Traces of existence, yet nary a picture of the group…
Listen/Download – Aerial Landscape – Proposition 13
Listen/Download – Aerial Landscape – Are You Sleeping
Greetings all.
I picked up the record you see before you years ago on a trip to Pittsburgh, which proved to be both an interesting city, as well as fertile digging ground.
I know little more about Aerial Landscape now than I did when I first pulled this 45 out of box and bought it “blind”.
The group apparently released two 45s for RCA in 1968, both produced by Rick Jarrard and arranged by George Tipton (both of whom had worked on Harry Nilsson’s records for RCA during the same period, which is why I bought the record).
Their brief discography includes three originals and a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now’.
The Aerial Landscape sound is a mix of sunshine pop and folk rock, with the vibe straying into Free Design territory, especially on the first track I bring you today, ‘Proposition 13’.
Though there are singers of both sexes, the female singers are more prominently featured and the arrangements by Tipton are typically stylish.
The flipside of the 45, ‘Are You Sleeping’ has a slightly dreamier feel, with an opening guitar figure that sounds like it was lifted from ‘Guinnevere’ by Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Other than a single chart appearance – where they fit into the milieu quite nicely – and brief reviews in Record World and Cashbox, the Aerial Landscape seems to have left nary a trace.
Review From Cashbox:
AERIAL LANDSCAPE (RCA Victor –9432)
Proposition 13 (2:32) [Pune’s Polo, £
BMI-McEntyre, Leiren] West Coast-y |
group vocal session backed by a fetch-
ing trumpet lick from time to tome [
make for an infectious track that V)
could grab bright play on pop stations. *
Up-tempo smoothie for material and j
a grand session give the team a shot 1
at hit ratings. Flip: “Are You Sleep- ,
ing” (2:41) [Same pub, BMI-Hansen]
That said, it’s a groovy 45, and I’ll be on the lookout for the other one.
I hope you dig it and I’ll see you next week.
Peace
Larry
PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.