Jump to content

Insight Out: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Slight re-arrangement of personnel, and added The Association members and the technical personnel.
clean up, typo(s) fixed: June 8, 1967 → June 8, 1967,, french → French, , Jr → Jr
 
(21 intermediate revisions by 11 users not shown)
Line 2: Line 2:
| name = Insight Out
| name = Insight Out
| type = studio
| type = studio
| artist = [[The Association]]
| artist = [[the Association]]
| cover = InsightOutcover.jpg
| cover = InsightOutcover.jpg
| alt =
| alt =
Line 8: Line 8:
| recorded = March 27 – June 3, 1967
| recorded = March 27 – June 3, 1967
| venue =
| venue =
| studio = [[United Western Recorders]], Hollywood, CA
| studio = [[United Western Recorders]], [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]
| genre = [[Folk rock]]<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|last=Eder|first=Bruce|title=Insight Out album review|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r29435|pure_url=yes}}|accessdate=2011-12-09}}</ref>
| genre = [[Pop music|Pop]], [[baroque pop]], [[sunshine pop]], [[folk rock]], [[psychedelic pop]], [[garage punk]]
| length = 32:05
| length = 32:05
| label = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
| label = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
Line 20: Line 20:
| name = Insight Out
| name = Insight Out
| type = studio
| type = studio
| single1 = [[Windy (The Association song)|Windy]]
| single1 = [[Windy (The Association song)|Windy]]" / "Sometime
| single1date = May 1, 1967
| single1date = May 1, 1967
| single2 = [[Never My Love]]
| single2 = [[Never My Love]]" / "Requiem for the Masses
| single2date = August 9, 1967
| single2date = August 9, 1967
}}
}}
}}
}}
'''''Insight Out''''' is the third [[album]] by the American [[Pop music|pop]] [[Musical ensemble|band]] [[the Association]] and was released on June 8, 1967 on [[Warner Bros. Records]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Association-Anthology-Just-The-Right-Sound/master/329635 |title=The Association--Anthology: Just The Right Sound |work=Discogs |accessdate=2020-03-06 |quote=Original sources and recording information is given in liner notes of CD release--see 41st and 42nd images.}}</ref> It was the band's first album release for the Warner Brothers label and it became one of the top selling [[LP album|LPs]] of the year in America, peaking at number 8 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs]] chart and being [[RIAA certification|certified]] [[Music recording sales certification|gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]].<ref name="chart">{{cite web|title=Insight Out chart information|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/insight-out-r29435/charts-awards|accessdate=2011-12-09}}</ref><ref name="unterberger">{{cite AV media notes|title=Insight Out|title-link=Insight Out|others=The Association|year=2003|chapter=The Association's ''Insight Out''|first=Richie|last=Unterberger|author-link=Richie Unterberger|type=CD booklet|publisher=[[Collectors' Choice Music]]}}</ref><ref name="RIAA">{{cite web|title=The Association - RIAA Awards|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Insight_Out&artist=Association&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25|accessdate=2011-12-09}}</ref> Critic [[Richie Unterberger]] has attributed much of the album's success to the inclusion of the U.S. [[Hit single|hits]] "[[Windy (The Association song)|Windy]]" and "[[Never My Love]]", which reached number 1 and number 2 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart respectively and were among the most-played records on [[AM broadcasting|AM radio]] during the late 1960s.<ref name="unterberger"/>
'''''Insight Out''''' is the third [[album]] by the American [[Pop music|pop]] [[Musical ensemble|band]] [[the Association]] and was released on June 8, 1967, on [[Warner Bros. Records]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Association-Anthology-Just-The-Right-Sound/master/329635 |title=The Association--Anthology: Just The Right Sound |work=Discogs |accessdate=2020-03-06 |quote=Original sources and recording information is given in liner notes of CD release--see 41st and 42nd images.}}</ref> It was the band's first album release for the Warner Brothers label and it became one of the top selling [[LP album|LPs]] of the year in America, peaking at number 8 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs]] chart and being [[RIAA certification|certified]] [[Music recording sales certification|gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]].<ref name="chart">{{cite web|title=Insight Out chart information|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/insight-out-r29435/charts-awards|accessdate=2011-12-09}}</ref><ref name="unterberger">{{cite AV media notes|title=Insight Out|title-link=Insight Out|others=The Association|year=2003|chapter=The Association's ''Insight Out''|first=Richie|last=Unterberger|author-link=Richie Unterberger|type=CD booklet|publisher=[[Collectors' Choice Music]]}}</ref><ref name="RIAA">{{cite web|title=The Association - RIAA Awards|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Insight_Out&artist=Association&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25|accessdate=2011-12-09}}</ref> Critic [[Richie Unterberger]] has attributed much of the album's success to the inclusion of the U.S. [[Hit single|hits]] "[[Windy (The Association song)|Windy]]" and "[[Never My Love]]", which reached number 1 and number 2 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart respectively and were among the most-played records on [[AM broadcasting|AM radio]] during the late 1960s.<ref name="unterberger"/>


