Search - Pf Sloan :: Child of Our Time: Trousdale Demo Sessions 65-67

Rare Gems From A Great Singer/Songwriter

J. D Suggs | Atlanta, Georgia United States | 06/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you listen to a collection of the Grass Roots, the Turtles, Jan and Dean, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, or some other Southern California act from the mid-sixties, there'll often be one or two absolutely great songs you've never heard. They're by Phil Sloan and Steve Barri, and here's a whole great album of 'em in one place in the form of Phil Sloan's terrific demos. The music here manages to be intelligent and fun at the same time- basically the type of creativity associated with the Beatles or Brian Wilson. Sloan is clearly influenced by Bob Dylan, but balances that with tremendous pop skill on classics like "Secret Agent Man" (included here in a great early version) and "You, Baby" , and tremendous gems like "I Don't Wanna Say Goodnight" and "Is It Any Wonder". But this collection also has a bunch of really great Sloan/Barri songs I've never heard, and I've been onto them for years. Notice that when you look up this title, it brings up all kinds of Brian Wilson connections: "People who bought this title also bought..." What does that tell you?If you're after even more, seek out the first Grass Roots album, "Where Were You When I Needed You", which is an uncredited Sloan solo album, and anything by the Fantastic Baggys, Sloan and Barri's surfin' pseudonym."

Absolute Genius Pop Songs From The Mid-Sixties.

R. Gies | New York City | 11/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How is it that someone as prolific a songwriter as P.F. Sloan gets so lost in the shuffle that even 60's music scholars and collectors give a blank stare when his name is mentioned? The

20 songs on this collection can be ranked with the greatest songs of the genre. Don't let the term "Demo" fool you. These aren't rough acoustic versions, but fully realized pop songs.

I can't speak highly enough of this collection. If you are a fan of pop music in general do yourself the ultimate favor and pick up this CD."

Fully-finished demos from mid-60s pop master

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 11/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"West Coast songwriter P.F. Sloan's songs have always been more famous than his own recordings. Writing solo and with Steve Barri, Sloan penned some of the mid-60s most memorable radio hits for the cream of California's pop acts, including "Secret Agent Man" (Johnny Rivers), "Eve of Destruction" (Barry McGuire), "Where Were You When I Needed You" (The Grass Roots), and "You Baby" (The Turtles), to name just a few. After a stint working for Gary Usher (with Barri as The Fantastic Baggys), the pair of songwriters were hired by Lou Adler for his Trousdale publishing company, and subsequently recorded these demos.



Sloan and Barri hit an amazing stride at Trousdale, and the tracks collected here include fully-produced versions of songs eventually recorded by a wide variety of other artists. Sloan's original version of "You Baby" is missing the final polish of the Turtles' hit single, but all the hooks are here, and Sloan's voice has a winning innocence. The same can be said for "Another Day, Another Heartache," which fleshed out the harmony arrangement used on the subsequent hit by The Fifth Dimension.



The rest of the album is as good as anything Sloan wrote or produced for himself or for others. His demo of the Turtles album track "I Know That You'll Be There" has a surging folk-rock sound, and the bubblegum soul of "Can I Get to Know You Better" fits Sloan better than either Betty Everett (who recorded it as a B-side) or The Turtles. The early version of "Look Out Girl" featured here has its propulsive acoustic rhythm guitar in place, but the vocal and guitar break are more rocking than the Sloan/Barri re-recording with The Grass Roots.



The demos are split between pure-pop and folk-rock. Among the latter, the confessional "See Ya Round on the Rebound" (waxed by both Shelly Fabares and Sandy Posey) is terrific, the acoustic-guitar based "I've Got No More to Say" (recorded later by the Grass Roots) sounds as if it were written for the Mama and Papas, and "Troubled Mind" is a brilliant acoustic pop-folk-blues that appears to have gone uncovered. Capping the set is a previously undiscovered demo of "Secret Agent Man," recorded as a theme submission for the television program under its original title "Danger Man." Most of the lyrics later recorded by Johnny Rivers are in place, but Sloan had to tinker slightly to fit the renaming.



Archivist Andrew Sandoval's dug up a superb set of tapes that are clear and present, and resonate with the quality of top-flight Los Angeles studios. All tracks are mono except for 8, 9, and 14, but given the AM radio orientation of the era, this is how these songs were meant to be heard. Sandoval's song notes are excellent and provide the demos a great deal of context. This is a must have for fans of 60s pop. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]"