Customer Reviews

Magic Time: Millennium Ballroom Sessions

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...yeah, I'll admit it. This set left me a bit disappointed.

Before I hit what let me down, let me repeat what everyone else has said: Curt Boettcher and his associates were very, very ahead of their time. They made music which, essentially, went wholly unappreciate by anybody around at the time. And finally, they're all getting their due.

Now, my problems with this set (interspersed with some praise...hey, I DID give this four stars, right?). The first disc is quite nice, finally assembly the entire Ballroom album WITH the two missing tracks that were absent on Rev-Ola's previous issue of this material. Filling out the disc are some stereo instrumental outtakes of the backing tracks of the Ballroom songs. Which, of course, raises the immediate question: why not mix the entire Ballroom album in stereo, then? Another problem is made apparent at this stage; while I'm not one to care too much about audiophilic quibbles (I notice, but I don't necessarily care), this odd issue is an exception: on the entire set, the treble is WAY TOO HIGH. It hits hardest on the first disc...you can hear some of the instruments distort on some songs. Why did this happen? Especially with Bob Irwin in charge...

...but I'll let that pass. The second disc is a killer, filled with mostly unreleased material. The pre-Millennium tracks are particularly enticing..it's amazing that mere production turned Karmic Dream Sequence from the rough demo on disc 2 into the buzzing masterpiece on Begin. My problem with this disc? That it conspicuously leaves out Boettcher's piano demo of "It's a Sad World," which means that Rev-Ola's set still (irritatingly) has something that doesn't appear here. Bah.

The third disc is Begin (in what appears to be an almost exact duplicate of the Rev-Ola lineup). My issue here isn't with sound quality...I've always felt that Begin (horror of horrors, sacriledge impending) isn't quite as good as most of the other "related" projects, like Present Tense. Why? Reading between the lines is necessary, but it becomes wholly evident that this was really Boettcher's baby, at the expense of everyone else's input, and while Boettcher was an immensely talented producer, his penchant for sugary excess (overdubbing tons of his own harmony vocals) clouds the record somewhat. This becomes even more apparent if one choses to listen to some of the OTHER Millennium material (Poptones' AGAIN comp, or the two Japanese collections), which reveals a band that was well versed in surprisingly-authentic blues-rock, and could pull off tuneful melodies without sweetness bludgening you to death. Don't get me wrong, I like "Begin," but not quite as much as a lot of the Ballroom and other material. Sadly, from the evidence of the two post-Begin single sides, it seems to be pretty evident that the Millennium was well set on their path to correcting the imbalance of power in their midst for their next album. Too bad it was never to be.

The is the most complete collection of Curt Boettchers' musical vision. Its a 3 disc set which starts with all of the original recordings of Curts first full blown studio project named "The Ballroom." The first song in the set is The Ballrooms only chartting single, "Spinning,Spinning,Spinning." This song sets the stage for all of the rest to come. The second C.D contains Ballroom versions of songs that were later re-recorded by The Millennium and included on their one and only CLASSIC album "BEGIN." The 3rd C.D. is The Millennium,"BEGIN" in mindbending stereo sound, plus plenty of bonus tracks. Kudos to Sundazed for first, releasing all of the recordings, second for doing it with uncompromised quality and sheer class. Look, if you were blown away by the Sagittarius album "Present Tense" (Gary Usher and Curt Boettcher)for the love of all things musically wholly, buy this box set! If you love "Pet Sounds," "Smile," or even "The Yellow Balloon" buy it! you wont regret it. After that check out the C.D. of previously unreleased recorded songs that were supposed to go on The Millenniums' second album "Again" or the Curt Boettcher solo album produced by Gary Usher titled "Misty Mirage." Rock on!!!!

I bought this CD because one of the lead singer of The Ballroom, Michelle O'mally passed away last year after a long illness. She was one of my dear friends. I have always heard her private work, but never this collection. I was so amazed!It was incredible! Not just because I love Michelle, but I love the sound! Michelle has a voice like Karen Carpenter. They sound like the Carpenters to me. If you enjoy this type of mellow sound you will love these CDs. They really are fantastic and well worth the money!

