A couple of American Spring questions...

[donald]

I'd love to finally hear this album.  Anyone willing to pm to discuss?

I have heard a piece called , I think, Snowflakes Fall...or something like that... 

[Andrew G. Doe]

"Snowflakes" was recorded after Spring was released, late 1972/early 1973 in the famous chicken coop studio in Ft. Dodge IA, along with the Columbia 45 and the original version of "Had To Phone Ya".

[roll plymouth rock]

Great album. When I met Marilyn, I asked her what kind of seeds they gave away with the original album. She laughed and said "spring flowers!" and asked if I had a copy with the seeds, which I don't, then said she still has hers kicking around somewhere and that she never planted the seeds. Saw her, Diane & Ginger sing that night and to my ears they sung nicely and in key. Charlotte Cooper, on the other hand, was noticeably off key that night and I thought the Honeys bvs were far better. But I digress...

[MBE]

Seeds I never heard that before.

[TdHabib]

Hate to backtrack, but on the subject of Brian's gruff voice during this period, I really think that he was controlling at least part of it. When he wanted a "manly" sound, he used it. Yes, there was vocal deterioration, some intentional and some not, during 1974-1976, with lots of cocaine and cigarettes. But, he still turned it on and off in 1976: listen to "Airplane," he does a fairly tender falsetto on the refrains, and then at the "down down, on the ground" part he's real gruff and "manly."

[the captain]

I have to disagree with you: all of his falsettos from 15BO-era onward sound to me very different than his earlier voice.

[SG7]

Brian signed my 45 of Sweet Mountain last year and he sure looked at it for a good long while before he signed it. I wonder if it bought back any memories.

[TdHabib]

I have to disagree with you: all of his falsettos from 15BO-era onward sound to me very different than his earlier voice.

I don't disagree with that, I also hear a marked difference on his post-1973 falsettos. But what I was saying was he evidently had the ability to switch to a gruffer-manly tone during the 15 Big Ones, Love You era, while he still possessed a small portion of his sweeter voice. I mean, listening to the "Clouds in the sky" part of "Airplane" and then the "down down, on the ground" part, it's two different "characters" for lack of a better word.

So I put my money on Brian for "it rained on the mountain..."

[roll plymouth rock]

Seeds I never heard that before.

Yeah, I think it was limited to promo copies. But I heard about it and always wondered what the mystery seeds could have been - knowing Brian at the time I thought they might have been pot! Ha, anyways, Marilyn was standing right next to me for quite a while and well, I couldn't resist inquiring

[MBE]

I have to disagree with you: all of his falsettos from 15BO-era onward sound to me very different than his earlier voice.

I don't disagree with that, I also hear a marked difference on his post-1973 falsettos. But what I was saying was he evidently had the ability to switch to a gruffer-manly tone during the 15 Big Ones, Love You era, while he still possessed a small portion of his sweeter voice. I mean, listening to the "Clouds in the sky" part of "Airplane" and then the "down down, on the ground" part, it's two different "characters" for lack of a better word.

So I put my money on Brian for "it rained on the mountain..."

You've Lost That Loving Feeling has him doing the two voices too, but yes I can't compare anything from the era to his pre 1975 vocals.

[punkinhead]

Seeds I never heard that before.

Yeah, I think it was limited to promo copies. But I heard about it and always wondered what the mystery seeds could have been - knowing Brian at the time I thought they might have been pot! Ha, anyways, Marilyn was standing right next to me for quite a while and well, I couldn't resist inquiring

I've heard of the seeds things before, but it was another band I had saw live, an experiemental group from MI called Anathallo, anyone heard of them?  The album package was quite nice.

[Mr. Cohen]

I thought the name Spring and the seeds giveaway were very creative and very Brian. It's also interesting in that you can see the beginnings of Brian's Love You style here. A lot of the songs feature the piano prominently, and there is a heavier use of synthesizers. If you listen to "Everybody", you can hear the farting snyth bass Brian used all over Love You, just here, it's more subdued. I'm pretty sure that farting synth bass is doubling a real bass on "Sweet Mountain", too. "It's Like Heaven" is another really Brian production, too, that acts as a precursor to Love You. You also hear some of the oddly tuned piano sound Brian was so fond of in the late '60s on some of the songs, like "Tennessee Waltz". And how about the ending of "This Whole World" on the Spring album? So absolutely odd... I wonder if it was Brian's handiwork? The rest of the track, with that rolling karaoke style piano, sure doesn't sound like Brian. Plus, there's that discoey sounding bridge. It's such a strange version of the song.

[lance]

I like their voices because they sound so unproffessional in a way. There's something sort of sexy about it--they sound like my ex-girlfriend when she used to sing in another room when she didn't know I was there. They have character. Love that album.

[Mr. Cohen]

Also, I am aware that Brian didn't produce a lot of the album. That Sadler guy did a lot of work. But I'm inclined to agree with that quote that Brian did at least 25% of the work, and that 25% is very noticeable. With 5% Brian, the whole album probably would've sounded like "Now That Everything's Been Said".

[MBE]

I like their voices because they sound so unprofessional in a way. There's something sort of sexy about it--they sound like my ex-girlfriend when she used to sing in another room when she didn't know I was there. They have character. Love that album.

Good description they have a kind of sexy innocence to their voices.

[bgas]

Seeds I never heard that before.

Yeah, I think it was limited to promo copies. But I heard about it and always wondered what the mystery seeds could have been - knowing Brian at the time I thought they might have been pot! Ha, anyways, Marilyn was standing right next to me for quite a while and well, I couldn't resist inquiring

The promo package came in a mailer which contained the LP( sealed, no promo notation) , plus a photo & press folder,sealed in a glossy white Gatefold with nothing other than the UA Logo on the back and the Pack of seeds on the front. The frontof the mailer shows "Spring" at the top , a printed background mailing label, and some spilled seeds in the foreground;  .  Hope you like this!

  
 

[Curtis Leon]

"It's Like Heaven" is another really Brian production, too, that acts as a precursor to Love You.

Not really a precursor, "It's Like Heaven" was recorded around 1977 or '78 during the short lived Am Spring revival.