Sagittarius was a studio sunshine pop rock group from the late 1960s, formed by Gary Usher, a record producer and songwriter who worked with groups like The Byrds, Gene Clarke’s solo work, and The Beach Boys as well. This album, Present Tense (1968), is the group’s first of two albums, and was not a commercial success at the time of its release, but has since become a sought after record by fans of The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds (1966) era of music. This particular version I’m listening to is a reissue from Sundazed Records, which features 9 bonus tracks. I’m pretty stoked to hear what’s in store in the album, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Another Time” starts out with some quite gentle acoustic guitar that slowly introduces a steady beat. Oh wow, perhaps the acoustic guitar was actually a harp, or a harp has come in on top of the acoustic guitar, super sweet. Oh wow, some orchestral strings come in and bring a sort of baroque pop sound to the track, while the mixing of the generally bright-sounding vocals that seem to travel about the soundscape brings about a soft-psych sound. Super sweet track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “Song to the Magic Frog” starts out with some gentle acoustic guitar and some super bright, high-pitched harpsichord on the other side of the soundscape, evoking a fairytale-like soundscape. Oh wow, the super bright chorus vocals have such a sweet, serene quality. The baroque orchestral instrumentation in the background fills the soundscape with even more sweet sounds. Great tune.
“You Know I’ve Found a Way” has a slow, steady groove at the start of the track between the high notes on the harpsichord, some orchestral strings, and a gentle bass line in the center, which seems to combine for a somewhat soft-psych feel again. I really dig the bass line as the song continues. Super sweet track.
“The Keeper of the Games” once again seems to evoke a folksy fairytale-like sound again, with a tasty groove from the sweet bass line and the gentle swing of the drums. I really dig the sweetness of the orchestral instrumentation. Super sweet tune.
Holy smokes, “Glass” starts out with a nearly medieval fairytale sound of some hero experiencing something unexpected, perhaps in the form of an obstacle on their journey. Oh wow, it sounds like there’s a sitar in this one, as well as perhaps what might be some eastern folk music sensibilities in the melody played by the harpsichord. I really dig this track, which seems to be somewhat shamanic folk in nature. Great track.
“Would You Like to Go” starts out with a gentle inviting sound, in both the form of vocals and a somewhat beckoning rhythm from the drums and bass. This tune picks up really at a couple points, and feels like it somewhat teases a larger release of tension as the tune never seems to break through to the teased intensity, and I really dig sense. Oh wow, the outro is super sweet. Great tune.
Oh wow, “My World Fell Down” returns to that sort of sensation from a couple of tracks ago with a fairytale hero on their journey. Oh wow, this tune evokes some serious vibes reminiscent of The Beach Boys combined with some some sort of baroque backing band, and I really dig that combination. Oh wow, the harp adds some super sweet accentuations to the end of a movement in the tune. I really dig the harpsichord and harp baroque-sounding combination in the outro. Great track.
Oh wow, “Hotel Indiscreet” starts out with some eastern-sounding musical sensibilities for a brief moment, before becoming a bit of a prancing psychedelic groove, created by the combination of the bass, harpsichord, and bop-iness of the vocals. Holy smokes, I think what I’m hearing now is a super polished harmonica, and I really dig it. Super sweet tune.
Holy smokes, “I’m Not Living Here” starts out with some super flavorful piano that seems to hit some deeper, earthier notes, and I think I heard a bit of distortion from either the bass or an electric guitar, which combine to give this tune a bit of a rockin’ and rollickin’ feel, and I really dig the sound. There’s also some chirping organs coming from the background of the soundscape, as well as some acoustic guitar chords that seem mesh with the bass and drums very nicely in the rhythm of the tune. Great track.
Oh wow, “Musty Dusty” starts out with a super soft folksy sound, as though it’s some child-like lullaby at the end of a fairytale of sorts. The soundscape is quite simple, though very sweet, and is formed by some very gentle acoustic guitar and vocals at the beginning of the tune. Oh wow, more layers continue coming into the soundscape, adding in some different orchestral strings, chimes of some sort, and some pulsating organs (or some other keyboard instruments), each adding some different sweet flavors to the soundscape. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “The Truth Is Not Real” feels like a pretty psychedelic tune, with what sounds to be some distortion on the drum kit on one side, some somewhat dark organs, some swishy vocals that seems to move back and forth through the soundscape, as though they’re sung in a chorus through the blades of a spinning fan, and some other simple percussive instruments throughout of the tune as well. Super sweet track.
