https://www.discogs.com/master/85913-The-Millennium-Begin/image/SW1hZ2U6NDY2MzI2MA==
THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
662) The Millennium — “To Claudia on Thursday”
Sunshine pop went supernova with the Millennium (see #397, 506, 586), a 60’s sunshine supergroup that created Begin, the greatest sunshine pop album ever recorded. Begin cost more to make than any other album from ’68 other than The Beatles (the White Album)— and no one buys it (at least until era of CD reissues). As Richie Unterberger writes, it was “at once too unabashedly commercial for underground FM radio and too weird for the AM dial.” (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-millennium-mn0000814312) For more on the Millennium and Curt Boettcher, see #396.
“Claudia” is an utterly beguiling love song, expressing the songwriter’s love for the self-same girl, and advocating that she just live in the moment and not “give a thought to anything in the world but you and me.” As Matthew Greenwald writes:
A delicious slice of near-perfect mid-’60s pop, “To Claudia on Thursday” was inspired by producer Curt Boettcher’s wife, Claudia. Overflowing with some amazing counterpoint harmonies, the song’s melody is pop-based, and includes a great folk-inspired core, especially on Joey Stec’s flowing acoustic rhythm guitar. Like many of the Begin album songs, there is a certain psychedelic spirit to the whole affair, yet this song has dated extremely well.
https://www.allmusic.com/song/to-claudia-on-thursday-mt0034798980
Co-writer Stec says that the song “was a nice thought on a nice day, a song to make Curt’s pregnant wife feel better”. (liner notes to The Millennium Magic Time: The Millennium/Ballroom Recordings)
And DJ D-Mac adds that “Riding over the baroque instrumental arrangement are rich vocal harmonies delivering the kind of polished pop melody that could only be born of veteran songwriting craftsmanship. Simply stunning yet inexplicably obscure.” (http://www.djdmac.com/blog/song-day-millennium-claudia-thursday/)
I think that gives me a great hashtag for my blog — #simplystunningyetinexplicablyobscure. Thanks, DJ D-Mac!!!
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
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