Ronny & The Daytonas- "Sandy" LP

[Shane]

 I picked up an old, scratched up LP for 50 cents this weekend- "Sandy" by Ronny and the Daytonas, from 1966.  I just finished listening to it, and feel like I really should give it a mention on here.  I was really shocked at just how good it is!  Much like Pet Sounds, this is an LP where you know its far from the most commercial thing the group did, but you realize that it truly is their masterpiece.  There's no songs about GTO's or for that matter, cars in general on this album.  This is moody, introspective pop music... think of side 2 of the Today album minus the dense BB vocal harmonies.  Its definitely worth picking up!

[RONDEMON]

Awesome! I heard Sandy on a "lost 45's" radio show over a year ago. The DJ never said the name of the song, but this is it.  Thanks for posting. Great song too.

[Malc]

It's also worth picking up the Ronny & Daytona's CD on 'Sundazed' - "GTO - The Best Of The Mala Recordings" which not only has great, clear versions of their 65/66 period (including the great "Tiger-A-Go-Go") - but also the obvious hot-roddin' hits from '64 ... 

[Shane]

"Awesome! I heard Sandy on a "lost 45's" radio show over a year ago. The DJ never said the name of the song, but this is it.  Thanks for posting. Great song too."


Honestly, I think some of the album cuts are even better than the "hit".  Definitely worth picking up!

[RONDEMON]

I've been listening to the "Sandy" LP for a while now and I have to say it's by far the closest Beach Boys fans have to a sequel to "Today!" (Side 2) and I'm not exaggerating.

Absolutely fantastic arrangements and songs that have that sad summer vibe and are on par with BW's clever chord changes and simple yet complex arrangements.
The vocals aren't as good as the BBs but whose are??

These guys started as a Jan & Dean ripoff but the stuff circa-65-66 is absolutely worth a listen.
Here are some songs that give BW a run for his money IMO.

"If I Had My Way" - reminds me of "She Knows Me Too Well" (http://open.spotify.com/track/1o52oVqqHQWvIOoJzC4gtU)

"When Stars Shine Bright" - the outro on this is the best tag that BW never wrote (http://open.spotify.com/track/5g2Flq0CunWn2mDGI7g0Zs)

"Somebody to Love" - starts getting Pet Sounds/Rubber Soul here with a harpsichord/sitar (http://open.spotify.com/track/6x4VLGQTkcGrOOYZTICFkP)

"Goodbye Baby" - on par with "In the Back of My Mind" with the sad surf vibe. Great harmonies/key changes. (http://open.spotify.com/track/24QRrmZMBKhLx48BFt4CMb)

"Sandy" - the song that started my obsession with these guys. Bacharach meets Wilson circa-66 (http://open.spotify.com/track/4yrTrpb8liAIFuA6Qlvqum)

[Shane]

Hey, thanks for reviving this threaded I started six years ago.  More BB fans need to hear this album!!!  It is worlds apart from "Little GTO", the hit for which these guys are most known.

[EgoHanger1966]

This is a very nice album. I picked up the Sundazed reissue a while back on a whim, and was surprised at how quiet the vinyl was! As mentioned above, I think the vocals leave a little bit to be desired, but the song craftsmanship is there.

I do prefer the title track as sung by The Swinging Blue Jeans, though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67UBMlcIqT0

[Shane]

After reading this thread, I ended up going through youtube and finding some of the non-LP singles the band released in the 1965-67 period.  Many are of the same quality, and also the same general mood.  Didn't know there was more of this kinda stuff out there...

[kwan_dk]

Aaaah, the Sandy album. Count me in among those who feel it's an overlooked classic. The comparison to the second half of Today is spot-on! Besides being reissued on vinyl by Sundazed there also was a fine CD 'vinyl cover replica' reissue in Japan a few years ago.

After reading this thread, I ended up going through youtube and finding some of the non-LP singles the band released in the 1965-67 period.  Many are of the same quality, and also the same general mood.  Didn't know there was more of this kinda stuff out there...

Yeah, John 'Bucky' Wilkin came up with some killer singles back then  - it's a shame he didn't get to make a third Ronny & the Daytonas album. He put out two unsuccesful solo albums after closing down the Daytonas as a recording entity. They are more in a singer-songwriter vein but quite nice.

Baby, Say No off 'Sandy' is without a doubt my favourite song of theirs. Very sparsely produced but beautiful all the same...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoB7Vbt77oU

Hadn't heard the Swingin' Blue Jeans cover of Sandy - very nice. Jeffrey Foskett also covered it. His take is close to the original and very polished...