==Recording==
==Recording==
''Insight Out'' was the first Association album to feature guitarist and vocalist Larry Ramos, who joined the band just prior to the album [[Studio recording|recording sessions]], as a replacement for departed [[lead guitar]]ist Jules Alexander.<ref name="unterberger"/> The album also saw the Association working with [[record producer]] and [[recording engineer]] [[Bones Howe]] for the first time. Howe, who had previously worked with [[the Mamas & the Papas]] and [[the Turtles]], was brought in by the band's manager and Warner Bros., in an attempt to steer the group in a more commercial direction.<ref name="unterberger"/>
''Insight Out'' was the first Association album to feature guitarist and vocalist [[Larry Ramos]], who joined the band just prior to the album [[Studio recording|recording sessions]], as a replacement for departed [[lead guitar]]ist [[Jules Alexander]].<ref name="unterberger"/> The album also saw the Association working with [[record producer]] and [[recording engineer]] [[Bones Howe]] for the first time. Howe, who had previously worked with [[the Mamas & the Papas]] and [[the Turtles]], was brought in by the band's manager and Warner Bros., in an attempt to steer the group in a more commercial direction.<ref name="unterberger"/>


As a result of Howe's focus on obtaining a radio-friendly sound, the Association ceded much of the instrumental playing on ''Insight Out'' to a team of top L.A. [[session musician]]s, including [[drummer]] [[Hal Blaine]], [[bassist]] [[Joe Osborn]], [[keyboardist]] [[Larry Knechtel]], [[guitarist]] [[Al Casey (rock & roll guitarist)|Al Casey]], and guitarist/[[sitarist]] [[Mike Deasy]].<ref name="unterberger"/> The group also elected to record some songs written by non-band members, in contrast to their previous album, ''[[Renaissance (The Association album)|Renaissance]]'', on which the band had written and performed all of their own music.<ref name="unterberger"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Eder|first=Bruce|title=Renaissance album review|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=rr935|pure_url=yes}}|accessdate=2011-12-09}}</ref>
As a result of Howe's focus on obtaining a radio-friendly sound, the Association ceded much of the instrumental playing on ''Insight Out'' to a team of top L.A. [[session musician]]s, including [[drummer]] [[Hal Blaine]], [[bassist]] [[Joe Osborn]], [[keyboardist]] [[Larry Knechtel]], [[guitarist]] [[Al Casey (rock & roll guitarist)|Al Casey]], and guitarist/[[sitarist]] [[Mike Deasy]].<ref name="unterberger"/> The group also elected to record some songs written by non-band members, in contrast to their previous album, ''[[Renaissance (The Association album)|Renaissance]]'', on which the band had written and performed all of their own music.<ref name="unterberger"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Eder|first=Bruce|title=Renaissance album review|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=rr935|pure_url=yes}}|accessdate=2011-12-09}}</ref>


