Customer Reviews

Triangle

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of my current soap box arguments is that the Beau Brummels are the best Sixties group that you (a) never heard of or (b) do not remember, even though they were the first American rock band influenced by the Beatles to have a hit ("Laugh, Laugh," produced by Sly Stone, which hit #15 in 1965). They were considered by many to be the first folk-rock group (yes, they were recording before the Byrds) and were also out in front of the San Francisco psychedelic sound. Eventually they even got around to experimenting with country-rock as well by the end of the Sixties. The pan centered around guitarist/songwriter Ron Elliott and lead singer Sal Valentino. Elliott's music was both moody and melodious, and with Valentino the Beau Brummels had one of the finest voices in rock 'n' roll. You just want to know going in that if I can persuade you to check out one Beau Brummel album you are going to end up wanting to track down some more of their music.

After their debut album "Trinagle," a 1967 release, would be the Beau Brummel's second strongest album, avoiding the failing of the efforts in between where original material was sacrificed for weaker covers to try and boister their commercial prospects. Rounding out the group is bass player Ron Meagher, but Van Dyke Parks shows up to play some really nice harpsichord and keyboards on this album. The songs eleven songs on "Triangle" represent the full music spectrum of the Beau Brummels, with folk-rock, country-rock, and British-pop all mixed together. In the wake of "Sgt. Pepper," there is an impulse to think of "Triangle" as also being a concept album, with many of the songs dealing with the mystical aspects of dreams, but the end result is more a consistent theme than a cohesive whole. What would have been Side 1 offers something of a music trip around the world, with "Dreaming Now" evoking Paris and "Painter of Women" sending listeners to the desert. "Magic Hollow" is undoubtedly the most beautiful song Elliott every wrote and "The Wolf of Velvet Fortune" features Valentino's finest vocal work. In late 2002 Collector's Choice increased reissuing the album on CD, which also speaks to the strength of an album that deserves to be rediscovered, made by a group that deserves to be remembered.

This superb album reminds us of "Younger Than Yesterday" by the Byrds from the same year. This album effectively mixes country, pop, psychedelia, and folk-rock. "Magic Hollow", "Painter of Women", "Wolf of Velvet Fortune", "I'm Only Dreaming Now", "Triangle", and "Nine Pound Hammer" are just some of the incredible songs the Beau Brummels were writing/covering at the time. Ron Elliot's song writing is very strange, intense, and mystical. How this album slipped out of the public's eye is one of life's great mysteries. This is mainly a critic's album. If your a fan of the Dead, Led Zepplin, or late Pink Floyd you may not like the Beau Brummels or for that matter understand them.There are very few San Fransisco albums this strong. The albums "From The Vaults" and "Bradley's Barn" are also excellent and highly recommended.

This album is not for everyone as you will discover in the sampling of reviews. I won't repeat the circumstances that led to it's creation or it's undeserved obscurity, that has been done well enough. What I think you need to to consider if you are curious about this release are your feelings about studio production.

It is a LAVISH work, with strings and horn arrangements that are certainly grand by any estimation. The songs are not the personal kind of "Pet Sounds" wannabes as someone suggested, but stories. Intricate, well crafted and diverse tales of mystical characters and dreams mixed with sly commentaries of a more contemporary focus, complimenting each other beautifully. Now if you don't like elaborate studio records, prefering a rougher stripped down approach, this will not be something you are likely to dig. Overdone, you might say. I am firmly in the other camp, as long as the orchestration is done well and suits the artist and material. Here it is magic to my ears, and does reach the heights of late 60s Los Angeles studio quality. My only regret is the length, at about 29 minutes, you want more.

I do think it compares favorably to The Family Tree's "Miss Butters" and, dare I say it," Sgt. Pepper" in it's scope , execution and quality. Despite the brilliance of their earlier singles, this was the Beau Brummels finest moment.

This music is haunting and felt deep. I contine to be amazed at the depth of quality in the music, all from a time when albums contained a hit, mayby another good song or two, but was mostly filler. This one is great from the begining to the end. This is like the Beatles Revolver. A dramatic change in direction form thier previous efforts. I especially liked "Magic Hollow"

This music is haunting and felt deep. I contine to be amazed at the depth of quality in the music, all from a time when albums contained a hit, mayby another good song or two, but was mostly filler. This one is great from the begining to the end. This is like the Beatles Revolver. A dramatic change in direction form thier previous efforts. I especially liked "Magic Hallow"

