- Jeffrey Comanor -- vocals, guitar, keyboards

  backing musicians: (1969)

- Richard Bell --

- Danny Cohen --

- Toxey French -- 

- Bones Howe --

- Gary Illingsworth --

- Larry Knechtel --

- Joe Osborn -- 

- Red Rhodes --

- Homer Wills --

- 

- The Groop

Genre: pop

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  Sure Hope You Like It

Company: A&M

Catalog: SP 4237
Year: 1969

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: white label promo copy

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 1196

Price: $35.00

I have to admit I don't know a great deal about Jeffrey Comanor.  I recognize his name as a songwriter having placed material with the likes of The Fifth Dimension ('The Sailboat Song') and England Dan and John Ford Cody's big hit 'We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again'.   

During the late-'60s he was apparently active on the San Francisco club scene, seemingly scoring his first brush with success as a result of placing several tunes on the soundtrack to the 1969 flick "Midnight Cowboy".   Yeah, Nilsson had the hit with his cover of Fred Neil's 'Everybody's Talkin'', but Comanor placed two songs on the soundtrack ('A Famous Myth' and 'Tears of Joy').  Unfortunately for him, the soundtrack opted to include cover versions by a faceless studio entity entitled The Groop. Not only did they get the performance credits, but Bell Records tapped their cover of 'A Famous Myth' as a single:

- 1969's 'A Famous Myth' b/w 'Tears and Joys' (Bell catalog number 800)

The film's massive success may explain how Comanor came to be signed by A&M.  Produced by Bones Howe, judging by the cover and track listing  I was expecting 1969's "Sure Hope You Like It"  to feature a collection of weepy, highly orchestrated singer-songwriter confessionals.   Not  entirely correct..   Yeah, tracks like 'Midwestern Revelations' and 'Sad To Be Alone' fell in the singer-songwriter barrel, but Comanor was capable of handling a wider array of genres including country-rockers, top-40 pop ('Love Is All that Makes It Worthwhile'), and more conventional rockers ('No Home - No Care'').   Credited with penning all twelve tracks, the man also had an excellent voice and was a more than capable acoustic guitarist.  Equally important, he had a sense of humor (read his liner note song descriptions).  Shame he didn't show more of that humor across these twelve tracks.

"Sure Hope You Like It" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) No Home - No Care   (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 3:20

'No Home - No Care' opened the album with a bouncy, pounding, and surprisingly commercial rocker.  Comanor's voice was quite commercial, this time around reminding me a bit of a grittier version of Johnny Rivers.   Nice performance which may explain why A&M tapped it as a single.   rating: **** stars

2.) Know That I Do   (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 3:15

Pleasant country-rocker with a quasi-Dylan-esque vibe.   Nice, but hardly earth shattering.   rating: *** stars

3.) Sad To Be Alone   (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 3:41

Conventional singer-songwriter angst filled ballad.   Pretty, but forgettable melody, though the backing harpsichord was nice.  Song sure seemed to go on longer than the published three minutes.   rating: ** stars

4.) Midwestern Revelations   (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 5:55

More navel gazing introspection ...  as described on the liner notes: "Alone, in a strange land, there's a high price for not being your own best friend."  The album's longest song, and it felt like it.   rating: ** stars

5.) Out In the Country   (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 3:38

Wonder if he was from Florida ...   another acoustic ballad, but this one actually had a pleasant melody and an energetic delivery.   rating: *** stars

6.) Highway Mary   (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 3:10

Again, nothing particularly memorable, but having a full band arrangement certainly helped 'Highway mary' on the commercial front.   rating: *** stars

(side 2)
1.) One of These Days, Love   (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 3:32

Sporting one of his better melodies and some punchy horns, 'One of These Days, Love' was an album highlight and probably would have been a decent choice for a single.   rating: *** stars

2.) Take Your Own Sweet Time   (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 2:57

Hideous, straightforward country tune, complete with pedal steel guitar.   rating: * star

3.) A Famous Myth (One Bright Night) - 2:57   (Jeffrey M. Comanor)

The ballad 'A Famous Myth (One Bright Night)' was one of two tunes included on the "Midnight Cowboy" soundtrack (credited to The Groop), 

4.) Grey Faces    (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 2:57

Another full band arrangement and probably that album's most commercial, pop tune.  Nice.  rating: *** stars

5.) Untitled   (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 5:33

Self-flagilating coustic ballad ... nice acoustic guitar accompaniment.  rating: ** stars

6.) Love Is All that Makes It Worthwhile   (Jeffrey M. Comanor) - 4:53

The closer demonstrated how good Comanor could be.   With support from a full band (and some nice trippy trumpet), the song sported his best melody and his most engaging vocal.   This is the tune that should have been released as a single.   rating: **** stars

As mentioned, A&M released a single off the album, though I've never seen a stock copy:

- 1969's 'No Home - No Care' b/w '???' (A&M catalog number 8-50148).

I know Comanor released at least two more studio albums, though I've never bothered to track down either:

- 1974's "Jeffrey Comanor" (Epic catalog number KE32832)

- 1979's "A Rumor" In His Own Time" (Epic catalog number PE 34080)