Year Of Sunday - SEALS & CROFTS***

When I Meet Them/'Cause You Love/Antoinette/High On A Mountain/Year Of Sunday/Paper Airplanes/Irish Linen/Springfield Mill/Ancient Of The Old/Sudan Village

Year Of Sunday was the first album for Warner by the soft rock harmony duo Seals & Crofts, although they had released two previous LPs on the minor TA label. They would achieve their commercial breakthrough with the next release. (US:133)

“Time has not been kind to Seals & Crofts, probably due to their relatively sentimental and naive compositions. This is not to say that their music is saccharin. It's not. Year Of Sunday is my favourite of their recordings for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the harmonies created are very surprising and secondly, the intimate guitar/mandolin accompaniment is so appropriate for these very personal songs. The production is noticeably subdued, almost claustrophobic, which, ultimately, serves the music well.”

“Recorded just before they hit the big time, this album contains some of their most poignant lyrics, beautiful melodies, and inspired musicianship. Revealing a new sound, and a craftsmanship almost unheard of in pop, their arrangements made mandolin and violin seem hip. This combined with a spiritual message that seemed universal at the time, in the era of peace demonstrations and the love generation.”

“The mandolin passage in Irish Linen still takes my breath away with its exquisite beauty. There is a real ache and longing for a lost love in Antoinette. Their voices intertwine in Cause You Love, anticipating the soaring magic of Hummingbird in their next album. The melody, delicate harmonizing, and mandolin playing in Paper Airplanes elevates a somewhat sentimental song into a heartbreaking classic. Year Of Sunday is an uplifting song of faith and hope.”

“From the epic title track that tells a story of spiritual and peaceful leaders without preaching, we are indeed on a highly-crafted musical journey here that I find very different to the other popular music of this time. To say that this is some of the finest and well produced pop music would be an understatement, as this music is complex, and at the same time so easy to soak in and enjoy on a basic level of enjoyment.”

”From the good time country, to the jazzy and onto African styles, there is a lot to drink in here. Arrangements of these gems almost steal the limelight from the vocal harmonies, but everything fits together just right.”