Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good Album, similar to a few from it's time...
Comment: Rev-Ola serves up another supposed "lost classic" 60's album with Mark Eric Malmborgs' "Midsummer's Day".
The album itself has cuts that are very reminiscent of Jan and Deans "Save for a Rainy Day" (Summer goes this way, Place for the summer), Billy Nichols' great "Would you Believe?" (Don't Cry Over Me, I'd like to talk to you), and even the Beach Boys' classic "Pet Sounds" (Take me with you, California Home). I'd recommmend those records as well as Margo Guryans "Take a Picture" as accompanying 60's albums for this one.
The album itself is pretty solid throughout, with decent instrumentation and orchestration. At times it may come off as a bit too gaudy, but for the most part it is very well done and tasteful. Marks voice TOTALLY reminds me of the vocalization that is feature on the Jan and Dean "Save for a Rainy Day" album... it has this sunshiney drone to it that is hard to describe. It may sound annoying at first, (even to the biggest surf fan out there), but eventually it does grow on you.
Many of the cuts have a kind of sadness behind them, while the others have a political-like statement in their lyrics. Mark Eric was a very good songwriter if nothing else and this album stands testament to that.
It isn't worthy of a 5 star review like Pet Sounds or Would you Believe? simply because, although the tracks themselves are all solid, there isn't a sense of "greatness" around them ALL as is with those 2 stellar albums. Still, if I could I would've given this a 4.5.
PS: I believe they messed up the track listing on this record; tracks 15 and 16 are swapped.
Customer Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER WAVE TO RIDE
Comment: JUST WHEN BRIAN WILSONS SONGWRITING SEEMS TO BE SINKING BENEATH THE WAVES, THIS INCREDIBLE GEM SURFACES FROM THE I960S. MAN, I CAN SMELL THE SALTY OCEAN BREEZE EVERY TIME I POP THIS GEM IN MY CAR CD PLAYER. I ONLY WISH THAT MARK HAD RECORDED 2 OR 3 MORE OF THESE.------THE RE-RELEASE OF THE YEAR-------------------------------------------------------------------BUSTER MCGURK
Customer Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking.
Comment: I've been an obsessive music loving record geek since before I was even a school kid. So much music has touched me on so many different levels for so many years. Most of it has been 60's and 70's music of different styles and genres (though I did go through a Metal period as a teenager in the mid 80's!). After a while I began to feel like I'd heard everything. As though never again would something blow me away like the first time I heard "Rubber Soul" or "Pet Sounds" or what have you.
Finally, I was flipping through the misc 'E' section at the fabulous Amoeba records in Berkeley and this CD caught my eye. The combination of the cover and title got me to pick up the disc. The blurb on the back made me decide to take a chance...and I'm so glad I did. It hit me like a ton of bricks on the very first listen. Every single song on this 1969 album was absolutely great. It had been so long since a record knocked me out of my seat like this one. Furthermore, it had been YEARS since I felt compelled to instantly replay the whole thing after the first listen. Yes,
Mark wears his Brian Wilson influence very prominently
on his sleeve, but it's so well done, so masterfully crafted and produced that you never feel the need to cry, "rip off!". Instead you feel thankful that there is another Brian Wilson masterpiece to cherish even if Brian has no involvement. I believe this is my favorite album of all-time.
Track by track:
CALIFORNIA HOME - Upbeat yet melancholy. In fact, there's a sweet sadness to this whole album that persistently tugs at me. Fantastic melody.
MOVE WITH THE DAWN - More upbeat yet vaguely haunting. The horns coupled with the pace of the rhythm bring to mind a vision of the open highway in an old 60's film or perhaps a cityscape like the one you see during the opening credits of the original Dragnet series. The arrangements of these songs really compliment the lyrical content.
LAURA'S CHANGING - One of my favorites. A bouncy number that reminds me of the music in the 70's Peanuts specials. Especially the piano. Laura is now 13 and is a bit too "old" to play with her slightly younger male friend who still wants to play "'hopscotch' and 'skip rope' and 'captain may I'". This is the original "Wonder Years". Childhood
nostalgia oozes from the speakers. The key changes kick my a**.
WHERE DO THE GIRLS OF THE SUMMER GO? - My favorite
track on the album. It's like a beautiful Pet Sounds track with an essence of 'Hey There Lonely Girl' by Eddie Holman. Gorgeous sunshine pop at it's most ravishing. Like many of the tracks this song mourns the loss of something cherished that once was. The melody that accompanies the line, "Every June they come and fill the days with fun and nights with pleasure" gives me goose bumps.
