CHOICE QUALITY STUFF / ANYTIME

A lot of people said that IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY deterioated bad after two or three albums. I even found "Marrying Maiden" a bit of a letdown compared to their first (although there's good stuff on it), so I was expecting "Choice Quality Stuff" to suck bad. I was actually quite surprised by this album. The album apparently has two different titles, as if they were two EPs, one title fitting each side of the LP. Side one is "Choice Quality Stuff" and side two is "Anytime". I was in shock just how much of this album rocks, especially on side one. Like on "Lady Love", never had I heard the band rock like these, not even "Wasted Union Blues" off their classic debut. "Words" bears an uncanny resemblance to SANTANA, even less surprising when you bear in mind that two of SANTANA's percussionists guest here. "No Words For Love" has more of that hippie vibe, and for the first time on an IABD album, flute!

Side two consists of somewhat more mellower stuff, probably to go back to the sound fo their first two. There are a couple songs I can live without, one of them the instrumental "Oranges and Apples", trying so bad to rehash "Bombay Calling" off their debut, and falling flat (much more cheesy and lacking the excitement), and "Anytime" which is pretty lame, with lame lyrics. "Bitter Wine" is one of the better cuts here, and not only does David LaFlamme play violin, but Sid Page (of Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks fame) as well (it's interesting to note that LaFlamme was an early member of DH&HHL, before they started recording). The band was under some serious lineup changes, in fact, two different lineups play on this album, which get real confusing here. Original members Mitchell Hollman, Val Fuentes, and Patti Santos are all here, but they also have Tom Fowler play bass on some cuts, and this is the same Tom Fowler who would later play with Frank ZAPPA on some of his albums (including his notorious "Over-Nite Sensation"), as well as different guitarists. Fred Webb, keyboardist since "Marrying Maiden" is still here, handling the piano, organ, and harpsichord. This album is better than you might think, and is different from their previous two, and it's actually worth having.

This third album deserves its third star (compared to the previous Marryin Maiden) but is not quite up to par with their magnificient debut. Proghead describes well the album ansd I would like to say a few things he does not mention. All four first albums have been released on Cd but the second , third and live on the small German label SRC in the early 90's but since unavailable (I think but not sure) .

This album got divided into two names Side 1 is Quality Choice stuff (poking fun at Camel ciggies with the artwork cover) and side 2 was called Anytime. Not that this changes much as they rock harder on this album than their previous two but it is largely unimaginative (but still good) but hardly fits into our Archives.

It´s a Beautiful Day, i love that name, but sadly the music is not as beautiful as the name. This is their 3rd CD, and the second i listen , i dont like to compare , but im sure that their first self-titled album is much better than this.

I saw this band last year placed in Psychedelic / Space Rock, now they are where they have to, "Proto - Prog", because they dont have anything of Space, maybe it could be named Psychedelic, because they really started and belong to the psychedelic era in the USA.

This album was released in 1972, and it was an LP, which in it´s first side we can find "Choice Quality Stuff", and side two "Anytime", of course if you have a CD you will find all the tracks together, but for really it is something like a two album in one, because of the lineup changes, it supposse to be one lineup in the first side,and another (not totally different, but with some changes), in side two.

Musically talking, this album is so short, 33 minutes, but it´s nice music, not so progressive,in fact i htink it is a classic rock album, with some psychedelic tones, and very little prog passages, the songs are short, single but not simple, about 3 minute average per song, so you wont find any epic, or any song with dramatic changes, nothing like that.

David Laflamme is the leader of the band, and i think he is a good musician, he sing and also play violin, which is a great work in this album, one of the peculiar things here is the mix of lots of instruments, besides guitars , bass and drums, they used violins, sax, and lots of percussion instruments, you probably will remind Santana, because this album was contribute by members of his band.

I like it, despite is so short and so rockie, but theier first album is much better, so if you want to dig them, try their first album, and then this, if you anly have the whim of some nice classic rock, then buy this album. (Not Progressive Rock)

For all that things, im giving it 3 stars, because it´s good, but non - essential.