This album, Birthday (1968), by The Association, is one that I added to my queue the other night after coming across the band on Apple Music. The Association is a sunshine pop group from California that was first formed in 1965. The group briefly broke up in 1978, only to reform in 1979 and different iterations of members have continued playing together to the present day. This album is the group’s fourth record, and was released under the Warner Bros. record label, reaching up to #23 on the Billboard pop charts. This album seems to continue my excursion into the sunshine pop genre, which has been interesting to experience thus far. I’m excited to give this one a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Come On In” gets grooving with an upbeat bass line and some gentle percussion right away, and is soon joined by some bright and tasty electric guitar and piano. Oh wow, I really dig the vocals in this track; the placement and mix of the vocals seems to have a very inviting feeling as the bright, harmonized chorus vocals on the left side have a personal and close feeling, while their are some super sweet, distant-sounding, and bright background vocals that seem to echo that sentiment from the opposite side of the soundscape. The tune is very infectious, as I want to tap along on my desk while I listen. Super sweet track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Holy smokes, “Rose Petals, Incense and a Kitten” comes in with some more personal feel with the mix of the tune. The bass line sounds so clean and slick, while the acoustic guitar seems to gently gallop in the background from the opposite side of the tune. Oh wow, there are some orchestral strings that sweeten up the soundscape even more. Holy smokes, there’s a plucky and sweet acoustic guitar melody that comes into the soundscape with nearly a flamenco-like feel. I really dig how the vocals are arranged in this track, as the background chorus vocals seem to gently drift around the soundscape. Super sweet tune.
Holy smokes, “Like Always” starts out with some super sweet psychedelic rock flavors before getting into this super interesting, parlor or saloon country sunshine pop sort of tune, and I’m really digging the resulting sound. Oh wow, the mix of the vocals reminds me a ton of The Beatles in this track, as well as some John Lennon solo work. Oh wow, the tune seems to become a bit more psychedelic pop/rock oriented as the track seamlessly evolves as the music continues. Wow, awesome track.
“Everything That Touches You” gets moving with an upbeat bass line on one side of the soundscape and some super bright and flavorful acoustic guitar on the other that also has some piano as a backdrop to further emphasize certain lines. Holy smokes, the buildup to the chorus is super groovy. Oh wow, the track contains some space for the different instruments (drums, bass, guitar, piano, vocals) to add some flavorful accentuations and miniature solos, making the tune feel both very polished and dynamic. Wow, great tune.
“Toymaker” begins with some nearly ominous, or rather, anticipatory sounding piano, before dropping into a super sweet, relaxing groove that seems to be gradually stirred around with the vocal arrangement, as though two stones are dropped into a still creek at opposite ends, and the resulting ripples eventually disturb the calm waters, while you get to watch the surface move around a bit before calming back down. Oh wow, the electric guitar at the end almost has a punchy, jazz-like tone, and I’m really digging it. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Barefoot Gentleman” begins with some low, droning background chorus vocals, which sets a sort of building, nearly bluesy sound as the tone in the tune. I really dig the syncopated beat in this track, which seems to have a certain psychedelic feel to it. Oh wow, the tune seems to have broken through to a second movement, marked by more intensity in the drums, piano, and vocals. I really dig the strumming of the acoustic guitar behind the vocals, which seems to add a jangling percussive feel to the soundscape. Oh wow, this tune is super flavorful, and especially so when the warm horns swell in from underneath. This track reminds me of a sunshine pop version of The Animals’ version of “House of the Rising Sun”. Wow, awesome tune.
Oh wow, “Time for Livin'” gets grooving with a bit of a galloping bass line, which is soon joined by some flavorful chorus vocals, twangy guitar lines, some bopping piano lines, and a strong beat that seems to gradually drive the tune forward. Oh wow, there’s some super flavorful pacing in this tune, which allows for tension to build up and release in a super pleasing manner. I really dig the soundscape and style that seems to be a sort of country sunshine pop sound. Wow, great track.
“Here In Here” gets grooving with a flavorful combination of bass, piano, and guitar all working together to create some flavorful, very textured chords as the different parts line up on the beat. Oh wow, I really dig this tune. Though there are some definitive elements of sunshine pop, this tune also contains some super flavorful distorted guitar lines that I more closely associate with psychedelic pop and rock. Holy smokes, the little guitar solo in this track is super flavorful, hitting some notes that seem to take this tune out into more overtly psychedelic territory for a moment. Awesome tune.
Oh wow, “The Time It Is Today” this tune seems to slow things down a bit with some droning guitar chords that seem to swell in and out of the soundscape. There’s almost a bit of a raga inflection in the guitar work at some points, and at other points the tune feels more of a psychedelic garage rock/pop sort of tune. I really dig the bass line in this tune as well, which has a line that it keeps coming back to for a quick fill that is super flavorful, and seems to mark the difference between to the two sorts of movements in the track. Great track.
Oh wow, “The Bus Song” reminds me a bit of more McCartney-esque tune by The Beatles with the bopping, more up and down movements in the bass and piano in the track. Oh wow, the piano gets rollicking around a bit, while the sweet vocal line almost has a bit of an ominous undertone, feeling somewhat psychedelic in nature. Oh wow, the current music in the tune fades out a bit, and on there seems to be a quick barbershop-quartet concert piece recorded over the radio, which seems to paint a deliberate picture of the tune for the listener. Oh wow, the tune returns to the original line, with the up-and-down style of the bass line and a sort of rollicking piano part. Wow, great tune.
“Birthday Morning” begins with some soft playing from what sounds to be a somewhat muddied piano or bass line. Oh wow, now there seems to be a harpsichord doing a lot of melody work in the background. Holy smokes, the harmonica comes in with a ton of flavor, and really gives this tune a pleasing, conclusory feel in relation to the album. The instrumentation reminds me a bit of the previous tune in terms of the style, with the chorus of vocals wrapping things together quite nicely. Great track, and a super sweet way to finish the album.
Wow, this album is pretty sweet, and is definitely one that I wouldn’t mind owning on vinyl. Many of the sunshine pop albums lately have also been psychedelic pop in nature, and this one is too, but there are also some more rock-oriented flavors, containing some distorted guitar at times, and even a bit of a country feel in the drums and bass at certain points as well. If you’re into psychedelic pop and are interested in sunshine pop, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A