Unterberger and Bruce Eder have both commented that ''Insight Out'' saw the band mixing their textured [[Vocal harmony|vocal harmonies]] with an eclectic blend of influences, including [[baroque pop]], [[folk rock]], [[sunshine pop]], [[Psychedelic music|psychedelia]], and even elements of [[garage punk]].<ref name="unterberger"/><ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|last=Eder|first=Bruce|title=Insight Out album review|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r29435|pure_url=yes}}|accessdate=2011-12-09}}</ref> Along with the hit singles "Windy" and "Never My Love", the pair have also cited songs such as [[P. F. Sloan]]'s reflective "On a Quiet Night", the Addrisi Brothers' "Happiness Is", and the band originals "We Love Us", "When Love Comes to Me", and "Requiem for the Masses" as standout tracks on the album.<ref name="unterberger"/><ref name="allmusic"/> The latter song in particular was an ambitious and somber piece written by multi-instrumentalist [[Terry Kirkman]], featuring layered [[Latin]] vocals<ref name="unterberger"/> and anti-war lyrics, which use the story of a [[Torero|matador]] dying alone in the [[bullring]], miles away from his home, as an analogy for the plight of U.S. soldiers serving in the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="shs">{{cite web|last=McGlynn |first=Tim |title=Terry Kirkman - Requiem for the Masses |publisher=Schaumburg High School Concert Choir website |url=http://www.shs.d211.org/Music/choir/terrykirkman.htm |accessdate=2011-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220115523/http://www.shs.d211.org/music/choir/terrykirkman.htm |archive-date=February 20, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="unterberger"/> According to Kirkman, the idea for the song came to him while caught in a frightening snowstorm during a chartered flight to a concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<ref name="shs"/>
Unterberger and Bruce Eder have both commented that ''Insight Out'' saw the band mixing their textured [[Vocal harmony|vocal harmonies]] with an eclectic blend of influences, including [[baroque pop]], [[folk rock]], [[sunshine pop]], [[Psychedelic music|psychedelia]], and even elements of [[garage punk]].<ref name="unterberger"/><ref name="allmusic"/> Along with the hit singles "Windy" and "Never My Love", the pair have also cited songs such as [[P. F. Sloan]]'s reflective "On a Quiet Night", the Addrisi Brothers' "Happiness Is", and the band originals "We Love Us", "When Love Comes to Me", and "Requiem for the Masses" as standout tracks on the album.<ref name="unterberger"/><ref name="allmusic"/> The latter song in particular was an ambitious and somber piece written by multi-instrumentalist [[Terry Kirkman]], featuring layered [[Latin]] vocals<ref name="unterberger"/> and anti-war lyrics, which use the story of a [[Torero|matador]] dying alone in the [[bullring]], miles away from his home, as an analogy for the plight of U.S. soldiers serving in the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="shs">{{cite web|last=McGlynn |first=Tim |title=Terry Kirkman - Requiem for the Masses |publisher=Schaumburg High School Concert Choir website |url=http://www.shs.d211.org/Music/choir/terrykirkman.htm |accessdate=2011-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220115523/http://www.shs.d211.org/music/choir/terrykirkman.htm |archive-date=February 20, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="unterberger"/> According to Kirkman, the idea for the song came to him while caught in a frightening snowstorm during a chartered flight to a concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<ref name="shs"/>


==Release, reception and reissues==
==Release, reception and reissues==
''Insight Out'' was released in the U.S. on June 8, 1967,<ref name=":0" /> reaching number 8 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs]] chart and being [[RIAA certification|certified]] [[Music recording sales certification|gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] in December 1967.<ref name="chart"/><ref name="unterberger"/><ref name="RIAA"/> The album was less successful outside of North America, failing to chart in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite book|author=Brown, Tony.|page=35|year=2000|title=The Complete Book of the British Charts|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=0-7119-7670-8}}</ref>
''Insight Out'' was released in the U.S. on June 8, 1967,<ref name=":0" /> reaching number 8 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs]] chart and being [[RIAA certification|certified]] [[Music recording sales certification|gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] in December 1967.<ref name="chart"/><ref name="unterberger"/><ref name="RIAA"/> The album was less successful outside of North America, failing to chart in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite book|author=Brown, Tony.|page=35|year=2000|title=The Complete Book of the British Charts|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=0-7119-7670-8}}</ref>


