The Beau Brummels
Volume 2 - Autumn 1965
Tracks: 1. You Tell Me Why / 2. I Want You / 3. Doesn't Matter / 4. That's Alright / 5. Sometime at Night / 6. Can It Be / 7. Sad Little Girl / 8. Woman / 9. Don't Talk to Strangers / 10. I've Never Known / 11. When It Comes to Your Love / 12. In Good Time / 13. Gentle Wandering Ways* / 14. Fine With Me* / 15. Dream On* / 16. I Grow Old* / 17. I'll Tell You* / 18. She Sends Me* / 19. Down on Me* / 20. This is Love* / 21. Cry Some* / 22. Let me in* / 23. Hey Love* / 24. Go Away* / 25. Underdog* / 26. Are You Sure* / 27. Some Time at Night* / 28. I Grow Old (alt.) / 29. I Will Go*
Comments:
I have a feeling that The Beau Brummels could well be on their way to oblivion, which is a bit of a shame. The group had a handful of hit singles and were particularly popular in Canada, where they had five top-twenty hits.
One could well call the group a California counterpart to Liverpool's The Searchers. They have good-sounding guitars; both acoustic and electric, melodic songs with solid roots in folk music and tight vocal harmonies.
In a direct comparison, however, I do think, though, that The Searchers will draw the longest straw; in effect stronger vocals and more consistency in the songwriting and song choices. Enough about The Searchers.
"Volume 2" is, of course, the second album from The Beau Brummels, and also the second one released in 1965. Despite the short time between the two albums, the tracks on "Volume 2", with a few exceptions, are generally fine and well produced.
The group wrote most of their material themselves, and especially featured guitarist Ron Elliott was a skilled and prolific songwriter. Elliott had written the group's first two hits "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little" and, with the exception of one track, he has written all the material on "Volume 2" - several of these, however, in collaboration with his friend Bob Durand. The album was produced by Sylvester Stewart, who would later become known as Sly Stone.
The album's two singles "You Tell Me Why" and "Don't Talk to Strangers" are obvious big highlights - catchy melodies and ringing guitars.
Of other tracks that are worth highlighting, there is the short "Doesn't Matter" - melodic with 12 string guitar, the ballad "Sad Little Girl", the charming "good time" track "When it Comes to Your Love" with a fine guitar riff and the final track "In Good Time", which is another "good time" track; this time with distorted guitar.
The group's lead singer Sal Valentino wrote a single track; "That's Alright", which is a nice upbeat number, also with 12 strings. Valentino would later contribute more to the songwriting.
Different CD releases of the album have contained many – and various – bonus tracks. I will focus here on the tracks that have appeared on the boxset version of "Volume 2". Some of these are outtakes, while others originate from a never-completed third album for the group's original label, Autumn.
Strongest among these outtakes is Elliott/Durand's "Gentle Wandering Ways", which is a catchy folkish track with distorted guitar. The track can also be found on an early compilation "Vol 44" from 1968. Another track that should have been included on "Volume 2" is the fine "I'll Tell You Why". Several other of these outtakes and fine and seem finished.
From the unreleased album, "Let Me in" is really nice - it sounds like a potential hit single; a Valentino/Elliott number. Producer Sly Stone has written two very nice tracks for the group in the form of "Underdog", which shows the group from a rawer side and the Dylan-esque "Are You Sure".
At times, the group's vocal harmonies can be a bit odd, but overall "Volume 2" is enjoyable and a good example of good pop music in 1965.
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