AMERICAN POP IN THE SHADOWS 1967-1972

Description

Peace and love in late 60s America was not without underlying feelings of fear and confusion about the social situation, particularly Vietnam. ‘Safe In My Garden’ is the latest Ace compilation in an acclaimed series by Bob Stanley. It accompanies the highly praised ‘State Of The Union (The American Dream In Crisis 1967 – 1973’ Ace CDCHD 1533/XXQLP2 057 2018).The music of ‘Safe In My Garden’ is harmonious, beautifully produced soft rock. Sunshine pop, even – a melodic and innovative American musical style born mid-60s out of the folk and surf scenes, epitomised by the Beach Boys and the Mamas and Papas. You’ll hear orchestral arrangements and gentle male and female vocals. But it wasn’t composed in isolation from the outside world. There are clouds, minor chords, a great deal of melancholy within these harmonies.‘Safe In My Garden’ features songs of escape (Mark Eric’s ‘Move With The Dawn’, Groop’s ‘A Famous Myth’), loss (Eighth Day’s ‘How Can I Stop Loving You’, New Colony Six’s ‘Prairie Grey’), dreams (Tommy James and the Shondells’ ‘She’, Nancy Priddy’s ‘You’ve Come This Way Before’), rebirth (Smokey and his Sister’s ‘Creators Of Rain’), a simpler world (Free Design’s ‘My Brother Woody’) and a more philosophically sound future (Chad & Jeremy’s ‘The Ark’, Best of Friends’ ‘Summer Sound’).The album contains surprisingly dark messages, twinned with beautiful melodies, as well as songs of hope. From the mid- to late-60s, thousands of young musicians across America’s cities, suburbs and towns spent their mornings hiding from the postman, dreading the draft. This is the sound of young America in the late 60s, fingers crossed.