Music critic Matthew Weiner, writing for [[Stylus Magazine|''Stylus'' magazine]], has described ''Insight Out'' and its follow-up ''[[Birthday (The Association album)|Birthday]]'' as "minor classics in the late-sixties pop genre",<ref>{{cite web|last=Weiner|first=Matthew|title=The Association Collector's Choice CD reissues review|publisher=[[Stylus Magazine]]|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/the-association/renaissanceinsight-outbirthdaythe-associationlivestop-your-motor.htm|accessdate=2011-12-09}}</ref> while Unterberger viewed the album, within the context of the Association's back catalogue, as "characteristically eclectic".<ref name="unterberger"/> In his review for the [[Allmusic]] website, Eder described ''Insight Out'' as "an enjoyable folk-rock album", but also noted that the album was recorded "somewhat in the shadow of [[Harpers Bizarre]]'s experimental "[[The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)|Feelin' Groovy]]" single.<ref name="allmusic"/>
Music critic Matthew Weiner, writing for [[Stylus Magazine|''Stylus'' magazine]], has described ''Insight Out'' and its follow-up ''[[Birthday (The Association album)|Birthday]]'' as "minor classics in the late-sixties pop genre",<ref>{{cite web|last=Weiner|first=Matthew|title=The Association Collector's Choice CD reissues review|work=[[Stylus Magazine]]|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/the-association/renaissanceinsight-outbirthdaythe-associationlivestop-your-motor.htm|accessdate=2011-12-09|archive-date=2011-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027152251/http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/the-association/renaissanceinsight-outbirthdaythe-associationlivestop-your-motor.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> while Unterberger viewed the album, within the context of the Association's back catalogue, as "characteristically eclectic".<ref name="unterberger"/> In his review for the [[Allmusic]] website, Eder described ''Insight Out'' as "an enjoyable folk-rock album", but also noted that the album was recorded "somewhat in the shadow of [[Harpers Bizarre]]'s experimental "[[The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)|Feelin' Groovy]]" single.<ref name="allmusic"/>


''Insight Out'' has been reissued a number of times on [[Compact Disc|CD]], including a [[remaster]]ed edition of the album in its standard [[Stereophonic sound|stereo]] configuration on [[Collectors' Choice Music]] in 2003 and as a Japanese release on Warner Bros. in 2005, with the addition of two [[bonus tracks]]. In 2011, ''Insight Out'' was reissued in a deluxe CD package by [[Cherry Red Records]], featuring the original [[Monaural|mono]] mix of the album and multiple bonus tracks.<ref name="cherry">{{Cite web|title=Insight Out: Deluxe expanded mono edition - product information|publisher=[[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]]|url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Association-Insight-Out/release/5691804|accessdate=2020-03-06}}</ref>
''Insight Out'' has been reissued a number of times on [[Compact Disc|CD]], including a [[remaster]]ed edition of the album in its standard [[Stereophonic sound|stereo]] configuration on [[Collectors' Choice Music]] in 2003 and as a Japanese release on Warner Bros. in 2005, with the addition of two [[bonus tracks]]. In 2011, ''Insight Out'' was reissued in a deluxe CD package by [[Cherry Red Records]], featuring the original [[Monaural|mono]] mix of the album and multiple bonus tracks.<ref name="cherry">{{Cite web|title=Insight Out: Deluxe expanded mono edition - product information|publisher=[[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]]|url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Association-Insight-Out/release/5691804|accessdate=2020-03-06}}</ref>


