Sunday, April 26, 2015

Edwards Hand: Friday Hill



Rod Edwards and Roger Hand were originally leaders of a band called Piccadilly Line, releasing in 1967 an album with a very 1967 title The Huge World of Emily Small.

In 1969, after the band had broken up, they released a first and eponymous LP as a duo.

Reminding us of how fast music moved in those days, Bad Cat Records says of it:
Powered by the pair's strong vocal harmonies, comparisons to early Bee Gees, or The Hollies during their psychedelic phase were quite apt. That gave the album a somewhat dated sound - way more 1967 than 1969. 
Great material if you liked the genre, but probably a bit too pompous, sentimental, and fey if you were looking for a more rock-oriented attack. For what it was worth, I like the results quite a bit.
And they particularly like Friday Hill:
Starting out as a fragile, flute-propelled ballad, 'Friday Hill' quickly morphed into a catchy slice of pop-psych. Even better, the pair's harmony vocals were simply to-kill-for. 
Besides, when was the last time you heard an oboe arrangement that complimented a pop song?
As it happens, I was listening to The Summerhouse by the Divine Comedy the other day, which even has a cor anglais solo, but I know what they mean,

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