Das `67er Album gehört sich zu den besten Platten dieser an Highlights
nicht armen Phase. Die Kombination von Sal Valentino´s hoher Stimme,
Ron Elliott´s mystischem Folk-Psychedelic Songwriting und Van Dyke
Parks Orchesterarrangements verzauberte so manchen Hörer. Ein echtes
Juwel, das mit den früheren Beau Brummels musikalisch nichts gemein
hatte.
Their 1967 album got critical raves (Lillian Roxon called it the
album that astonished everyone and blew a million minds) for its
artful blend of orchestration (from Van Dyke Parks) and the strength of
Ron Elliotts songwriting. A haunting, beautiful record.
(Glitterhouse)
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The jewel in the Beau Brummels' crown, Triangle was an unexpected departure
from the band's earlier hit-making formula -- and demonstrated Ron Elliott's
growing maturation as a songwriter. All the band's signature styles (folk,
country swing, and Brit-pop) are still heard in the mix, but the tunes
here assume an added aura of mysticism. Buried commercially by the likes
of Sgt. Pepper, Triangle shared its premise of songs loosely united by
a common theme -- in this case, a ruminative dream cycle (though to call
Triangle a concept album might be overstating the case). The exquisite
"Magic Hollow," graced by Van Dyke Parks' delicate harpsichord,
was surely the LP's highlight. Plucked as a single, it barely dented the
charts, yet remains one of the most beautiful tunes in the entire Brummels
canon. The album's first five songs -- "Are You Happy," "Only
Dreaming Now," "Painter of Women," "Keeper of Time,"
and "It Won't Get Better" -- form a surprisingly coherent and
cohesive whole despite marked differences. "Dreaming"'s accordion
transports the listener to Paris' Montmartre, while "Painter"
suggests the shifting sands of the Middle East. Elliott's lyric imagery
in these tunes and a third track -- "The Wolf of Velvet Fortune"
-- is particularly striking, and Sal Valentino's richly expressive voice
elevates all three to sublime heights. Too long ignored by rock cognoscenti,
Triangle is (all hyperbole aside) a fine album which deserves to be heard
by a wider audience. In late 2002 Collector's Choice increased the odds
of this occuring by reissuing the album on CD.
(by Stansted Montfichet, All
Music Guide)
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