==Track listing==
==Track listing==
'''Side one'''
{|class="wikitable"
#"Wasn't It a Bit Like Now?" ([[Terry Kirkman]]){{snd}}3:32 (lead vocal: Kirkman & [[Larry Ramos|Ramos]])
|-
#"On a Quiet Night" ([[P. F. Sloan]]){{snd}}3:22 (lead vocal: [[Jim Yester|Yester]])
! #
#"We Love Us" (Ted Bluechel){{snd}}2:26 (lead vocal: Bluechel & Ramos)
! Title
#"When Love Comes to Me" ([[Jim Yester]]){{snd}}2:46 (lead vocal: Yester)
! Writer
#"[[Windy (The Association song)|Windy]]" ([[Ruthann Friedman]]){{snd}}2:57 (lead vocal: Giguere & Ramos)
! Lead vocals
#"Reputation" ([[Tim Hardin]]){{snd}}2:38 (lead vocal: Cole)
! Recorded
! Time
|-
||||'''Side 1'''||||||||
|-
|1.
|"Wasn't It a Bit Like Now?"
|[[Terry Kirkman]]
|Kirkman, Ramos
|March 29 & June 2, 1967
|3:32
|-
| 2.
| "On a Quiet Night"
| [[P. F. Sloan]]
| Yester
| March 28, 1967
| 3:22
|-
| 3.
| "We Love Us"
| Ted Bluechel
| Bluechel, Ramos
| March 29, May 29, & June 2, 1967
| 2:26
|-
| 4.
| "When Love Comes to Me"
| Jim Yester
| Yester
| March 29 & May 29, 1967
| 2:46
|-
| 5.
| "[[Windy (The Association song)|Windy]]"
| [[Ruthann Friedman]]
| Giguere, Ramos
| March 28, April 11 & 13, 1967
| 2:57
|-
| 6.
|"Reputation"
| [[Tim Hardin]]
| Cole
| April 1 & June 3, 1967
| 2:38
|-
||||'''Side 2'''||||||||
|-
| 1.
| "[[Never My Love]]"
| [[Addrisi Brothers]]
| Kirkman, Ramos
| March 27 & June 3, 1967
| 3:14
|-
| 2.
| "Happiness Is"
| Addrisi Brothers
| Ramos, Bluechel
| March 28 & 29, April 12, June 2 & 3, 1967
| 2:20
|-
| 3.
| "Sometime"
| Russ Giguere
| Giguere
| April 1, 1967
| 2:38
|-
| 4.
| "Wantin' Ain't Gettin"
| [[Mike Deasy]]
| Cole, Giguere
| March 28 & June 3, 1967
| 2:20
|-
| 5.
| "Requiem for the Masses"
| Terry Kirkman
| Kirkman
| March 28 & May 29, 1967
| 4:09
|}


'''Side 2'''
=== Singles ===
#"[[Never My Love]]" ([[Addrisi Brothers]]){{snd}}3:14 (lead vocal: Kirkman & Ramos)
#"Windy" b/w "Sometime" (Warner Bros. 7041) May 1, 1967 (US #1)
#"Happiness Is" (Addrisi Brothers){{snd}}2:20 (lead vocal: Bluechel & Ramos)
#"Never My Love" b/w "Requiem for the Masses" (Warner Bros. 7074) August 9, 1967 (US #2)
#"Sometime" (Russ Giguere){{snd}}2:38 (lead vocal: Giguere)
#"Wantin' Ain't Gettin" ([[Mike Deasy]]){{snd}}2:20 (lead vocal: Cole & Giguere)
#"Requiem for the Masses" (Kirkman){{snd}}4:09 (lead vocal: Kirkman)


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
===The Association===
===The Association===
* [[Terry Kirkman]] – wind instruments, vocals, percussion
* [[Terry Kirkman]] – wind instruments, vocals, percussion
* Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals
* [[Larry Ramos]] – lead guitar, vocals
* Russ Giguere – rhythm guitar, vocals, percussion
* Russ Giguere – rhythm guitar, vocals, percussion
* [[Brian Cole (bass guitarist)|Brian Cole]] – bass, vocals, woodwinds
* [[Brian Cole (bass guitarist)|Brian Cole]] – bass, vocals, woodwinds
* Ted Bluechel, Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
* Ted Bluechel Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
* Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards
* [[Jim Yester]] – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards


