Deep Tracks: The Association

In the liner notes for 1966’s And Then… Along Comes the Association, Phyllis Burgess, then entertainment editor for ‘TEEN magazine, calls the California vocal group “the first ‘show-rock’ group around today — which means they can play bluer blues than the Rolling Stones, harder hard-rock than the Raiders, and put more folk into folk music than the Kingston Trio.” Despite those bold claims, the Association is best remembered today for their shimmering harmonies on soft-pop classics like “Cherish,” “Windy,” and “Never My Love.” Today, we’ll look at a few Association songs that aren’t oldies radio staples — but maybe should be.

1) “Blistered,” And Then… Along Comes the Association (1966)

Johnny Cash’s recording of this Billy Edd Wheeler song might be better known, but the Association’s version rocks harder with a driving beat,  It’s really the only other song on this album that matches the urgency and sexuality of the group’s first single, “Along Comes Mary.”

2) “Round Again,” And Then… Along Comes the Association (1966)

“Round Again” is a delightful little piece of music geekery, with lyrics that reflect the changing melody and tempo of the music. The group jumps all around the scale on the line, “Like these notes you seem to be everywhere”; the harmonies recall jazz vocal groups on “then things start swinging”; and the line about “spinning in a groovy 6/8 time” is, indeed, set to a very groovy 6/8 time.

3) “Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies,” Renaissance (1966)

Though it barely cracked the Top 40, this soft-psych gem is worth a listen for its gorgeous layered vocals and totally ’60s lyrics about a quest for personal and spiritual fulfillment.

4) “Come to Me,” Renaissance (1966)

Like “Along Comes Mary” and “Blistered” before it, “Come to Me” mixes bluesy guitar riffs and occasional dissonance with the sweet high harmonies the Association are known for. The “ba-ba-ba” coda is particularly lovely.

5) “Happiness Is,” Insight Out (1967)

The Addrisi brothers, who wrote the hit “Never My Love,” also penned this quintessential sunshine pop song, with lyrics full of clowns, balloons, sandcastles, and puppy love.

6) “Requiem for the Masses,” Insight Out (1967)

“Requiem for the Masses” is the sort of song that makes your ears do double-takes: “Are they singing in Latin? No, wait, now they’re singing about blood? And… pie?” Yes, all of those things are happening in a story about a dying matador who’s also a not-so-subtle symbol for the soldiers being killed in the Vietnam War. When “Requiem for the Masses” was released as the B-side to “Never My Love,” many radio stations started playing it instead of the less socially relevant A-side, until (according to this interview with Terry Kirkman) the Nixon White House had a talk with Warner Bros. Records. Who knew the cherubic singers of “Cherish” had a socially rebellious past?

7) “Everything That Touches You,” Birthday (1968)

“Everything That Touches You” is musically and thematically close to “Cherish”; it earns a place here because it was the song that got me to start exploring the Association’s catalog beyond the hits. Check out the triumphant ending, with the combination of martial horns and stacks of vocals echoing “love, love, everything is love.”

8) “Rose Petals, Incense, and A Kitten,” Birthday (1968)

Has there ever been a more precious song title than “Rose Petals, Incense, and a Kitten”?  Has there ever been a more precious song than “Rose Petals, Incense, and a Kitten”?

9) “Broccoli,” The Association (1969)

The Beach Boys weren’t the only ’60s pop band to celebrate vegetables in song. “Broccoli” is the Association at their most experimental and goofiest, a sound collage with a funky guitar and and silly lyrics (“I like to eat it with my mouth!”).

10) “That’s Racin’,” Stop Your Motor (1971)

It’s a novelty track not even two minutes long, but with its low-pitched country vocals, fiddles, honky-tonk piano, and lyrics about race car driving, “That’s Racin'” couldn’t sound less like a typical Association song — which is exactly why it’s earned a spot on this list. For a group with such a distinctive sound, the Association could break impressively out of its mold when the members chose to do so.

Did we leave out your favorite Association deep track? Let us know in the comments!

Carey Farrell

Carey Farrell is a writer, musician, and teacher from Chicago. She enjoys collecting vintage books and records, watching terrible movies, and telling people about the time her band opened for Peter Tork. Find her on YouTube or Bandcamp.