Recorded - Autumn 1968
Released - November 1968
#1 for weeks of February 1 and 8, 1969.
The last time Tommy James & The Shondells reached #1 on the US Billboard charts was way back in 1966 with "Hanky Panky". Between '66 and late 1968, the band had settled into a bubblegum niche. Now, I've already mentioned how I'm not too crazy about the genre, mostly due to many representative songs being corporately written, with saccharine lyrics. With that being said, songs like "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony", are untouchable classics, and the latter especially is extremely hard not to love.
Yet, even after all of these hit singles, Tommy James wanted to move past garage rock/bubblegum and go fully psychedelic. 1968 may seem a bit late in the game to jump on the psychedelic bandwagon, but in this case, Tommy earned himself a first class ticket. Composed by both Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr, "Crimson And Clover" was a drastically different sound than their previous work. Shortly after its recording, it was leaked by a radio station and rush-released on Roulette Records. The rest they say is history.
"Crimson And Clover" is built on a guitar-heavy soundscape. Many of these guitars feature numerous trippy effects such as tremolo. Although the main melody line is repeated quite a bit throughout the song, it never feels repetitive or boring. There is also a speedier bridge that occurs twice in the song, and which adds some urgency to the music. Also of note is the final coda of the song, with Tommy James' vocals put through a guitar amp, resulting in a very distorted and psychedelic sound.
I should also mention that there are two versions of "Crimson And Clover". There is the three and a half minute version, which was released as a single. There is also an artificially extended version, that was featured on both the Crimson And Clover album as well as numerous compilations.
Although "Crimson And Clover" would be the last #1 by Tommy James & The Shondells, it was by no means their last great song. In fact, "Crimson" represents one fourth of a quartet of spectacular singles, released in succession. These other three songs being "Sweet Cherry Wine", "Crystal Blue Persuasion" and the grandiose "Ball Of Fire", all released in 1969. By 1970, the group had parted ways, although Tommy James soldiered on with a rather successful solo career.
Final Verdict - "Crimson And Clover" is very much a product of its time period. However, I feel it has aged quite well, no doubt due to its incredibly catchy and singalong nature. The music has a delightfully hazy quality to it that is easy to get lost in, and the vocal performance is raw and heartfelt. I'd certainly say that this song's hit status is well-deserved.
Coming Up Next - "Everyday People" by Sly & The Family Stone.
Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock, listening to #1 songs "Over and Over" to see just how well they hold up.
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