===Additional musicians===
===Additional musicians===
Line 154: Line 74:
* [[Mike Deasy]], [[Dennis Budimir]], [[Al Casey (rock guitarist)|Al Casey]] – guitars
* [[Mike Deasy]], [[Dennis Budimir]], [[Al Casey (rock guitarist)|Al Casey]] – guitars
* [[Larry Knechtel]] – piano, keyboards
* [[Larry Knechtel]] – piano, keyboards
* [[Gary B.B. Coleman]] – vibes, various percussion
* [[Gary Coleman]] – vibes, various percussion
* Arthur Briegleb, Gale Robinson, Vince DeRosa, Richard Perissi – french horns
* Arthur Briegleb, Gale Robinson, Vince DeRosa, Richard Perissi – French horns
* Jules Chaikin, Oliver Mitchell, [[Ian Freebairn-Smith]] – trumpets
* Jules Chaikin, Oliver Mitchell, [[Ian Freebairn-Smith]] – trumpets
* Bob Edmondson – trombones
* Bob Edmondson – trombone
* John T. Johnson, Gene Cipriano – saxophones
* John T. Johnson, Gene Cipriano – saxophone
* Bud Shank – piccolo, flute
* [[Bud Shank]] – piccolo, flute
* [[Bones Howe]] – tambourine on "Never My Love"
* [[Bones Howe]] – tambourine on "Never My Love"
* Clark Burroughs, Marilyn Burroughs, Bertie Jane Giguere, Jo-Ellen Yester, [[Jerry Yester]], [[Ruthann Friedman]] – additional backing vocals on (tag of) "Windy"
* Clark Burroughs, Marilyn Burroughs, Bertie Jane Giguere, Jo-Ellen Yester, [[Jerry Yester]], [[Ruthann Friedman]] – additional backing vocals on (tag of) "Windy"

Latest revision as of 18:46, 29 December 2024

Insight Out
Studio album by
the Association
ReleasedJune 8, 1967
RecordedMarch 27 – June 3, 1967
StudioUnited Western Recorders, Hollywood
GenreFolk rock[1]
Length32:05
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerBones Howe
The Association chronology
Renaissance
(1966) 		Insight Out
(1967) 		Birthday
(1968)
Singles from Insight Out
  1. "Windy" / "Sometime"
    Released: May 1, 1967
  2. "Never My Love" / "Requiem for the Masses"
    Released: August 9, 1967

Insight Out is the third album by the American pop band the Association and was released on June 8, 1967, on Warner Bros. Records.[2] 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.[3][4][5] 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.[4]

Recording

[edit]

Insight Out was the first Association album to feature guitarist and vocalist Larry Ramos, who joined the band just prior to the album recording sessions, as a replacement for departed lead guitarist Jules Alexander.[4] The album also saw the Association working with record producer and recording engineer Bones Howe for the first time. Howe, who had previously worked with the Mamas & the Papas and the Turtles, was brought in by the band's manager and Warner Bros., in an attempt to steer the group in a more commercial direction.[4]

As a result of Howe's focus on obtaining a radio-friendly sound, the Association ceded much of the instrumental playing on Insight Out to a team of top L.A. session musicians, including drummer Hal Blaine, bassist Joe Osborn, keyboardist Larry Knechtel, guitarist Al Casey, and guitarist/sitarist Mike Deasy.[4] The group also elected to record some songs written by non-band members, in contrast to their previous album, Renaissance, on which the band had written and performed all of their own music.[4][6]

Unterberger and Bruce Eder have both commented that Insight Out saw the band mixing their textured vocal harmonies with an eclectic blend of influences, including baroque pop, folk rock, sunshine pop, psychedelia, and even elements of garage punk.[4][1] Along with the hit singles "Windy" and "Never My Love", the pair have also cited songs such as P. F. Sloan's reflective "On a Quiet Night", the Addrisi Brothers' "Happiness Is", and the band originals "We Love Us", "When Love Comes to Me", and "Requiem for the Masses" as standout tracks on the album.[4][1] The latter song in particular was an ambitious and somber piece written by multi-instrumentalist Terry Kirkman, featuring layered Latin vocals[4] and anti-war lyrics, which use the story of a matador dying alone in the bullring, miles away from his home, as an analogy for the plight of U.S. soldiers serving in the Vietnam War.[7][4] According to Kirkman, the idea for the song came to him while caught in a frightening snowstorm during a chartered flight to a concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[7]

