Search - Common People :: Of the People, By the People, For the People

What could have been...

Alexander Mills | 01/13/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This one-off outing from the pop-psych outfit Common People is a strange, strange creation.



The pieces herein were produced and arranged in part by David Axelrod, and his contributions to the album are quite stunning. But, not long into the recording sessions, the band ran out of money, and could not afford to keep him on any longer. Thus, we are left with quite a peculiar beast; the first three tracks feature gorgeous, soaring string arrangements from Axelrod, each piece a mini-masterpiece in its own right (with a particular nod to Those Who Love). But at the end of track three, you can practically hear the sound of the last penny falling into the jar.



What remains is a fairly generic, uninteresting and derivative venture into sixties rock / pop. Tracks 4 through 11 aren't offensive in any way, but they're entirely inoffensive too.. And fairly expendable.



I find myself listening to the first three tracks on this album quite regularly, and thinking about what could have been. Axelrod never produced anything else quite like this, and we're much the worse for it. His arrangements here are among some of the best he's ever put his name to. But the remainder of the album tends to just rub in what a masterpiece this could've been had he stayed on.



In short - five stars for the first three tracks, and a fairly indifferent two stars for everything that follows."

Beautiful Dreamy Psychedelia!

Bryan Russell | U.S.A. | 08/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was the one and only release by the Common People recorded in 1969 for capitol records.The cd which was recorded from the original masters is a beautiful listening experience.It has a dreamy orchestral vibe to it with David Axelrod contributing some great arrangements.This was a very original sound which few bands (Gandalf,Food LPs) were exploring.The dreamy psych sounds are very mesmerizing and perfect for those late night unwinding times.If you like this you might want to check out CDs by Gandalf and Food as they are similar in sound.A great underground psych rock CLASSIC! Do yourself a favour and pick it up before it goes out of print..."

Uncommonly Great Spin

E. Dollinger | Tokyo, Japan | 01/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The sole LP by The Common People is one of those rare items which always evokes kudos from critics with few truly savoring its uncommon brilliance.



I can't remember exactly when or where I first heard this LP, but I do remember the haunting refrain from I Have Been Alone resonating within my mind long after that first exposure... 30 some odd years and still resonating !!



I Have Been Alone is the second of three tracks which open the album in a manner unique and entrancing, a manner these ears have never heard duplicated. These three tracks are gossamer yet piercing orchestrated compositions engendering an emotional atmosphere that is simultaneously both lush yet dripping with isolation and desolation.



The album has several other decent numbers, most notably by Take From You and Land Of A Day; but all other tracks unfortunately suffer by comparison to the opening troika. There is one unmitigated loser, They Didn't Even Go To The Funeral, true offal that begs to be a discarded cut on a CD-R. But those first three tracks make Of The People / By The People / For The People a must spin.

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