I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU - A bit more of a straight ahead rockin' tune (in an early Beach Boys sorta way) than most of the other tracks. Kinda dorky, but I like it.
TAKE ME WITH YOU - Yep, further Beach Boy-isms. Here's another beautiful Pet Sounds-track-that-never-was. As a previous reviewer said, "if [Brian Wilson] recorded it, it would be considered a classic in every sense." Absolutely.
NIGHT OF THE LIONS - The one other 'rockin'' tune of the album. It starts out with a riff reminiscent of 'Money (That's What I Want)' then gives way to an atmosphere similar to 'Move With the Dawn' but, as I mentioned, more "rockin'". Mark's lyrical attempts to sound tough and bad ass are somewhat laughable but it's still an excellent song.
DON'T CRY OVER ME - A slow pretty number that is not necessarily one of my faves of the album, but still excellent.
WE LIVE SO FAST - A horn-laden "mover". A song about the "now" generation's need to experience life at it's fullest.
SAD IS THE WAY THAT I FEEL - The single most...well...sad song on the album. This one's for the super depressed sunshine pop fan.
JUST PASSING BY - A mid-tempo tune about a rootless wanderer taking up temporarily with an unsuspecting chick.
LYNN'S BABY - One of the most beautiful songs on the album. A song about a young girl who ends up pregnant by an older playboy.
The bonus cuts, particularly "Place For the Summer" and "Build Your Own Dreams", are absolutely every bit as great as the album. These are demos for a proposed follw-up that never materialized. Makes you wonder what could have been. Sigh. You may not take to his voice right away, but if
that's the case please give it a chance, it'll grow on you. The songs are just so damn good! I understand Mark has done some live shows in recent years. Please, dear God, if anyone ever hears of any such performance in the future CONTACT ME! LET ME KNOW! I will travel!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Forgotten 60's pop brillance in the spirit of Brian Wilson
Comment: This album is wonderful!If sun-kisssed late 60's wistful Californian Beach-boy inspired pop with a touch of melencolia is your "bag" you will love this album. I would fully recommend this CD to anyone who is into Jan and Dean's "Save for a rainy day", Sagitarius "Present Tense" or the Beach Boy's late 60's output i.e. "Friends", "Pet Sounds" "20/20" - this music is somehow more delicate than the Beach Boys but still has it's more rockin' moments, and of course great male vocal harmonies complete with falsetto leads a la Brian Wilson and layered jazzy vocal textures... Mark wears his Beach Boy influence very respectfully and proudly on his sleeve.
Recorded, written and produced by Mark, this CD reissue comes with excellent liner notes regarding the background of the making of the album and the "Old Surfer" himself. It is a classy package and will give you all the info on the album needed, as there is so little info available anywhere else.
Like the other reviewer said, every track released on the original "Midsummer's Day Dream" is great! I particularly love the first track "California Home", it has such a lovely melody and can make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck with its sweet sadness.
"Take me with you" could easily be written by Brian Wilson.. in fact I am sure if he recorded it, it would be considered a classic in every sense. Just gorgeous!
There are added tracks not on the original vinyl release - "Place for the summer" is great! The chorus is so cool... and also "Build your own dream". There are also some mono 7" inch single mixes included, and perhaps the only song I don't particually care for "Goin' Native", but as it is a demo I can forgive it because the other material on the CD is so strong.
I am so upset that Amazon hasn't got song bites for you to listen to because you could then sample some of these songs and agree with me!
So - please if you get the chance to listen to it somewhere just DO IT! or if you want to take the chance and expand on your Californian sound inspired albums, just order it here and have a Midsummer's day dream! Thanks Mark for the great music, and thans Rev-ola for the excellent CD package.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Perfect
Comment: I can't believe I'm the first person reviewing this fine singer/songwriter. I've cherished Mark Eric Malmborg's LP for decades as a flawless collection of songs which express better than any group I've heard the California summer. Most albums have one or two good songs. This one is good from beginning to end. And there is a humility and earnestness and total absence of smartaleckyness about it, that is most refreshing. I is so sad that some fine artists are neglected and forgotten. I cherish another unknown album from the same time: Bert Somer's "The Road to Travel". I can only imagine what these musicians must feel at the neglect of their creations, which they surely know to be worthy.
