Well, for some bizarre reason, a group of superior musicians and
songwriters made one fantastic album, BEGIN, that went
absolutely nowhere. It was unlike any other album ever made and might
be classified as the first true Rock Opera. Each song flowed into the
next as if they were one. This is rather strange since BEGIN
is actually a compilation of songs by two separate groups, The
Millennium and Ballroom. Both groups were formed by
Curt Boettcher of Association and Tommy Roe fame.
His genius at vocal arrangement was and still is unsurpassed; proven
by his arrangements of the Association's Along Comes Mary and
Cherish.
Boettcher was also involved with Gary Usher's "studio group"
called Sagittarius. The album that resulted from this kinship,
Present Tense, has recently been re-released by Sundazed
Music with a foreword by Dawn Eden and for all true fans it is a
must buy. It is a wonderful album showcasing the talents of all
involved. All members of The Millennium are listed and given credit
as they helped with vocals and were used as studio musicians for the
project ... thanks to Boettcher who was at the time trying to get The
Millennium under contract and keep them in spending money. I only
recently bought Present Tense and must say I was a bit
surprised by the content. If you expect to hear The Millennium, you
won't. What you will hear are the seeds that The Millennium grew
from, especially Curt Boettcher. The sound is sweet and lyrical and
is a perfect vehicle for his voice, but there are moments when the
music turns inward and a deeper level is reached. Now that you are
totally confused I just want to say ... Buy It ... you won't be
disappointed. Dawn Eden says a re-release of The Millennium album by
Sundazed is also out there with new liner notes by her and a couple
of additional tracks, but I haven't been able to locate it yet.
With the help of Keith Olsen (Music Machine) and
Gary Usher(songwriter, surf music avatar, and Columbia staff
producer), Boettcher formed The Millennium. This group consisted of
seven musicians and songwriters, including Boettcher. The other six
members are: Ron Edgar and Doug Rhodes (Music
Machine), Michael Fennelly (who later formed Crabby
Appleton), Lee Mallory, Sandy Salisbury
(Ballroom), and Joey Stec.
Boettchers' genius at vocal arrangement and love of the new art of
studio technology was obvious in the result. BEGIN was only
the second album recorded with the new 16 track technology. Curt
Boettcher ran up the highest Columbia studio bill in history in the
year it took to make BEGIN. The reasons for its commercial
failure might be due to the fact it was too light for FM and too
complex and heavy for AM. Doug Rhodes felt that the resulting
diversity of voices and musical styles on the album may have confused
listeners and hampered sales. I personally feel that this album is
just one of a kind. It is appreciated by those who take the time to
listen. Not unlike a W.C. Fields movie, you can't do anything else
and appreciate its content. Most people are not willing to devote the
time necessary to listen, totally, to this album. If you are, then
you just might see what all the fuss is about ... music taken to a
higher level ...
Two songs, Just About The Same and Blight, were
recorded after BEGIN, but the second album was never to be. At
the end of 1968 internal differences, dissatisfaction with
Columbia, and consumer indifference spelled the end of the
group. Any chance of a reunion was ended in June,1987 with the death
of Curt Boettcher.
Doug Rhodes quote in 1990, " It doesn't matter to me that BEGIN
wasn't a commercial success. What matters is that we were among the
first of our generation of musicians to explore recording itself as a
creative process. It happened because we also explored openness and
trust with one another, for we knew that was essential to being able
to produce anything worthwhile on record. That togetherness is what
the group was about. If that is audible, then the record is a success
"......................
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