THE RISING STORM

The Beau Brummels hit it big in the early 60s with their hits “Laugh Laugh” and “Just A Little” which were produced by Sly of the Family Stone! Believe it or not, as English as they tried to appear, they were an American rock band hailing from San Fransisco.

While I wholeheartedly recommend that you check out their early material, especially a record called From The Vaults, it’s their adventurous and refreshing 1967 Triangle that we are looking at today. Sal Valentino is the voice of the Brummels; it’s a vocal with a mix of raw power and vibrato, certainly a very unique voice that matches an almost unclassifiable and surprising album. Triangle has everything: it’s a tightly produced country record that came from the rock world, it’s straight and folky yet with psychedelic imagery.

The production always drew me in on these records. By records I mean, if you like this one, you’re in luck because there’s also Bradley’s Barn, a sequel of sorts to Triangle that was recorded in Nashville with some exceptional picking and production. Sometimes modern music can sound over produced… almost too tight. Bradley’s Barn and Triangle are like that, but in an inviting, interesting way, rather than a putrid, manufactured way.

Merle Travis’ Nine Pound Hammer is excellently covered on this record, the best version I know of and one that always catches bluegrass audiences by surprise. Songs like the excellent Magic Hollow, The Wolf of Velvet Fortune, and Painter of Women are songs you’ll never hear anywhere near a record deemed “country.” Other’s, like Randy Newman’s Old Kentucky Home and Are You Happy?, are straight up good timers.

Pick this one up, it may take a little getting used to, but it’s well worth it. I love these records!

Note to big Beau Brummel fans: you’ll be wanting this.

“The Keeper Of Time”

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