The sole album from six-man-and-a-woman Canadian band
David
is one of those wonderful, flawed surprises from the era, an overreaching blend of orchestral, soft
pop
with light
psychedelic
and
soul
touches that doesn't quite come together, but is full of exquisite music nonetheless. The intraband songwriting, the majority of it by
Ted Grimes
, is a mixed lot of varying caliber, but the finest songs -- and those make up at least half the album -- are truly stellar. The two
Francis Webster
contributions are highlights.
"Never Been in Love"
is a moody, psych-tinged
folk-rock
beauty, gorgeously produced and featuring stunning, ethereal harmonies that descend into quasi-medieval gothic chants and are goose pimple-inducing when they mix with the track's prominent trumpet. His
"Cup of Tea"
is a romantic,
country
-picked tin pan alley tune that sounds not unlike
Paul McCartney
's most sentimental,
show tuney
acoustic efforts.
never outright falters, but their writing does at times lapse into prosaic melodies, as on
"Lovely Lady,"
a
ballad
as faceless as its title. At other times the results are merely quaint (
"Flight of the Egyptian Army,"
a fine
"Peter Gunn"
-style instrumental that, nevertheless, is not nearly as esoteric as the title implies) or, on one occasion, simply embarrassing.
"Because I'm Black,"
while musically a lovely piece of swaying
pop/rock
, bites off more than it can digest lyrically. It is admirable as social commentary, but the premise -- a black child confusedly questioning the racist mentality -- is ridiculous coming from a lily-white septet. Then again, it's not quite as ridiculous as it first seems. One of the most fascinating traits of the album is the completeness with which horns are incorporated into the arrangements on songs like the whimsical
"Little Boys"
and the sensational
"Descension,"
a trippy slice of psychedelically inclined
that brings to mind both
the Vejtables
Left Banke
, and pre-dates the sound of
Chicago
by more than a year. Other rock combos like
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Love
were experimenting with horns at around the same time, and even beforehand, but brass actually comprised an essential part of
's repertoire, somewhat novel for 1968. The primary inspiration seems to have come from American
music, especially if the last two songs on the album are any indicators. The loopy
"Alvin J. Ashtray,"
with its deep-groove bassline and a fine lead vocal from
Deborah Kelly
, and the sweet duet
"Take My Hand"
actually predict, convincingly, the
funky
urban soul
of the early '70s -- a shock considering the source and recording date. Even if a few of the album's more precious moments haven't aged so well,
is more than a mere footnote to the late-'60s scene. It is an unjustly forgotten bridge between the harmony-based
of that decade and the gritty city
to come. ~ Stanton Swihart