grail among Beau Brummels albums. Revered by critics, ignored by consumers at the time of its release, and out of print forever. That, unfortunately is the making of a "classic" in the hype sense of the word. Fortunately, this album is better than all of that. It's the kind of album the Grateful Dead may have been reaching for when they caught the "country" bug a year later. Bradley's Barn deserves to be heard and appreciated by all who enjoy Working Man's Dead and American Beauty. The lyrics are engaging without being impossibly oblique and the music is delightful, whether you are just sitting and being mentally swept away or on your feet dancing. Enjoy!!

Ron Elliot and Sal Valentino devised an exquisite record. Along with _Triangle_, perhaps some of the best American rock of their time. Literate, intelligent, subtle, and quite unknown.

It's great that both Bradley's Barn and Triangle have been released on CD. I think that the wonderful critic Richie Unterberger may have had something to do with this. If so, thanks Richie.

The three previous reviews are RIGHT ON the mark. Let me add just one tiny thing: You haven't heard vocals done right until you hear Sal sing "BAY-YUHHHH FOOT BOY!" on "Turn Around" - it DOES NOT get any better than this!

Bradley's Barn was the last album that Beau Brummels released before their first split up around 1968. ( They reformed in 1975 to do another album ). At this point only two ( of the original five ) members were left. Musically they had changed considerably since their early albums and singles released on the Autumn label. They had a handful of Beatles inspired hit-singles during 1964-65. Their majority of their material was written by lead-guitarist Ron Elliot. Elliot along with lead singer Sal Valentino are the solo survivors from the original line-up and they are supported here by experienced Nashville studio-musicians like Jerry Reed and Kenneth Buttrey. Bassist Ron Meagher was drafted to the army before its completion. The title of the album refers to the famed Nashville studio named after legendary producer Owen Bradley.

It's no surprise that there is a lot of country influence on the album, but it is by no means a traditional country-album. Along with the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Buffalo Springfield and the Monkees ( Mike Nesmith ) this album documents that the Beau Brummels were also among the the pioneers who created the the musical style later referred to as country-rock. In fact the best tracks on this album, like "Turn Around", "Deep Water" and "Love Can Fall a Long Way Down", sound a lot like Mike Nesmith's great Monkees songs from "Headquarters" and "Pisces, Aquarious".

Compared to their previous dull string-laden album "Triangle" this album was an inspired step back forward, so it's really a shame that the first chapter of Beau Brummels history ended here.

Five years ago I was excited to find that Bradley's Barn, along with Triangle, were available as a Warner Brothers import. They were pricey and the remastering wasn't great, but I treasured them. After all, these LPs didn't come close to charting on their initial release.

Now, Collector's Choice has released B.B. in the U.S. I admire Collector's Choice because they have released things that wouldn't otherwise see the light of day. Though I have the W.B. import, I just had to get this. I comparing, here's what I found:

The import has a better booklet, which includes lyrics and the original liner notes. The C.C. reissue has new notes by Ritchie Utenberger (All-Music Guide). The only way you'll be able to read the original liner notes is with a super magnifying glass. The interesting aspect of this reissue is the music has definitely been remixed, as the sound stage is dramtically different. The remix is a missed blessing; the clarity and overall fidelity is better, but the sound can be a bit harsh at times. Also, considering Collector's Choice is supposedly aimed at the collector, I thought the package could have been better...more history, more information.

Just before my vinyl copy wore out, I made a (very scratchy) copy on CD from it. It sufficed for a year or three until this CD was finally released. Hallelujah! There isn't a poor song on this album - the songwriting and the singing and the playing are all great. I only wish the Beau Brummels had done more as good as Bradley's Barn, and Triangle.

It took years to find this thing. I used to listen to Cousin Brucie out of WBZ Boston and heard all the hits, among which were Laugh, Laugh and Just a Little by the Beau Brummels. Time went on and I got a few collections, but never the rumored Triangle or Bradley's Barn. Enter Collector's Choice Music. Thank you. Granted, in this whirl-a-world we've got going, I don't past-out as much as I'd like, but these songs are truly comforting. The songs that everyone mentions are indeed my favorites too, but I also like the rest of the tracks. Long Walking Down to Misery has great counterpoint guitars--almost like a western movie wagon wheel feel. Love Can Fall Along Way Down also has great guitar riffs and harpsichord. Little Bird, I'm a Sleeper, Jessica--all through the Brummels machine. Keep in mind there are excellent acoustics/electrics and dobro, banjo and mandolin and everything Nashville can throw at a song. Including tasteful orchestrations. In those days every pop song that was a pop song had orchestration. This isn't too much beyond Gene Pitney days. Come to think of it, my two favorite Dillards albums have the same style backgrounds. Suitable. With players like Jerry Reed, David Briggs, Norbert Putnam and Kenneth Buttrey added to the superb writing skills of Elliott and Valentino there's a timeless perfection that should be valued. And valuable.

Unlike 1967's overrated "Triangle" LP (in which Ron Elliott tried for a "Pet Sounds" but had to settle for a "Sunshine Superman"), Bradley's Barn deserves its lofty reputation. For although it's not as dusty as something like "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", "Bradley's Barn" outshines that piece of opportunistic genre-hopping through sturdy melodies, good smoke, and lowered expectations. Because sometimes you don't have to walk the walk to talk the talk....