Track Listing

1. White Bird
2. Hot Summer Day
3. Wasted Union Blues
4. Girl with No Eyes
5. Bombay Calling
6. Bulgaria
7. Time Is

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8103 in Music
• Released on: 2001-11-13
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Album Details
The Classic Band of the Sixites Embraced by San Francisco and the Love Generation, the Legendary First Album featuring White Bird. One of the Original Ten San Francisco Groups Produced by Matthew Katz who Produced Jefferson Airplane.

Amazon.com
Yes, the original version of that FM oldie "White Bird" is included on this CD. Formed in 1967 by former symphony violinist David LaFlamme, this popular group plowed through all of the San Francisco Sound's clichés at once: organ, fiddle and drum solos; epigrammatic sayings about love, time, and dreams that are so cheesy they would make a Hallmark hack blush; the soft-part-that-heads-steadily-toward-the-crescendo part; incongruously pieced-together prog-rock songs that plod on for way too long; off-kilter male and female singing; and a near-total lack of soul. This 1969 recording, then, is a clear blueprint of what not to do in psychedelic rock--with the exception of "White Bird," which retains a sheen of innocence and melodic oomph despite its daft, repeated utterance that "she must fly!" This reissue has a bright, clear sound and excellent separation; it will more than please fans of the original LP. However, those looking for an equal to the best works of Moby Grape, Quicksilver, and the Dead are encouraged to seek elsewhere. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews

A Long Forgotten Jewel
The first time I heard this, It's a Beautiful Day's first album, it became a part of me. The year was 1969, I had just entered middle school and was discovering all the great music I'd missed: MC5, Mothers of Invention, Velvet Underground, Pentangle, on and on. Having been raised with classical, blues, jazz and show tunes, I sometimes found the simplicity of so-called rock `n' roll artists and groups to be annoying and shallow. SO, when I first heard the flowing listenability of "White Bird" I knew that I was hearing a work that would be with me forever.

"White Bird" actually got air play from one of the local progressive stations but the rest of this set became all mine, a private emotional journey that remains as much a part of my life as my family and every cherished personal experience. In "White Bird," everything soars, David LaFlamme's double tracked violin, the dual vocals, the now-vintage Hammond B3; all convey an atmosphere of freedom that the words deny. "Hot Summer Day" is the musical version of a stroll in the woods on a sultry, lazy day, memories of summers past and the reminiscence of such a day that one feels in the dead of Winter. "Wasted Union Blues" comes the closest to portraying through music what one feels when altered states are waning and sleep refuses to offer relief. "Girl With No Eyes" is a delicate yet intense statement of feminine isolation and yearning. The trio of "Bombay Calling," "Bulgaria" and `Time Is," disparate themes and textures combined into one slippery tour-de-force, take a listener through Asian majesty, Eastern European mystery and finally into a dizzying 9 minutes of existentialism in which time really may be believed by lovers to be "an eternity."

The sentiments and, indeed, sound of It's a Beautiful Day are extremely late `60's San Francisco; the performances are loose compared to today's standards, the lyrics are very "love"-oriented and the most technicality one can expect from the recording is, as previously stated, a few primitive overdubs. Still, every song carries the full potential of emotion possible, the vocal and instrumental blends are, though dated, still timelessly gorgeous in interplay and complement. I have worn out 3 vinyl copies, 4 cassettes and am on my second CD and, after 32 years and countless exposure to evolving musical forms later, I still find the melodies and musicianship of this long forgotten classic captivating me, holding my attention from first note to last. If only this set of impeccably crafted songs and musical pieces did not defy categorization, it would probably be better known next to its contemporaries like Hendrix's Axis Bold As Love, Joplin/Big Brother's Cheap Thrills, the Grateful Dead's very first live album, and the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper. As history has written the fate of It's a Beautiful Day, those who survive beyond their era or die in their prime get the glory leaving this jewel buried in the sands of time. Anyone willing to unearth it is in for considerable wonder indeed.

Excellent SF album scorned by NY critics
I've read professional music reviews berating this album and calling It's A Beautiful Day the worst band to come out of San Francisco. Most if not all of these are by New York music reviewers who have there own East Coast darlings. They weren't part of this music scene so it must be bad. These reviewers are simple minded and have short attention spans. They don't like anything that is rich, complex or lasts more than 3 minutes. They don't appreciate the music in Rock Music.

The groups name and some of the lyrics do reflect the Flower Power sentiments of the time. But most of the song writing is strong and the music is rich and complex. It is a mixture of rock, psychodelic and early progressive styles. It was typical of the San Francisco sound during a brief span of the late sixties. It features violin and various keyboards. There is also some good guitar playing here. There's a bluesy number (Hot Summer Day) and a rock number (Wasted Union Blues). The second side is a suite of jazzy tunes, culiminating in Time Is that is reminisent of (a ripoff of?) the Chambers Brothers' Time Has Come Today.

Although they only had one classic album, It's a Beautiful was had quite an influence on later bands (NY critics would say a bad influence). Deep Purple took the opening for Bombay Calling and used it in Child in Time.

This band has a stormy history. Linda LaFlamme (wife or sister?) left after the first album and they were never the same. The second album (Marrying Maiden) is a nice folksy album. The third album (Choice Quality Stuff/Anytime) has a great cover but is mediocre rock with slight tints of the original sound. The fourth album is a fairly good live set of the hits. The fifth album (Today) only has one of the original members and isn't very good. This first album wasn't available for a long period, making the LP one of the most valuable rock collectibles. It has poppped up as in import from time to time. Apparently, some of the CD versions are produced by a ruthless manager. Read about that in the earlier reviews.

San Fransisco Sound rips off the musicians
Please do not buy this CD or any other CD by San Francisco Sound...This label is owned by Matthew Katz and ALL of the money goes to him and none of it to the musicians.The LaFlammes and the rest of the band have NEVER gotten one penny from the sale of these CDs...As a matter of fact, the original musicians on this album actually owe Katz almost a million dollars for having the nerve to use the name It's A Beautiful Day, EVEN THOUGH THOSE SAME PEOPLE ARE ON THE ORIGINAL ALBUM....Matthew Katz is a former manager that worked for the original musicians of It's A Beautiful Day for less than 6 months in 1968...Because of a clause in his contract, he proceeded to sue these musicians for over 30 years..Katz has sued many people including the Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape,It's A Beautiful Day, Sony Corporation, and hundreds of other people...He's even sued his own attorneys!!!..All of these cases are in Superior Court in San Francisco..If you buy this CD, then you will be enabling Katz to sue even more people...There was a German import under the TRC label of all four IABD albums on CD a couple of years ago but Katz sued them as well..You can find out more about this person by doing a search for the Moby Grape website...It has the actual court documents to prove it....Please DO NOT buy this CD...It's one of the longest lawsuits in Rock and Roll history