I felt very awkward writing a few words on this. Listening to ‘The 59th street bridge song’ whilst watching pictures from Mariupol did not sit easily for me. From the hope, freedom, colour and counterculture of the mid 1960’s, how have we come to this? It is sadness beyond belief.
You have to close your eyes very tightly to imagine the electricity of the environment which swirled through the streets and record companies in the mid sixties when experimentation of several varieties was all the rage. Typically West Coast, even though they were hardened New Yorkers, this duo created and produced some mesmerising music. Given the length of time they were together it’s perhaps no surprise they fell out, but you can forgive that when you drop the needle onto ‘For Emily’ and other tracks on this LP.
They had this amazing ability to produce something magical that lasted less than the time of even a ‘normal’ pop song. Sometimes you want tracks to extend beyond their natural time limit. But maybe that’s the attraction. Beautiful, elegant and quite unique. Just witness the blend of Silent Night with the news item of the time…. Unbelievable moments which transport you away from the realities of today.