Release, reception and reissues

[edit]

Insight Out was released in the U.S. on June 8, 1967,[2] reaching number 8 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in December 1967.[3][4][5] The album was less successful outside of North America, failing to chart in the United Kingdom.[8]

Music critic Matthew Weiner, writing for Stylus magazine, has described Insight Out and its follow-up Birthday as "minor classics in the late-sixties pop genre",[9] while Unterberger viewed the album, within the context of the Association's back catalogue, as "characteristically eclectic".[4] In his review for the Allmusic website, Eder described Insight Out as "an enjoyable folk-rock album", but also noted that the album was recorded "somewhat in the shadow of Harpers Bizarre's experimental "Feelin' Groovy" single.[1]

Insight Out has been reissued a number of times on CD, including a remastered edition of the album in its standard stereo configuration on Collectors' Choice Music in 2003 and as a Japanese release on Warner Bros. in 2005, with the addition of two bonus tracks. In 2011, Insight Out was reissued in a deluxe CD package by Cherry Red Records, featuring the original mono mix of the album and multiple bonus tracks.[10]

Track listing

[edit]

Side one

  1. "Wasn't It a Bit Like Now?" (Terry Kirkman) – 3:32 (lead vocal: Kirkman & Ramos)
  2. "On a Quiet Night" (P. F. Sloan) – 3:22 (lead vocal: Yester)
  3. "We Love Us" (Ted Bluechel) – 2:26 (lead vocal: Bluechel & Ramos)
  4. "When Love Comes to Me" (Jim Yester) – 2:46 (lead vocal: Yester)
  5. "Windy" (Ruthann Friedman) – 2:57 (lead vocal: Giguere & Ramos)
  6. "Reputation" (Tim Hardin) – 2:38 (lead vocal: Cole)

Side 2

  1. "Never My Love" (Addrisi Brothers) – 3:14 (lead vocal: Kirkman & Ramos)
  2. "Happiness Is" (Addrisi Brothers) – 2:20 (lead vocal: Bluechel & Ramos)
  3. "Sometime" (Russ Giguere) – 2:38 (lead vocal: Giguere)
  4. "Wantin' Ain't Gettin" (Mike Deasy) – 2:20 (lead vocal: Cole & Giguere)
  5. "Requiem for the Masses" (Kirkman) – 4:09 (lead vocal: Kirkman)

Personnel

[edit]

The Association

[edit]
  • Terry Kirkman – wind instruments, vocals, percussion
  • Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals
  • Russ Giguere – rhythm guitar, vocals, percussion
  • Brian Cole – bass, vocals, woodwinds
  • Ted Bluechel Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
  • Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards

Additional musicians

[edit]

According to the 2011 deluxe expanded mono edition[10] and Just the Right Sound: The Association Anthology:[2]

Technical

[edit]
  • Bones Howe – producer, engineer
  • Bill Holman, Clark Burroughs, Ray Polhman, The Association – arrangements
  • Ed Thrasher – art direction
  • Sherman Weisburd, Don Peterson – photography

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Eder, Bruce. "Insight Out album review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
  2. ^ a b c "The Association--Anthology: Just The Right Sound". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-03-06. Original sources and recording information is given in liner notes of CD release--see 41st and 42nd images.
  3. ^ a b "Insight Out chart information". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Unterberger, Richie (2003). "The Association's Insight Out". Insight Out (CD booklet). The Association. Collectors' Choice Music.
  5. ^ a b "The Association - RIAA Awards". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
  6. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Renaissance album review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
  7. ^ a b McGlynn, Tim. "Terry Kirkman - Requiem for the Masses". Schaumburg High School Concert Choir website. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
  8. ^ Brown, Tony. (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. p. 35. ISBN 0-7119-7670-8.
  9. ^ Weiner, Matthew. "The Association Collector's Choice CD reissues review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2011-10-27. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
  10. ^ a b "Insight Out: Deluxe expanded mono edition - product information". Cherry Red. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Insight_Out&oldid=1266019046"