ALBUM: The Beau Brummels, ‘Triangle & Bradley’s Barn’

Most folks are familiar with San Francisco’s Beau Brummels via their hits “Laugh Laugh” and “Just a Little.” During 1965, they hit the top 20 with these classics and had a few other minor hits as well. A year later, they had switched from the smaller Autumn label to the larger and more promising Warner Brothers. The WB’s brass immediately had them record an album of covers which, by most accounts, was a mistake. Luckily, their next album was made up mostly of originals and set a new sound for the Brummels.

When Triangle was released in 1967, the Beau Brummels were reduced to a trio: vocalist Sal Valentino, guitarist and principal songwriter Ron Elliott, and bassist Ron Meagher. The music was a sharp contrast to the average rock albumo of other bands released at the same time. No heavy-duty, extended guitar solos or psychedelic freakouts were to be found here, bub. Instead you had 11 eleven tracks with a very mature, folky sound. Lots of acoustic guitar and orchestration were present along with muted drums and percussion.

The album received a lot of critical praise and very few sales. Add to that the departure of Meagher to the military reserves, and one can’t help but wonder if this is the point where the Beau Brummels break up.

Luckily, Warner Brothers was a very hip and flexible label. It was suggested that Valentino and Elliott record another album at the renowned Bradley’s Barn, a recording studio just outside of Nashville. The cream of the Nashville session musicians crop was called in to play on the album. The result was another album — entitled Bradley’s Barn, of course — that was full of great songs and exceptional performances. It also failed to fly off the shelves, and what was left of the Beau Brummels called it quits.

As the years progressed, these two albums gained a cult following. Curious listeners who were interested in the so-called country-rock sound that the latter-era Byrds and Gram Parsons had been creating were led to the last two Beau Brummels albums to help complete the picture. Any self-respecting rock critic who wanted to make him- or herself look hip and all knowing would cite these two LPs as necessities for any well-rounded record collection.

It makes sense to ask if these albums live up to the hype. I’m happy to say that they do, although the descriptions given by others are a bit misleading. “Country-rock” doesn’t really define the sound here. Eye magazine called their sound “rustic,” which is perfect. Instead of the Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, what we have here is more like the Band’s Music from Big Pink.

Check out “Magic Hollow” from Triangle:

The harpsichord – played by Van Dyke Parks, who probably wouldn’t object to this album being compared favorably to his sound – is a really nice touch to a very lovely tune. It’s an understated song that gives the listener a lot of aural bang for their buck.

One thing that I never realized until listening to these two albums recently is just how distinctive Sal Valentino’s voice is. He had a sound that was all his own. It’s a unique combination of fragility and strength, and it’s more expressive than you might initially think. He puts it to excellent use on “Magic Hollow.”

If you want an overall impression of the album’s sound in one song, give “the Keeper of Time” a quick spin:

This sums up what Triangle sounds like. The lyrics are interesting but not totally out there, and as mentioned before, the music itself doesn’t fit in at all with what was being played on radio at the time. Overall it’s a lovely album.

As for Bradley’s Barn, the Brummels took what they had created on Triangle and made a good thing even better. The musicianship on the former album was excellent, but using some of the best musicians Nashville had to offer made Bradley’s Barn a minor masterpiece. Every time I listen to this album I hear something else that I didn’t notice before.

Dig the opening track “Turn Around”:

Again, a proper tone is set. This album is not going to make the neighbors call the cops if you play it too loud. It’s understated but full of so many beautiful sounds. If you really focus just on the instrumentation, you can’t help but be amazed.

“Love Can Fall” is one of the longer songs on the album, and a cryptic one at that:

Now if the morning doesn’t bring relief
Then I’ll take myself out walkin’
Just to tide over what was said
Who was there and who was jokin’
And did Julie have to cry
And did everybody try to never mind it
Questions asked in my mind
What was the thing she lost and did she find it
I know love can fall a long way down
Yes, sir love can fall a long way down

Sounds like ol’ Julie had a rough night, although I guess it wasn’t fun for anybody who was there.

So, there it is in a nutshell. These two albums do indeed hold up extremely well after all this time. Given that they’re almost 50 years old — which is a sobering reminder of how quickly time can pass — they really don’t sound like they’re from the 1960s. It’s a cliché to call them “timeless,” but it’s an appropriate description.

If you’re intrigued by what you’ve heard – and here’s hoping that you are – you are in luck! Real Gone Music lumped these two albums onto one handy-dandy CD. As usual, the sound is great and they provide some informative liner notes.

Finding the original albums will not prove to be an easy task for the vinyl purist, but more power to you if you have the time and dinero to do so. For the rest of you, order this CD and keep it handy whenever you need a more rustic sound surrounding your brain. You need to be in the right frame of mind to really listen to them, but if you ever find yourself needing a Sunday-morning kind of album — when you need to sit on your proverbial back porch with a cup of whatever and let your brain recharge — Triangle and Bradley’s Barn are just what the doctor ordered.

Get your copy of the Beau Brummels’ Triangle & Bradley’s Barn from the Real Gone Music online shop!

George Brandon

George Brandon is the office manager of a large bookstore in Tennessee. In his spare time, he lives, breathes, reads about, writes about, and listens to rock, pop, and soul music from the 1950s through the 1970s. He has more records and CDs than he probably needs, but he’s always looking for more musical treasures.