Birthday | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 7, 1968 [1] | |||
Recorded | September 12, 1967 – February 23, 1968 | |||
Studio | United Western Recorders, Hollywood, CA | |||
Genre | Pop [2] | |||
Length | 33:17 | |||
Label | Warner Bros.-Seven Arts | |||
Producer | Bones Howe | |||
The Association chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [3] |
Birthday is the fourth studio album by the American band the Association. The album featured two hit singles, "Everything That Touches You", which hit number 10 in the charts, [4] and "Time for Livin'", which reached number 39. [4] This was the last LP by the group that spawned Top 40 hits. It peaked at number 23 in the Billboard charts. [5]
The song "MacArthur Park", which was first recorded by Richard Harris, was originally offered to the Association for inclusion on this album. Producer Bones Howes challenged Jimmy Webb to write a pop song that incorporated classical instrumentation and an odd time signature, which he planned to have the Association record.
According to rumors, the song was intended as a centerpiece for a twenty-four-minute cantata that would occupy one side of the record, but the group rejected the idea and were only interested (albeit reluctantly) in recording the “MacArthur Park” section. This rumor was later debunked by Webb himself, claiming there was only one composition. The reason for its exclusion was that the group, being able songwriters themselves, were not willing to give up two to three of their songs for the sake of Webb's project.
According to Terry Kirkman on the Discogropheties podcast, just prior to his death, they were only offered MacArthur Park but 2-3 days before a tour with no time to arrange or record it. Plus the album was mostly done by that point.
When Harris, who had just performed a slew of musical numbers for the film adaptation of Camelot , contacted Webb for a possible collaboration, this was among the compositions that were in consideration. The Harris recording became lead single for his pop record debut, A Tramp Shining , and made its way onto the Billboard Hot 100 at number 79 on May 11, 1968, peaking at number 2 on June 22, 1968 behind Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You".
# | Title | Writer | Lead vocals | Recorded | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Side 1 | |||||
1. | "Come on In" | Jo Mapes | Kirkman, Giguere | January 26, February 19 & 20, 1968 | 3:16 |
2. | "Rose Petals, Incense and a Kitten" | Ric McClelland, Jim Yester | Yester | February 3, 19 & 20, 1968 | 2:49 |
3. | "Like Always" | Tony Ortega, Bob Alcivar, Larry Ramos | Ramos | December 27, 1967 & February 23, 1968 | 3:04 |
4. | "Everything That Touches You" | Terry Kirkman | Kirkman, Yester | November 14, 1967, January 4 & February 9, 1968 | 3:17 |
5. | "Toymaker" | Jeff Comanor | Yester, Kirkman | February 3, 12 & 16, 1968 | 3:25 |
Side 2 | |||||
1. | "Barefoot Gentleman" | Skip Carmel, Jim Yester | Yester | December 27, 1967, February 16 & 19, 1968 | 3:23 |
2. | "Time for Livin" | Addrisi Brothers | Giguere, Ramos | February 2, 19, 20 & 23, 1968 | 2:43 |
3. | "Hear in Here" | Ted Bluechel, Jr. | Bluechel, Jr. | February 2, 16, 19, 20 & 23, 1968 | 3:13 |
4. | "The Time It Is Today" | Russ Giguere | Giguere | December 27, 1967 | 2:15 |
5. | "The Bus Song" | Terry Kirkman | Kirkman | February 2 & 20, 1968 | 3:27 |
6. | "Birthday Morning" | Skip Carmel, Jim Yester | Yester | September 12, 1967 & January 4, 1968 | 2:25 |
According to the 2010 deluxe mono edition: [6]
The Association is an American sunshine pop band from Los Angeles, California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival. Generally consisting of six to eight members, they are known for intricate vocal harmonies by the band's multiple singers.
"MacArthur Park" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb that was recorded first in 1967 by Irish actor and singer Richard Harris. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. "MacArthur Park" was subsequently covered by numerous artists, including a 1970 Grammy-winning version by country singer Waylon Jennings and a number one Billboard Hot 100 disco version by Donna Summer in 1978. Webb won the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the Harris version.
The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees is the fifth studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 1968 by Colgems Records. It was the first album released after the cancellation of their TV show and subsequently was their first not to reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, peaking at No. 3, and their first not to chart in the UK, with their four previous efforts all having reached the top ten. The album has sold over a million copies.
Instant Replay is the seventh studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 1969 by Colgems Records. Issued 11 months after the cancellation of the group's NBC television series, it is also the first album released after Peter Tork left the group and the only album of the original nine studio albums that does not include any songs featured in the TV show.
The Lost Episodes is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles previously unreleased material. Much of the material covered dates from early in his career, and as early as 1958, into the mid-1970s. Zappa had been working on these tracks in the years before his death in 1993.
