Music Banter - View Single Post - That 70's Thread - Anteater's Reviews Of Cool **** You Should Already Have

Anteater · 12-19-2009, 06:21 PM

^ Yeah, I've always felt that Rainbow could have upped their game even more after Rising, but chose the easier path because it meant more money for them. Big shame really. As for today's review-

Colin Blunstone – One Year (1971)

"Vocalist from The Zombies + Baroque Pop = Hell Yeah!"

1. She Loves The Way They Love Her (2:49)
2. Misty Roses (5:04)
3. Smokey Day (3:13)
4. Caroline Goodbye (2:54)
5. Though You Are Far Away (3:24)
6. Mary Won't You Warm My Bed (3:11)
7. Her Song (3:31)
8. I Can't Live Without You (3:28)
9. Let Me Come Closer To You (2:24)
10. Say You Don't Mind (3:22)

Anyone who loves the 60's can tell you a bit about The Zombies. How they came at the end of the counterculture era and shattered just after as 'Time of the Season', a single issued from their 1968 masterpiece Odessey And Oracle hit airwaves and made them legends.

But what most people don't really know (or bother to look up) is what happened to the various members AFTER the big breakup, especially Colin Blunstone, the man whose voice gave the group such a distinctive edge over so many other bands at the end of the age of Flower Power. After spending some time washed-up as an insurance agent and a brief stint to re-record some Zombies tracks for radio, this strangely underrated vocalist pulled himself together, got some material into a studio along with some musician pals, and released his debut album as a solo artist, One Year, in 1971, and you couldn't ask for a more fantastic sounding slice of classically-tinged pop to kick off a new decade.

To fans of The Zombies: don't walk into this record expecting anything. Much of the psychedelia and slight jazz touches that characterized Blunstone's former group is basically non-existant here. What is emphasized, however, are extremely LUSH arrangements around the strings and a lorn, strangely tantalizing melancholy in Blunstone's delivery that would make Nick Drake green with envy...and the results are sometimes so breathtakingly gorgeous that your heart will bleed through your shirt merely hearing it.

It isn't all about the gorgeous folk and ballads though. One Year contains a couple of upbeat rockier works, such as 'Mary Won't You Warm My Bed' and 'She Loves The Way They Love Her', that keep the album balanced and mature as an experience for the listener. The subject matter is typical pop song fare, but with all the lushness and classical inclinations dashing about, its very easy to just flow with the tracks themselves and revel in the act of smiling with the swell of an orchestra, a touch of tension or any number of crescendos that Blunstone's voice hits as he croons off into the darkness.

Pop music has always been a hit and miss affair to people who want something to tap their fingers to while at the same time making some kind of emotional connection with whats being played, but One Year manages to do just that with both a sophistication beyond its era and genuine heart to boot, and it stands out as a major gem of the 70's because of them.

So for those looking to hear some of the best stuff that this talented mofo has sung and set to posterity, pick this up immediately. Hopefully you won't cry at some point through it!