EUPHORIA - s/t LP

A SUNSHINE POP MASTERPIECE!

Music genres are labelled for a good reason. They can be of great help when it comes to putting sounds into a few words. This terrific album is usually filed with the "sunshine" tag on it and it is hard to think of a better way to describe the dazzlingly bright songs recorded in 1969 by this American band. The core of the group was formed by Roger and Wendy, an acoustic duo that was a regular performer at NYC's Greenwich Village scene of folk clubs. Two more members, Tom Pacheco and Sharon Alexander, joined them in Euphoria during their brief existence.

The band signed to Heritage Records and recorded this fantastic self-titled debut, featuring songs mostly written by Tom Pacheco and led vocally by Roger and Wendy. Their music is built around radiant vocal harmonies and solid arrangements, echoing artists such as The Mamas & The Papas, Free Design and The 5th Dimension, but with a distinctive lysergic edge. 'There Is Now', the opening track, is a beautiful example of the psych twist that eventually spiced up the strongest songs of the album, as so is 'Ride The Magic Carpet'. On the other hand, 'Tucson' or 'You Must Forget' are dreamy folk numbers that show the band's smoother side. The catchy 'Calm Down' makes you wonder about Euphoria's commercial appeal if they had been strongly backed by promotional efforts... However, by the time the album came out in 1969, this kind of folk-pop sound had become out of fashion and live performances with top selling artists such as Van Morrison, Iron Butterfly or Sly & The Family Stone were not enough to reach decent sales figures.

Euphoria disbanded shortly after their only album was released and two new different projects followed, Bermuda Triangle and Pacheco & Alexander, pursuing more contemporary sounds.