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Reviews |
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ALLMusic
review
Brewer & Shipley's first album was gentle
late-'60s folk-rock with touches of pop and country, with Jim Messina and
Leon Russell among the session support. It's pleasant but on the bland side,
bearing some superficial resemblances to early Simon & Garfunkel in the
duo's vocal harmonies. Of all the many folkys to make a transition to
electric folk-rock in the 1960s, Brewer & Shipley retained more of the
wholesome, strident qualities of early-'60s folk revival harmonizing
than almost anyone. It's given an up-to-date (by 1968 standards)
production, though, with a |
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full rhythm section and some light orchestration. They get a little more
soulful and earthy than usual on "Time & Changes," but for the most part
it's placid and breezy stuff, bridging the folk era and the mellower
folk-rock to come in the early '70s. "Mass for M'Lady" is an
exception to the general mood with its mournful tune and gothic,
keyboard-centered arrangement, and is for that reason a standout.
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Keeper Of The
Keys fan
review |
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I have to differ with the reviewer from the always valuable ALLMUSIC site on several points. First
"Mass For M'Lady" is
not a standout on this album of great songs. Two, I
don't hear the touches of country on this album that you can clearly hear on
all their subsequent albums, and most importantly this album is anything but bland.
In fact, I believe Brewer & Shipley's debut album is a lost classic.
When I first saw Brewer & Shipley on stage,
the songs they were featuring were from Down In L.A., and while I always prefer to hear Brewer & Shipley play their songs with just
acoustic guitars on stage, I do love the lush production on Down In L.A.
that
still lets two acoustic guitars be the centerpiece. Listen to the
wonderful horns on Green Bamboo. To me, this is one
of those albums where all the songs just seem to fit in mood, tone, and
sound, like a Rubber Soul, After The Goldrush, or Tea For The Tillerman.
All those albums had a few great songs and then supporting songs that all fit together
and created an overall mood. In my opinion, Down In L.A. fits in that category.
Because Down In L.A. was the only album recorded on
A&M, none of these songs ever made it to the Buddah compilation CDs. It
is truly a shame that this record is not available. There are at least three songs
from Down In L.A. that I include in my top 25 Brewer & Shipley
songs...."Truly Right", "An Incredible State Of Affairs", and "Dreamin' In The Shade
(Down In L.A.)". Other B&S fans might pick "Keeper Of The
Keys", "Time & Changes", or the wonderful "Green Bamboo". Then throw in some very strong supporting
songs, "I Can't
See Her", "Love, Love", and "Small Town Girl", and you have a
great album. Three songs on this album were
covered by other artists.
If asked to pick their
favorite Brewer & Shipley album, most long-time fans of the duo would pick
Weeds number one, and Tarkio as their number two favorite, or
vice versa. If asked to
pick my favorite, I would have to stop and think about whether I would pick
Weeds or Down In L.A. as my number one favorite (and
eventually I might pick Weeds). To me, Down In L.A. is a great
album that has its own beautiful and unique Brewer & Shipley sound. It
is an old friend to me, and when I was finally able to get a good clean LP
transfer to CD a couple years ago, I was in heaven. Any Brewer & Shipley anthology
would have to have three or four songs off this
album. |
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Down In L.A.
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