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book is a box set by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald that contains songs by George and Ira Gershwin with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. It was produced by Norman Granz, Fitzgerald's manager and the founder of Verve Records. Fifty-nine songs were recorded in the span of eight months in 1959. It is one of the eight album releases comprising what is possibly Fitzgerald's greatest musical legacy: Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Complete American Songbook, in which she recorded, with top arrangers and musicians, a comprehensive collection of both well-known and obscure songs from the Great American Songbook canon, written by the likes of Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, George and Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, and Johnny Mercer.
Words and Music is the second album by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb, released in 1970 by Reprise Records. This was the first album authorized by the artist.
A Tramp Shining is the debut album of Richard Harris, released in 1968 by Dunhill Records. The album was written, arranged, and produced by singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb. Although Harris sang several numbers on the soundtrack album to the film musical Camelot the previous year, A Tramp Shining was Harris' first solo album. "MacArthur Park" was one of the biggest singles of that year, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. The album as a whole was also highly successful and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1969.
And Then... Along Comes the Association is the debut studio album by the Association, released on Valiant Records in July 1966. It became one of the top-selling albums in America, peaking at number five, and remains the Association's most successful album release, except for their Greatest Hits compilation. The album's success was primarily credited to the inclusion of their two U.S. hits "Along Comes Mary" and "Cherish", which peaked at number seven and number one respectively on the Billboard Hot 100; "Cherish" was number one on Billboard's Top 40 list for three weeks starting on September 24, 1966.
Renaissance is the second album by the Association. This was their last album recorded for the Valiant Records label, and was reissued by Warner Bros. Records after the company acquired Valiant. The album peaked at #34 on the Billboard Top LPs albums chart.
Insight Out is the third album by the American pop band the Association and was released on June 8, 1967 on Warner Bros. Records. It was the band's first album release for the Warner Brothers label and it became one of the top selling LPs of the year in America, peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Critic Richie Unterberger has attributed much of the album's success to the inclusion of the U.S. hits "Windy" and "Never My Love", which reached number 1 and number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart respectively and were among the most-played records on AM radio during the late 1960s.
The Association is the Association's fifth studio album. In the US charts, the album peaked at number 32 in the last week of October 1969. In Canada the album reached number 12. None of the singles broke into Billboard's charts, but in Canada "Dubuque Blues" did reach number 76. The single "Goodbye Forever" was reworked from the previous album project, Goodbye, Columbus, as is heard in its lyrics about the relationship between the characters played by Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw in the film Goodbye, Columbus.
Stop Your Motor is the sixth studio album by American pop band the Association, and their final album released on Warner Bros. Records. It marked the debut of keyboardist Richard Thompson, replacing original member Russ Giguere. The songs "That's Racin'" and "The First Sound" were initially slated to be part of a proposed soundtrack for a documentary film about auto racing, Once Upon a Wheel, hosted by Paul Newman but the soundtrack failed to materialise beyond a promotional level. The title song from the documentary, as composed by Terry Kirkman, never saw an official release.
Waterbeds in Trinidad! is the seventh studio album by The Association. This album was the group's only release for Columbia Records as well as their last recorded project of the 1970s. Released in 1972, it was the last album to feature original bassist Brian Cole, who died in August that year. One last recording with Cole, the non-album track "Names, Tags, Number, & Labels", was released as a single on the Mums label the following year.
Loving You is the first soundtrack album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. It was released by RCA Victor in mono, LPM 1515, in June 1957 to accompany his film, Loving You (1957). Recording sessions took place on January 15, 16, 17, and 18, 1957, at the Paramount Pictures Scoring Stage, and on January 12, 13, 19, and February 23 and 24, 1957, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. These are the first sessions where Steve Sholes is officially listed as producer. It spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. It was certified Gold on April 9, 1968 by the Recording Industry Association of America.
High Lonesome is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Randy Travis. It was released on August 27, 1991 by Warner Records. Four singles were released from the album: "Forever Together", "Better Class of Losers" (#2), "Point of Light" (#3), and "I'd Surrender All" (#20). All of these singles except "Point of Light" were co-written by Travis and Alan Jackson. Conversely, Travis co-wrote Jackson's 1992 #1 "She's Got the Rhythm ", from his album A Lot About Livin' .
The Association "Live" is the first live album by The Association. The 2-disc album set was recorded at a concert in Salt Lake City and released by Warner Bros. Records in 1970. This album peaked at number 79 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The Yard Went On Forever is the second album by Richard Harris, released in 1968 by Dunhill Records (DS-50042). The album was written, arranged, and produced by Jimmy Webb.
James Yester is an American musician. He is a member of the sunshine pop group the Association, who had numerous hits on the Billboard charts during the 1960s, including "Windy", "Cherish", "Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary", among many others.
Credits are given in liner notes of CD release--see 42nd image.