Customer Reviews

Sunshine & Shadows

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

 

 

BOTH ARS NOVA RELEASES WERE BEFORE THEIR TIME. BOTH GREAT FOR WHAT THEY WERE/ARE. I LIKE BOTH FOR DIFFERENT REASONS .
AS FOR "MEDIOCRE" AS THE OTHER REVIEWER SUGGEST JUST AIN'T SO.
SUNSHINE AND SHAWDOWS WAS ONE OF THE LAST AGE OF ALBUMS WERE ALL THE INSTRUMENTS WERE REAL . NO SYNTH JUST RAW TALENT. THE CONCEPTS OF BOTH ALBUMS ARE DIFFERENT HENCE THE DIFFERENT PACE,SOUND,SOMEWHAT STYLE. I THINK THIS ALBUM WILL GROW ON YOU. THE TITLE TRACK IS POSSIBLY,ARGUABLY ONE OF THE BEST ROCK POP SONGS OF THE TIME. [ I KNOW I WILL GET FLACK FOR THAT STATEMENT] GET BOTH ARS NOVAS PLUG IN THE HEADPHONES AND TAKE OFF TO A BETTER MUSICAL TIME.

Great to have this little gem available on CD! "Sunshine & Shadows" is one of the most unique sounding late 60's efforts put to wax. An early example of "Jazz-Rock" fusion of sorts, this release boasts the talents of Wyatt Day who sings and writes pretty satisfying lyrics, Sam Brown, who provides lead guitar, Jimmy Owens, who plays some very tasty trumpet, and Warren Bernhardt, who adds a nice keyboard timbre. All in all this album has a great deal of variety ranging from "Old-Timey" sounding tunes like "Rubbish" to delicate statements like "She Promises Everything" to powerful rock items like the title track and "Please Don't Go Now." Do yourself a favor and pick this recording up, put it in an auto cd player - turn up the volume and cruise down the highway! The alternative is to invite friends over for a get-together and turn them on to this neglected fusion masterpiece! A must have!

This second album from 1969 is inferior to the debut of the year before. Only Jon Pierson and Wyatt Day were still around from the first album. While there is a variety of styles explored on the album, from jazz to folk rock, ballads to pop, the songs aren't as consistently intriguing. It isn't an awful album, the title track is pretty good for instance. However, like the first it was commercially unsuccessful, and it's easy to see why as this is a bland release for the most part.

...Walk on the Sand. The acoustic guitar of Sam Brown is inspired. The whole album is interesting in a late 60s kind of way and quite listenable, but the tune to come back to again and again is Walk on the Sand. It has a similar feel to another great underground radio classic "The Wind" by Circus Maximus. I've read that the album was recorded live in the studio. Great song, should have been a hit.