More Bryan MacLean - Candy’s Waltz 1971-1984 | Plain & Fancy

Bryan MacLean - Candy's Waltz (1971-84) 2000 remaster)

here . . .

There's so much music out there that's not only indifferent but so finely worked or rather overworked that to hear aged, sparse demos of this quality is a breath of Alpine air. Candy's Waltz is not outakes from the great ifyoubelievein CD from two years ago (see CWAS#3) but further revelations from similar sources. Indeed it may be an overall stronger and more even collection. The vocals are fuzzy at the edges belying the tapes thirty years existence in damp or dusty garages and the songs are probably one takes. And it's great. 

All the observations I made about the former collection remain relevant here: the Crosby inspired jazz/folk guitar with its Spanish tinges; the flighty Tim Buckley exuberance of the vocals, so rich and romantic, so much rounder and bigger than Arthur Lee's often mumbled delivery. Again it is a matter of taste if one prefer Bryan's idiosyncratic phrasing or Arthur's more normal arrangements. Probably a band arrangement could not handle such enormous and sudden changes in tempo and phrasing and, anyway, the daCapo Love could bring a warm sunshine to Bryan' music. Well whatever here's seventeen new Bryan Maclean songs! Assuming Arthur had it in him to write another Forever Changes (and it seemed not) Bryan could have submitted about half a dozen Candy songs. 

The tunes really get inside you. Opener I can'tremember was written, like Orange Skies in 1966 age 17 and is similarly effortlessly inspired. I had to find this and several other beautiful tunes like Always I Wanted, Claudia and the title track on the piano to marvel at the Brian Wilson-like complexity of the melodies. It has been suggested that Arthur, though passing over many BM songs took more than a little inspiration from them. Castle Waltz from 1966 bears a huge resemblance to DaCapo's The Castle. A 1969 tune Father and Husband conversely sounds like several Forever Changes epic passages. There are two live songs replete with charming banter and track 20 is a telling BM radio interview for all Love fans. For many of us this album will again open the overgrown door to the magic garden.

by Stephen Ridley, Spring 2001

Tracks

1. I Can't Remember - 3:36

2. Most Of Us - 3:47

3. Special Joy - 3:27

4. Love Will Be Here - 3:14

5. Candy's Waltz - 3:59

6. Always I Wanted - 2:05

7. Castle Waltz - 2:15

8. Hip-Hip Hooray - 2:38

9. Claudia (version 2) - 3:21

10. Husband And Father - 3:58

11. If This Is Love - 3:34

12. Claudine's Samba - 2:08

13. Candy's Waltz (live) - 4:33

14. Kathleen (live) - 2:53

15. You Could Be Here - 3:01

16. Soon - 3:05

17. Darlin' - 3:34

18. Love In The End - 3:05

19. We'll Be Together Again - 4:14

20. Bryan MacLean Interview (January 13, 1998) - 13:41

Music and Lyrics by Bryan MacLean

*Bryan MacLean - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

FLAC HQ performance

Well here’s a turn up and I had thought Bryan only recorded ifyoubelievein as a solo effort so this I am expecting to be a rare treat! Early MacLean! Intriguingly the whole things is posted track by track on YouTube . . . . Apologies if I am labouring an old commonly known poet but this now doubles the amounts of Bryan’s solo work owned by yours truly . . . . . .the man who wrote Alone Again Or!

Bryan MacLean - Candy’s Waltz

Bryan MacLean Interview

 (With Phil Nee- WRCO AM/FM Radio, Richard Center, Wisconsin January 13, 1998)