It’s A Beautiful Day – IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY***

White Bird/Hot Summer Day/Wasted Union Blues/Girl With No Eyes/Bombay Calling/Bulgaria/Time Is

The self titled debut album from the San Francisco progressive group It’s A Beautiful Day demonstrated plenty of hippy-dippy idealism but was let down by an absence of decent tunes. (US:47)

“Well, it may be a beautiful day but it's also a bit of a noodle after the first couple of songs. Whilst well played, the songs have a habit of overstaying their welcome; especially the final cut Time Is which includes the obligatory 1969 drum solo.”

“Distinctly west coast flavoured rock with male/female vocal duets, and featuring guitar, organ and electric violin, which yields a mild progressive element. Though some of these tracks are long and trippy, overall, psych influences are minimal.”

"White Bird is the definitive track on It's A Beautiful Day's debut record. The only other notable bit is Bombay Calling which deeply influenced Deep Purple's Child In Time. The album is a bit hippy, trippy and extremely mellow, and it is nice to hear a pop record with the violin in the forefront.”

“There isn't too much to like here. White Bird is an OK track, and Bombay Calling is very well done. Unfortunately there isn't much else here that is memorable.”

“Forgotten for a good reason, because they sound incredibly average. In fact, it sounds just like a folked up version of Deep Purple. This band goes into long extended progressive folk jams, instead of heavy metal jams. Equally boring though.”

“The album starts with the group's signature song, the bossa nova-inflected White Bird. Hot Summer Day is perhaps the least distinctive track, but still good, with a nice flow to it. Wasted Union Blues is the closest thing to a standard rock song, and seems a bit jarring, but it does provide variety. Girl With No Eyes is a quiet, eerie waltz, with lyrics that have the feeling of dream imagery. On Side B, the prog takes over. Bombay Calling is instrumental, with a vaguely Middle Eastern feel. Bulgaria is very slow and dreamlike, and Time Is is hard-driving and frantic.”

“One of the best artefacts of the long-haired age of rock. Lots of great violin work, good vocals, melodies and jamming guitar.”