I'd argue with anyone that this is the most delightfully sublime collection of "unheard" sets of music from the 60s. Substantially less than half of this material was even released, not a single tune came close to the charts and contrary to the other review here, the Ballroom's "Spinning" wasn't even released as a stock single and never approached chart status. It's hard to say what makes this such a strong collection - shockingly magical production values with soaring, sweet and stunningly beautiful compositions - it's as if Brian Wilson created something as perfect as "Pet Sounds" without any of that album's introversion and inherent loneliness. Why any of this failed to register with the public is beyond me - it's bewildering that so much of this material was left in the vaults. Similarities to artists such as the Association ("5 AM") or the Byrds ("Some Sunny Day" and "Blight" have a "Notorious Byrd Bros" vibe) don't come hinting of the magic of these songs - much of the material from the Millenium album has a production value more akin to Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" than anything else from the 60s. Ultimately, the only reason I can find for the commercial failure of this music is its shameless joy and spiritual purity - the sort of thing that would have made much hit music of the day ring untrue. Which is exactly why Sundazed felt an unknown musical entity merited a pricy 3 CD box set three decades after the fact, and exactly why you should warm up your credit card and get going . . .

First off, this set is fantastic. If you're into Boettcher, this is for you. The sound on the Ballroom stuff is great. Apparently the Revola reissue was mastered from a cassette, so if you have that you'll find the sound here startlingly crisp and present.

If you're unfamiliar with this stuff and like psychedelia and lush light pop like Pet Sounds, The Millennium's Begin might be the next place to go for you. Sundazed really should have released this set in two parts with the Begin album packaged separately. I've turned many casual music listeners onto this record but few would really want to shell out [$$$] for rarities and outtakes just to get it. It belittles the album's significance that it's only available as the last disc of this box set.

Sundazed has finally come through with a top-notch package that includes both the Ballroom and Millennium albums. It's at an affordable price, filled with rarities, stereo instrumentals, copius liner notes and unlike the Poptones re-issues has impeccable sound. But there's probably still that doubt lingering in the back of your mind ... are they really THAT good?

In a word, YES. The comparisions of Curt Boechtter with Brian Wilson and Phil Spector are more than valid. The gorgeous arrangements on both records are carried out with precise order by a skilled group of studio musicians performing at the top of their considerable skills. They even exceed the Sagittarius release by channelling these talents into monstrously compelling songs.

The Ballroom disc marries pristinely clean production with multiple layers of sweet vocals, a soft laid-back vibe and a dash of psychedelia. If you thought the Free Design were too soft, imagine their best works melded with the stellar United States of America. The Millennium disc is the real stunner though, the songs carry a much more confident and larger pop-rock sound than almost anything of that era. Boettcher's signature of deftly intertwining vocals float over aggressively catchy songs of Revolver-like quality.

For those listeners who are approaching these discs from a more modern point of view, I can only point to highly organized bands like Cardinal, the High Llamas, the Montgolfier Brothers or Fugu for comparision. Truthfully, these are some of the most crucial recordings of late-60's pop. If you're a fan of intricately moving pop music this set should not only be part of your library, but also be part of your daily active listening rotation. Enjoy!

Sundazed should issue "Begin" separately...it is a superb LP for those into late 60s AM pop music. The first two CDs have some excellent cuts, but the set approaches overkill for casual fans of Boettcher's work what with all the instrumental tracks and such. It's a shame that the early 1990s reissue of "Begin" is out of print.

One of the lead singers of this band was my dear friend Michelle O'malley, who we lost last year to a long illness. I had only heard her private work and never heard this CD. It is so great! I love it! So much fun from that generation! Wonderful guitar! Harmonized beautifully. Michelle sounds like Karen Carpenter to me, she has such a beautiful voice. Not only do I love Michelle, but I couldn't believe how much I love this CD! REALLY! It is great!

3 stars is because there is a lot of filler in the collection, like instrumental versions of songs (songs with vocals removed) and a couple of clunkers. I agree with other reviewers that "The Begin" album should be available as a seperate CD, but I feel more strongly that the "The Ballroom" with a few bonus tracks from Curt Boetchner and Summer's Children should also be a separate CD (that would be 5 stars). I think the Ballroom versions of The Island and 5 a.m. are a little better, they are not soaked in unecessary reverb. Bigger fan of Sagitarius than The Millenium, but I think that is just taste. Millenium really put out a quality product and after repeated listenings I'm sure it will grow on me.