Carnival of Life

Lee Michaels | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 19, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: One Way Records Inc
• ASIN: B000002R89
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,003 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The VERY BEST Lee Michaels ever, June 10, 2000

By 

R. Lindeboom "theboomer" (Paso Robles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carnival of Life (Audio CD)

In 1968 when this album was issued originally, there was little 'elegance' in rock music. Sure, the Moody Blues had released their first two Hayward-influenced classics and there were some folkie projects out there -- but no one was doing what Lee Michaels did on this project! This is one of the top 'if I were stranded on a desert island' albums of all time. This is one of a handful of albums that reflect the most musical offerings of the psychedelic era of music in the late Sixties. Love's 'Forever Changes', the Moody's 'Days of Future Passed' and Lee Michaels' 'Carnival of Life' are best of class offerings from this period. The opening cut, 'Hello', still screams as one of the best hard rock offerings ever recorded. 'Streetcar' and 'Tomorrow' still have the plaintive and fervent cry that they had back in 1968. The radio missed this one for the most part and never caught up to Lee until his third release, the self-titled album which lacks most all of the musical embellishments that make this recording such a masterwork. I once saw Lee live with his original band -- and saw him in the Lee & Frosty period many times. There was no comparison between the two as his full band was phenomenal; they even held their own against the original member line-up of Procol Harum, whose Matthew Fisher organwork on 'Whiter Shade of Pale' is a true rock classic. Lee & Band were that good. Too bad the radio and rock history overlooked him then and has largely forgotten him now...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Another Day" At The Carnival, January 4, 2005

By 

Jack B. Nimble (East Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carnival of Life (Audio CD)

Originally released in 1967 this was Lee Michaels' debut LP. Part of the "San Francisco Sound", Lee Michaels frequently gigged at numerous ballrooms and auditoriums from 1966 on. This LP which featured the amazing guitar work of Hamilton W. Watt, (of the late 60's, early 70's outfit "Euphoria") solid drumming and heavy-ass Hammond organ courtesy of Lee himself is a FUN listening experience. All tunes are worth the price of admission to the Carnival. Catchy, heavy, melodic arrangements abound and Lee's singing is top notch for an early effort. There are no 2-3 part vocal harmonies contained here, which flourished on many other groups of this era, but this can be overlooked and Lee is forgiven. This album is a psychedelic masterpiece and I'm glad I picked up this reissue on One Way for $12.00 before it vanished and the price became inflated just like everything else! The sound quality is excellent and digitally transfered from the original A&M master tapes. If you can't obtain this CD, please pick up an original vinyl pressing. Same goes for Lee's 2nd 68' LP "Recital", highly recommended. C.O.L is still a reasonably affordable 60's psych record that won't hurt your wallet, unlike Hamilton W. Watt's group "Euphoria" on Mainstream and Capitol Records. Play loud and enjoy! Peace.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Psychedelic Rock Classic, October 24, 2004

By 

Lawrence A. Strid (Mission Viejo, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carnival of Life (Audio CD)

It's funny how some artists never top their debut effort, and Lee Michaels, despite some later quality output, never outdid this release, his first album. The songwriting, production, playing, and sound quality is first rate, with one of the studio musicians being the phenomenal guitarist Hamilton Watt (whatever happened to this guy?). This album is a classic that never fails to thrill and entertain with repeated listienings, especially on the tracks "Hello" (check out Watts' over the top licks on this track), the haunting "Sounding The Sleeping", "Love" (some of Lee's best singing here), and "My Friends" (great lyrics, drug referenced as are some of the other tracks). Lee kind of burned out after 6 or so albums, supposedly suffering from tinnitus which prevented him from playing the Hammond Organ in live venues anymore (I saw him live at the Shrine in L.A. in the mid-seventies, and a riot ensued because he only played the grand piano with a back-up drummer, which the crowd did not appreciate). He disappeared from the music scene thereafter, and I understand that he moved to Hawaii and dropped out of the music scene. We miss you, Lee. Thanks for the music.