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CHAD & JEREMY
Of Cabbages And Kings (Sundazed)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale
After a string of pop hits that were, and largely remain, underrated for their artistry, Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde were looking for the project that would boost their esteem beyond the teen idol level. Releases like Pet Sounds and Sgt. Peppers had raised the bar for pop production considerably, and in September of 1967, Chad & Jeremy entered the studio to create their response, Of Cabbages And Kings. Although the album didn't have the commercial impact the duo hoped for, it has stood as one of the underrated gems of 60's pop. Sundazed has assembled the original album's six bonus cuts for reissue, and it's a reissue that should delight any fan of Brit-pop who is familiar with it, and happily inform those who aren't.
Producer Gary Usher ran interference with the Columbia accountants, providing Stuart and Clyde the time and resources they needed to realize their ambitions, and their ambitions were high. Using sounds ranging from didgeridoo, horns and strings to flushing toilets and the verbal antics of their labelmates, The Firesign Theater, they produced a set of original songs that included the five movement "Progress Suite," a collage of music and found sounds. The result was an album worthy of inclusion in the pantheon established by its noteworthy predecessors, but ultimately it wasn't the album Chad & Jeremy fans were looking for, and save for the relative handful of us who revered it both then and now, it became best remembered more as a novelty near the end of a career (they would record one more album, the similarly ambitious The Ark, before Clyde departed to pursue an acting career on British stages) than as a triumphant peak.
As someone who has been waiting for this package for a long time, I can only say I'm delighted with the job Sundazed has done on it. Extensive notes featuring interviews with Stuart and Clyde, bonus tracks including both sides of the single "Rest In Peace" b/w "Painted Dayglow Smile" and three unreleased tracks, original art, archival photos and excellent sound add up to a reissue that's truly an event. This is the good stuff, folks, and this is the right way to get it.
Track List:
Rest In Peace * The Gentle Cold Of Dawn * Busman's Holiday * Can I See You * Family Way * I'll Get Around To It When And If I Can * The Progress Suite: Prologue * Decline * Editorial * Fall * Epilogue
Bonus Tracks
Manners Maketh Man (prev. unissued) * Cautionary Tale (prev. unissued) * The Gentle Cold Of Dawn (prev. unissued instrumental) * Rest In Peace (single version) * Painted Dayglow Smile (single version) * Sister Marie
© 2002 - Shaun Dale