MARRYING MAIDEN

Isn't it strange that "Marry Maiden" became IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY's best selling album, not their debut? That is strange, because it doesn't live up to the greatness of their debut. The lineup is still the same as their debut, except for Fred Webb replacing Linda LaFlamme (he also uses organ, piano, and harpsichord). Most of these songs are that soft psychedelia in the vein of "White Bird", but much shorter, and not as so inspired. The album opens up with "Don and Dewey", a violin jam inspired by the duo of by the name name (Don "Sugarcane" Harris played violin for Little Richard and even Frank ZAPPA). Then you have the gentle ballad "The Dolphins", which is the kind of ballad that worked much better on their debut. "Essence of Now" is another gentle ballad, but I think is one of the better songs here. "It All Comes Down To You" is a country-ish piece complete with Jerry Garcia of the Dead picking pedal steel guitar (I guess this piece being more country-like is no surprise since the Dead did release two country-ish albums around the same time as "Marrying Maiden" with Workingman's Dead and American Beauty). "Soapstone Mountain" is one of those idealistic hippie songs with hippie lyrics, about living in the country. "Let a Woman Flow" is a pleasant song, but with some really lame lyrics. "Galileo" is a bit different with some spoken psychedelic mumbo-jumbo. "Good Lovin'" is an upbeat piece and works quite well. "Rodeo" is an instrumental country-influenced piece, again with Jerry Garcia picking up the pedal steel here. To me, the album isn't bad, and several good songs make it work having, but never lives up to the greatness of their debut. I love the back cover, however.

Again, buy the old Columbia or CBS LP print, don't buy any reissues from San Francisco Sound, as once again, Matthew Katz, that unethical scumbag, rips people off by overcharging for inferior products, and never paying the surviving band members royalties.