“Artificial Light (Of All the Living Lies)” seems to return things back to more of a fairytale-esque sunshine pop sound, with some soft-psych elements mixed in, with a sound that is somewhat reminiscent of The Beach Boys with the interesting vocal layers throughout the track. I really dig the gentleness of the outro of the song. Super sweet tune.
Holy smokes, “Get the Message” has an interesting mixture of sounds as though it’s The Beach Boys being playing in some west Texas saloon, using a parlor piano and some rockin’ grooves in the bass and drums, with some flavorful twangy playing coming from a somewhat distant electric guitar on the left of the soundscape. I really dig the jangliness of the tambourine on the beat during the chorus, which seems to add to the momentous sound of that particular part of the song. Great track.
Oh wow, “Mass #586” begins with what sounds to be a big bell, which is soon followed by church organs and what sounds to be a hymn you might hear in a church. Oh wow, the harp comes in just before the vocals, which seems to add to the delicateness of the sound, which seems to become some sort of plea with the religious connotation of the music. Oh wow, everything fades out for a moment, before coming in with a super sweet sound. Wow, great tune.
“Love’s Fatal Way” starts out on the downbeat of the drums, and immediately gets a slow-building groove going, which sounds to be a psychedelic rock tune circa 1967 mixed with a heavy dose of sunshine pop, which creates some droning layers, which become somewhat bright at times, akin to sunshine pop. The tune almost seems to be a shamanic sunshine pop tune, if there ever was one, and I really dig that combination of sound. Oh wow, the chaotic outro seems to suck the tune together in a super sweet way. Great track.
“My World Fell Down (Mono Single Version)” begins quite differently from what I can recall with some piano or harpsichord, before dropping into that sound that reminds me a ton of The Beach Boys, and I’m really digging hearing that sound again. This version definitely seems to be different in its structure. Oh wow, there’s a super strange portion that sounds like something from “Revolution #9” by The Beatles, which eventually segues to a super sweet section of the tune, which contains only sweet church organs and some soft vocals. Oh wow, that sweet section segued into the main chorus of the tune, and has hooked me further into the track. I really dig the outro of the tune as well, which brings the harpsichord to the center of the soundscape. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Hotel Indiscreet (Mono Single Version)” starts out in a bit cheerier manner at the start, and reminds me a lot of the album version, until there’s the sound of what seems to be an old southern preacher, giving some sort of sermon into the soundscape, which eventually turns into some sort of strange military-esque marching orders. Oh wow, the chorus of the tune returns after that super strange segment, and really dig that series of movements. Great track.
Oh wow, “Lonely Girl” has a super cheery, sunshine pop sort of sound. There’s almost even a bit of an island sort of vibe in the percussion of the tune. I really dig the use of the electric guitar in the track, which seems to rotate between some distant twangy licks, and some muted strumming that adds to the percussiveness of the song. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “The Keeper of the Games (Demo Version)” feels super laid back compared to the album version, and also seems to be in more of a soft psych form in general. I’m really digging the track so far. The vocals are much less layered in this track, which seems to fit with the laid-back bass line and steady beat. I really dig the chords from the acoustic guitar as well. Great track.
“Sister Marie (Instrumental)” begins with some super soft harp playing, which is soon joined by a gentle bass line. Oh wow, the drum track seems to create a slowly descending sound with the nearly waltz-sounding tempo. I really dig the delicate church organs in the background as well. Oh wow, the sweetness of the orchestral strings alongside the distant, steady tambourine is creates a really soft, sweet soundscape, as though the band is laying you down to rest. I really dig that the music slowly fades away during the outro as well, which only adds to the sweet and delicate style of the track. Super sweet tune, and a great way to finish the album.
Wow, this album is a super sweet listening experience. Throughout there was a healthy mixture of soft-psych, sunshine pop, and baroque sounds, with some additions of psychedelic rock at a couple points. The brightness of the music combined with the psychedelic and baroque styles created a generally unique listening experience, which was almost like listening to a children’s fairytale at times. If you enjoy The Beach Boys and also enjoy baroque and soft-psych stylings, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A