TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Triangle" - The Beau Brummels (1967)

"Triangle" - The Beau Brummels (1967)

I'm a fan of everything Beau Brummels (apart from "...'66") and what a surprise to find "Triangle" at a garage sale on my way to lunch at Braum's.  I have never seen one in the wild and seldom in a record store.  The album is an original Mono copy and in really nice shape.  The vinyl looks well taken care of with no cover stains, splits or crumbles.  Just a dinged corner at the bottom.  Sounded great.  

The garage sale had the Beau Brummels' album..."Bradley's Barn" as well, but it had massive liquid stains on the front and back cover that were ugly and peeling. (I know we don't play the cover, but I just couldn't go there.)  "Triangle" had a firm $20 to take it home, which was not a squeal of a deal, but it was fair.  Plus it's always a rush to find something unexpected out in the wild. 

Out of San Francisco, these guys had come a long way from the days of "The Beau Brummelstones."  (Just ask Fred and Barney.)   Their fourth album finds the band leaving the clutches of tight-fisted studio heads and choosing to clear their own path.  And it's a bold, confident trail.  In 1967, The Beau Brummels delivered a beautifully strange folk-rock square filled with mysterious lyrics sometimes carried away by atmospheric dustings of a baroque-ish hue.  Together it makes for a unique heady shade.  All original songs, but for two well-fitted covers.  "Triangle" is an album that gets better with each spin.

"Triangle" - The Beau Brummels (back)

Favorites include:
“Magic Hollow” 
“The Wolf of Velvet Fortune” 
"Only Dreaming Now"

On the album's release, "Triangle" was not so well-received which probably lends to its scarcity in many parts of the country today.  However, since dropping, fresher ears have recognized the square as an under-appreciated gem pushing things forward.  The band's follow-up, "Bradley's Barn" (1968) is considered by many to be their pinnacle and one to grab while on the hunt.

Interestingly, there really was a Beau Brummell.  He was a London fashionato dandy from the 19th century.  A menswear influencer.  And Mr. Brummell takes the credit, or blame, for creating and popularizing the modern suits and ties men wear today.

Warner Bros. Records label

Cat #
W 1692
SIDE A  DEADWAX
o 9239  W-1692-A  1-C  o
SIDE B  DEADWAX
o  9240  W-1692-B  1-C  o

"Only Dreaming Now" - The Beau Brummels / "Triangle" (1967)

TRACKS:
A1  "Are You Happy?"
A2  "Only Dreaming Now"
A3  "Painter of Women"
A4  "The Keeper Of Time"
A5  "It Won't Get Better"
A6  "Nine Pound Hammer"
B1  "Magic Hollow"
B2  "And I've Seen Her"
B3  "Triangle"
B4  "The Wolf Of Velvet Fortune"
B5  "Old Kentucky Home"

PERSONNEL:
Sal Valentino - vocals, vocal arranger
Ron Elliott - guitar, arranger, vocals
Ron Meagher - bass, guitar, vocals
ADDITIONAL
Van Dyke Parks - harpsichord, keyboards
Carol Kaye - bass
James Burton - guitar
Donnie Lanier - guitar
Jim Gordon - drums
The Blossoms - backing vocals
Gene Garf - accordion
Lou Klass - violin
Shari Zippert - violin
David Duke - French horn
George Hyde - French horn
Gale Robinson - French horn
Jesse Ehrlich - cello
Raymond Kelley - cello
Dick Hyde - trombone

Good stuff.

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Comments

Charlie Ricci said…
Love the Beau Brummels! Laugh Laugh is a great song.
March 27, 2024 at 11:39 AM
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