Sunday, May 24, 2020

Etc. is the Name of the Band!


Sounds like the type of record that Jon Baker of CHiPs would put on in his apartment after a long day patrolling the freeways of Los Angeles. Etc. were based out of Westchester, CA (near LAX) and initially formed their band in 1973 while students at Westchester High School (also the alma mater of the Turtles). This 1976 album is somewhat of an anomaly for its time as it contains all original compositions, while looking back to ‘60s pop (namely the Beach Boys) for some of its direction. Still, it’s far from a proverbial lost classic as there are too many mediocre moments due to its time of release during the early tide of what is now retroactively called yacht rock.  (If the record was issued just two years later, it would have been interesting to see if the new wave/power pop movement would have had any influence on the band.)  Both “Rose for Sister Georgia” and “Left Me Blue” veer a little too far into Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers sheen pop territory to wishy-washy effect. Things get better with “Sazonar,“ a slightly spacey jazzy instrumental, that lifts off somewhere between Wes Montgomery and El Chicano before adding some “Shafty” chakka-chakka guitar that fills the air between the pet rocks, wood beams and skylights. “My Thought are of You” is their solid attempt for a pop rock commercial breakthrough that doesn’t quite make it. Still, the straightforward number does place a slight smile on one's face-reminding listeners of those contemporaneous big hits from Orleans.

Marina Pop
Soft rocking “Freedom” is noteworthy for its quixotic bid to reach the stars in a light polluted sky.  Its prominent harmonies and fluent guitar would not sound out of place on a Bread or David Gates solo album of time.  “Like a Star” and later “Freeway Driver” are as clunky, predictable and pedestrian as those Beach Boys bar band-ish blues shuffles that frequently filled their late ‘70s albums. Perhaps these hokey numbers sounded better live inside a rollicking lounge of a Century Blvd. Ramada Inn. “Red Eyed Sara” is a little better in its attempts to approximate the country rock sides of the Rolling Stones or Poco as it gains some momentum with some unexpected twist and turns. With some brief keyboard nods to the Today!-era Beach Boys, “The Beating of My Heart” takes things back to soft rock mode before stretching out to a sunset horizon filled with warm percussion and guitars. Lastly, “Julie’s Song” is another foray into the sunlit and soulful Bruce Johnston/Beach Boys-esque harmony pop rock. The band truly shines on these Beach Boys-inspired songs and could be said to be a lost link between the boys from Hawthorne and later acts like the Explorers Club who emerged in the wake of the Brian Wilson revival. Overall, this 1976 lone album by this semi-pro band is a worthwhile listen to discover the momentary traces of the ‘60s California Dream that had not completely faded deep into the ‘70s. 

No comments:

Post a Comment