Brother

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:00:00
Lon & Derrek Van Eaton's Brother was one of the more obscure Apple Records releases, appearing as the label was heading down the road to dissolution in 1972. Given how difficult it's been to obtain most of Apple's non-Beatles catalog in the CD era, it's something of a triumph that this was licensed at all, let alone with nine bonus tracks and liner notes by Apple authority Stefan Granados. It's easy to hear why these New Jersey brothers would appeal to the company, as the influence of the lighter facets of the Beatles is readily apparent in the vocals and melodies. The presence of Ringo Starr as drummer on a few tracks sealed the Beatles connection, along with the use of George Harrison as producer for "Sweet Music," and longtime Beatle chum Klaus Voormann producing the rest of the LP's material. As much as those names might get the pulse of Beatlemaniacs racing, however, it's also easy to hear why the record wasn't a hit, its lack of promotion (as documented in the liner notes) aside. To be cruel, it's sometimes a bit like hearing the late-'60s Beatles, or early solo Beatles, without the kind of hooks and memorable lyrical messages that made that music deathless. Although Harrison was the duo's primary champion at the label, the music is more apt to recall Paul McCartney (or even some Badfinger) in its dreamy, at times earnestly plaintive pop/rock melodies and high winsome singing. It's unfair to hold acts (even Apple acts) to such a tough standard, of course, and the Van Eatons sometimes wander outside of that approach on cuts like the soul-inflected "Hear My Cry" and the country gallop "Without the Lord." The record is on the pleasantly innocuous side as a whole, and while Harrison judged the All Things Must Pass/Bee Gees-blend "Sweet Music" "a potential #1 hit" (in a telegram to Allen Klein reproduced in the notes), that seems more like wishful thinking than a realistic appraisal. The bonus tracks are substantial additions to the album that round out a fuller picture of the Van Eatons' Apple era, especially as just two of the songs (a version of "Another Thought" with strings and a remix of "Sweet Music") are also found on the LP. The other extras include "Sweet Music"'s B-side, "Song of Songs"; four outtakes from the Brother sessions; and a demo, "Resurrection." Perhaps some of these were rejected because they might have struck listeners and critics as derivative; "The Sea" has sweet orchestration and high-pitched harmonies in the "She's Leaving Home" mold, while "Can't Wait" recalls Elton John's "Honky Cat." ~ Richie Unterberger
エディション : Remaster