Thorinshield
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1967-69) - Terry Hand
(RIP 2004) -- drums, backing vocals backing vocals guitar
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- Bob and Kit (Bobby Ray) - The Crossfires (Terry Hand) -
Everpresent Fullness (Terry Hand) - Bobby Ray (solo
efforts) - Jimmy Guitar Smith (solo efforts)
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Genre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Thorinshield Company: Philips Catalog: PHS 600-251 Year: 1967 Country/State: Los Angeles, California Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor cover wear Catalog ID: 1631 Available: 1 Price: $55.00
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This one drove me crazy for the longest time. Several years ago I found a copy of the album at a yard sale, only to discover the sleeve contained the wrong LP. Aaaghhhhhh !!! Making this an even stranger story, several years later while on a business trip to California I found a copy of the album sans cover. Yes, three years and 6,000 miles finally produced a match !!! Was it worth the wait? Surprisingly the answer is yes.
First a quick warning - the first time I heard this LP it didn't do much for
me. Luckily, I was willing to give it a couple of spins, in the process discovering a
mid-1960s album with more than its share of pleasures. Produced by Steven Douglas (always wondered if it's the same guy who did the Aerosmith albums), 1967's
"Thorinshield" showcased material
entirely penned by Ray and Smith. Musically the set was hard to peg, though if you enjoy the sunshine pop characterized by Curt Boettcher and groups like
Sagittarius, it was something you'd want to check out.
Tracks such as 'Wrong My Friend', 'Here Today' and 'Life Is a Dream' offered up a highly commercial mix of folk-rock,
radio friendly pop and soft psych influences. Today I guess you'd
label it 'sunshine' pop. The combination of great harmonies (check out
'Pleasure Time'), coupled with slightly acid tinged atmospherics (nice backwards guitar on
'One Girl') and Perry Botkin Jr.'s attractive orchestration ('Prelude To a Postlude'), made it
quite impressive. When it all came together like on the songs 'Pleasure
Time' and 'Daydreaming' the results were simply stunning. Sure it was hardly the year's most original debut, but
it was well worth hearing, particularly since you can still find relatively
cheap copies.
1.) Life Is a Dream (Bobby Ray - James Smith) - 2:03 rating: **** stars Yeah, I know these guys were from L.A., but James Smith's vocals had a distinctive Southern twang which made 'Life Is a Dream' a neat way to start out the LP. Maybe is has something to do with the strumming acoustic guitars, but I've always heard kind of a Glen Campbell twang to his voice. Elsewhere the tune offered up an interesting blend of Baroque orchestration and psychedelic touches that gave the tune a distinctive mid-'60s vibe. Imagine a heavily stoned Association tune. Philips tapped the tune as a single:
- 1968's 'The Best of It' b/w 'Life Is a Dream' as a single (Philips catalog number 40492).
2.) Brave New World (Bobby Ray - James Smith) - 2:21 rating: **** stars 'Brave New World'
was a beautiful, fragile, lysergic-drenched ballad. Note I didn't say
lysergic-tinged. Pretty melody that showcased the trio's nice harmony
vocals - kind of a stoned CS&N. Well, even more stoned than
your usual CS&N recording. Ah, bring on the Nehru
jackets. 'Wrong My Friend '
was one of my favorite songs on the album. Great folk-rock melody and
sweet harmony vocals cloaked in acid tinged orchestration. Yeah, it sounds totally
innocent and so naive. Every time I hear the song, I end up
humming it for a couple of days. The
first mild disappointment, 'Here Today' sounded like a mash-up of a
Merseybeat tune, something Peter and Gordon might have recorded, with a bit
of acid sprinkled on top. Not particularly tuneful, or
memorable. My
pick for the album's standout performance - 'Pleasure Time' had the album's
most memorable melody. Simply glittering folk-rock with stoned lyrics and
those wonderful group harmonies.
This is the track that Philips should have tapped as the leadoff single. 'The Best of It' started out sounding like a drunken lounge singer, but there was something immensely appealing in the combination of the eerie organ and the laidback James Smith vocal. The refrain was super catchy.
For anyone interested, In 2018 the Manchester-based Whyte Horses released a nice cover of the song as a CDr single: You can see the promotional video at: Whyte Horses - The Best Of It (Official Lyric Video) (youtube.com)
(side 2) 1.) Daydreaming (Bobby Ray - James Smith) - 2:48 rating: **** stars A
pop tune that was turned inside out with treated vocals, wild sound effects,
and heavy orchestration, that was so innocent you had to laugh.
Another
harmony rich, Association-styled pop tune that simply never kicked into
gear. Very
atypical for the group, 'Prelude To
a Postlude' was a
stark, dark acoustic ballad. Geez, talk about a timepiece - it even
include lyrics about smoking cigarettes on a beach ... Smith
turned in some nice classical guitar on this one.
With
a nifty mid-'60s Beatles-tinged arrangement which included a great opening
guitar riff and a backward guitar solo, 'One Girl' was another album
highlight. Another
atypical tune, 'Collage of Attitudes'
closed the album with a classically-inspired instrumental. Well it
started out that way, but about 50 seconds in the tune headed off in a
jazzier direction (complete with sax solo). Always
liked Hand's martial drumming on this one.
- 1968's 'Lonely Mountain Again' b/w 'Family of Man' (Philips catalog number 40521)
Hand briefly reappeared as a member The Moon and several decades later was a member of Rocket Science before dying in 2004.
Ray cut a hard to find solo LP for Johnny Rivers Soul City label. 1970's "Initiation Of A Mystic" (Soul City catalog number SCS-92007)
He also joined a post Jim Morrison line-up of the Doors, undertaking a couple of early-'70s tours with the group as bassist and backing singer. He then dropped out of music, returning to his native Tennessee. He passed on in 2012.
Smith became Noel Harrison's musical director, and continued to occasionally
play local clubs. He spent twenty years fighting drug addictiion
before kicking it and resuming his music career. He passed away in
2014..
So out of the blue I got an email from Terrence Tally. Turns out that Mr. Tally knows James Smith (aka Jimmy Guitar Smith). Not only does he know Smith, but a couple of years ago he made a documentary on Smith - "Blue Minded." Mr. Tally was kind enough to send me a copy of the documentary along with some new music Smith had recorded. Haven't had a chance to check the documentary out, but the CD offered up a mix of okay nightclub jazz and more entertaining blues-influenced numbers. As Mr. Tally mentioned, 'his current music is nothing like the 60's sound of Thorinshield, but he certainly has a gift, but one that will probably go unrecognized." Listening to the CD, Smith's voice is a little deeper (though quite pleasant), while his guitar remains ever tasteful. I'd certainly pay to see him in a small club.
Thanks to Terrence Tally July 2007
YouTube also has a brief documentary on the band at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj1cgLTmGR0
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-based trio.
Bassist Bobby Ray was a sessions player probably best know for his work with
Donovan. Credited to Bob & Kit, he'd also released an obscure 1966
45 for Hanna Barbera. Singer James Smith
remains a complete unknown to me, though he's apparently best known as a
songwriter having placed material with groups as diverse as Chad and Jeremy
and Jennifer Warnes. Smith and Ray met through Ray's then
girlfiend.and decided to team their talents. Signed my Philips the
subsequently recruited Drummer Terry Hand finding him through "drummer
available" signs he'd put up in local Hollywood music stores.
Hand had previously played in a number of
surf bands, including The Crossfires. He'd also released a couple of singles as a member of
the band Everpresent Fullness. As a trio the band went into Wally
Heider Studios and began playing local LA clubs.
