The story of this album may come as a surprise to many of you. It
taught me a few things I did not know. The Chamaeleon Church
LP was released 1968. A young man by the name of Chevy Chase played
keyboards and percussion on the recording. Chase would move on to
Saturday Night Live, feature comedy films, and enjoy a completely
productive career outside of music. I do remember Chase playing the
drums in the "Spies Like Us" video on MTV several years ago but I
never gave it any more thought, until now.
This music is archetypal period rock music. In fact, it is all very
Beatlesque. There are harpsichords, flutes, and a decidedly psychedelic
flavor and atmosphere.
It is my understanding from research on the web I conducted that Tony
Scheuren was the lead vocalist for the band. He sounded very much
influenced by the Fab 4, and who wasn't during that time? They were
so big and their sound so worldly accepted it was only natural to
gravitate towards an earnest emulation of their sound. Many groups
copied the mop tops, some were good and others were not so good. This
one group did a nice job doing so; although they may have not been
trying to for all I know. In any instance, they certainly reminded me of them.
I enjoyed the dreamy vocals and exceptional musicianship on every
song. The mixture is effective with the usage of guitars and keyboards,
leading the way into rock and pop jewels with an opium den haze surrounding
it. Everything about this LP is 1968… the music, the cover art, which
rather reminds me of Andy Warhol's Campbell's tomato soup can art
because of the similarities with the use of the electric colors, and
for the most part, the running time of the songs.
It is always nice to reminisce. It is even better when you can continue
to discover bands that you never heard before and really enjoy the listen.
Side One
1. Come Into Your Life-2:15
2. Camillia Is Changing-4:13
3. Spring This Year-4:19
4. Blueberry Pie-3:27
5. Flowers In The Field-2:25
Side Two
1. Here's A Song-1:57
2. In A Kindly Way-3:05
3. Tompkins Square Park-3:04
4. Picking Up The Pieces-2:07
5. Off With The Old-4:21
Bonus Tracks:
6. Ready, Eddie?-2:48
7. Your Golden Love-3:13
Credits:
Chevy Chase - vocals, piano, drumset, percussion, organ, roxichord
Ted Myers - vocals, guitar
Tony Scheuren - vocals, guitar, electric bass, harpsichord
Kyle Garrahan - vocals, electric bass, solo guitar, piano