Are You Happy? You will be after this record. Are You Happy? is a great intro to a very cool-for-the-days album. 1967. Apart from the fanciful cover copy linking all the songs into a mystical program, the songs as songs are each important entities. Ron Elliott is always a first-rate songwriter and Sal Valentino is the perfect guy to sing them. He also wrote with Elliott. Pleasing acoustic guitars everywhere, nice period piece orchestrations--accordion, banjo, horns, cellos, electrics, and Van Dyke Parks harpsicord. Only Dreaming Now, Painter of Women, It Won't Get Better--all gems. A cover of the Merle Travis biggie, Nine Pound Hammer, gets a great vocal and nice electrics in the background. A perfectly normal choice then--maybe curious for today. As everyone who knows these tunes knows, Magic Hollow is the standout track. It's perfectly uncommon. Updated, this could be amazing. The title tune has the typical Beau Brummels touch. And then The Wolf of Velvet Fortune. My,my. Mysterious intro, beautiful guitars--a very rare style of song. And reverb settings. They should have ended the program here. Covering Newman's hokeyness doesn't fit the temper or tone. Bringing some of these tunes into the future might require some Orange or Marshall amps! But their versions are far more appropriate. I guess.

Back in 1968 I was tutoring a 10 year old boy whose older brother was into 60's
rock bands like Cream and Traffic, and he knew I liked melodic music, having been
raised on the classics. He condescendingly gave me the vinyl copy of "Triangle"
he bought, which was his way of putting me down, telling me he thinks I'll like
it, as he found it totally and laughably bland and uninteresting. To this day,
it remains one of my most treasured musical possessions. It is one of the early
concept albums, and the instrumentation and vocals are beautiful, but it is the
haunting sound, lyrics, and melodies that have become securely etched into my
memory, as I often find myself humming "Are You Happy", or "Triangle". If fuzz
base is your preference, which I also enjoy, perhaps this album is not for you,
but if you like heartfelt beautiful folklike rock, without a drummer, give this
a listen or two. It will probably grow on you, as it did me.

Beau Brummels was a group with some great harmony in their hits and while from the US, really sounded more like a British Invasion group. I liked their hits but if you listen to their debut, you get the feeling that the group only had a few classics in them. Then came Triangle. Don't be fooled by all of the hype or 4 star average rating of this album. This is a mediocre album at best and not the classic that many reviewers believe it is. And I agree with a previous reviewer who felt that the vibrato became annoying. I'm a big music lover and I look for classic albums. I have most in my collection and many, like Rubber Soul or Blind Faith are albums that I would definitely miss if I could not hear them again. Don't get me wrong, this album is not bad but there isn't one song that blows me away and if I never heard this album again, it would not matter.

I have always been excited by the prospect of The Beau Brummels. I'd dove into 60's garage rock hoping to find that elusive, "hidden" classic. However, as much as I would seek out The Music Machine, Count Five or The Human Beinz, all I would find was one good song, and a bunch of lame covers.

The Beau Brummels sounded like the exception. I loved the hits, and had forgotten about them until stumbling onto allmusic.com's reviews of Triangle. After cross-checking the album on Amazon, all I heard was that every song was beautiful, eerie.

Alas, now 40 years later, in retrospect, the Brummels still fall short of the hype. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the Triangle album. It's just not the most beautiful, most progressive folk-country-lyrical album I've never heard.

I bought this CD fully expecting to be wowed. I wasn't. First of all, the vibrato singing of Sal Valentino will get to you after a couple of songs, and you'll have to turn it off. It's so extreme, at times he seems to be off key, missing notes. That's okay. I like Yoko Ono, too. I just don't think she's the greatest undiscovered artist of the 20th century.

As a total listen, it takes until the 6th song of the album, Nine Pound Hammer, to catch my interest. It's a nice melody, as is Magic Hollow, and I love the imagery of "Old Kentucky Home". The Flying Burrito Brothers dove into truck driving songs, Merle Haggard and converted some R&B songs nicely as a foray into country music. Home is a pastiche of spousal abuse, parental abuse and sheer alcoholism. I applaud their dark sense of humor.

However, as a purchase, Triangle does not warm my thoughts as a good investment. Once I get this thing out of my car, I imagine a time 7 years from now I'll find the CD again, and wonder whatever inspired me in the first place.

Don't get me wrong. It's worth a listen. I just don't think it warrants the gushings found here.

I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed with this album. Several places "Triangle" has been referred to as a classic album and as the best album by the band. It does feature several fine strings-arrangements by Van Dyke Park, but the overall lack of real good songs, makes the album a pretty dull experience.

Actually the first song that really stirred my attention was Randy Newman's "My Old Kentucky Home" and by the end of that song, the album was over. A few more songs like "Magic Hollow" and and the title track lift themselves above average, but not enough to make the album really interesting.