Vinyl Records

Sunshowers and Summer Clothes: When Music Brings Us Home

smgaillard Music, Parenting , , , , , , , , , ,

For Thelma Houston, Jimmy Webb, Brian Wilson, and Bruce Springsteen

Today, I wasn’t expecting to break down in tears. As I write this, my face is warm and wet from tears evoked by a song.

Music can do that.

Earlier in the week, I had come across a picture on Instagram of Jimmy Webb and Thelma Houston. Their 1969 collaboration yielded a beautiful album entitled “Sunshower.” It’s a stunning collection of songs from the pen of Jimmy Webb. You know Jimmy Webb if you know songs like “Up, Up, & Away,” “MacArthur Park,” and “Wichita Lineman.” He arranged and produced the album with noble support from various studio musicians from the legendary Wrecking Crew. Thelma Houston is the star of the show with her vocals evoking Gospel, Broadway, R&B, Soul, and Pop all amalagated into a sound that transcends categories.

My mother had a beloved copy of the album. I remember the illuminating album cover of Thelma Houston arrayed in a yellow pantsuit sitting in a yellow room. Her smile was sunshine personified. Heck, she was the sun itself.

Having seen that picture on Instagram, I decided to put the needle on the album that my mother had given me last year. It’s the same album and the original pressing with its crackling warm hiss of snaps, crackles, and pops just aligned with my Sunday morning.

The second track on the album triggered my tears. “Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon” kicks in on a solid set of triplets evocative of the symphonic sound during the middle instrumental section of “MacArthur Park.” Drummer Hal Blaine, the master studio percussionist, keeps the beat snappy and swinging. As soon as I heard the opening notes, I am instantly transformed to my early childhood in Carson, California. I might be 4 or 5 years old. I can see Mom preparing Rice-A-Roni in the kitchen. She’s got Houston belting out the beauty of moon travel in the midst of complex shifting time signatures all in one measure as Webb conducts the Wrecking Crew amidst a loving tidal wave of sound. I remember dancing with my arms outstretched with my big brother and little sister. We are twirling about and pretending we are flying to the Moon. Mom is keeping the beat on a ladle as she is stirring the rice in the kitchen. She is also gently encouraging us to be quiet as my newborn baby sister was sleeping.

Then, we hear the magic sound amidst Jimmy Webb’s mini-opera for Thelma Houston. It’s the magic sound of jangling keys on the front door. The sound denotes one thing and one thing only: “DADDY!” The three of us run at top speed toward that magical sound of keys dancing on the front door. The door opens and we leap into our Daddy. There are kisses and hugs. It’s joy and then we start dancing in time to Thelma Houston’s aria of “Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon.” Incidentally, another version of the song by The Three Degrees is used in the classic film, “The French Connection.”

I was so moved by the song this morning that I went to share the memories of Carson with my wife. I am weeping, smiling, laughing, and grooving to the solid beat of the song all at once. Carson was heaven on earth for me. That song simply brought me back to the sound of my father’s keys in the door and the joy of being in our family. As I am sharing these memories, I make a connection to another song that evokes a memory.

It’s 2007 and all of our daughter are home and their kids again. I am hearing “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” by Bruce Springsteen. It’s a warm day amidst a North Carolina summer. I pull into the driveway with the windows down and I see all three of my daughters playing in the backyard. They spot me and come running to me. I am crying as I write this. It’s full circle. I can now feel what my father felt as he jangled those keys in our front door on Radlett Avenue. All three leap into my arms. It’s heaven on earth. Springsteen’s song sounds like a lost track from the “Sunshower” album or even “Pet Sounds.” Both Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and Jimmy Webb both drank from the same aspirational well of Technicolor sound in their records.

Brian Wilson once said that “Music is God’s voice.” I firmly believe that. It’s the divine thread that transcends all boundaries, divisions. Music is a time machine that connects us to memories. We hear a song and we transported backward into a memory. It keeps in perspective within the present. It can point us toward possibilities for the future.

What song does that for you? I would love to hear. Please share in the comments.

Here’s “Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon” by Thelma Houston:

Here’s “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” by Bruce Springsteen:

Vinyl Riffs: Sagittarius’ “Present Tense and the Courage to Create

smgaillard Leadership, Music , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Years ago, I remember reading about a hallowed single featuring members of the Wrecking Crew. The song was “My World Fell Down,” credited to a group called Sagittarius. The truth is that Sagittarius was never really a group. It was something more elusive and, in many ways, more meaningful.

Released in 1967, “My World Fell Down” felt like it existed in the same sonic universe as what Brian Wilson was building with The Beach Boys. Think about “Good Vibrations” and the unfolding ambition of SMiLE. The form was shifting. The rules were dissolving. Pop music was becoming something expansive, layered, and deeply expressive.

That single led me, years later in the late 1990s, to track down a CD reissue of Present Tense. That is when I learned that the architect behind Sagittarius was Gary Usher, a collaborator with Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys who co-wrote “In My Room” and produced The Notorious Byrd Brothers. Alongside him was another studio visionary, Curt Boettcher.

What they created together on Present Tense was not just an album. It was a sanctuary.

A Studio Project That Became Something More

Sagittarius was never built for the stage. It was built in the studio, piece by piece, with contributions from elite session musicians and collaborators. It was a collective before that word became fashionable. It was a shared space where ideas could breathe.

At the time, Gary Usher was an in-demand producer at Columbia Records. The expectations were constant. The pressure to deliver was real. The work never stopped.

He created something outside of that system.

Sagittarius became his creative outlet. It became a place to experiment, to reconnect with meaning, and to create without the weight of constant expectation.

There is a story that has stayed with me from those liner notes I read years ago. Usher was hesitant to fully reveal himself as the force behind Sagittarius. He feared that doing so would only bring more demands from the label. More work would follow. More pressure would build. Less space would remain.

He recorded during off hours. Nights and weekends became the canvas.

That tells you everything you need to know about this album.

The Sound of Freedom and Trust

Released in 1968, Present Tense moves across genres with ease:

  • Baroque pop
  • Sunshine pop
  • Psychedelia

It is unified not by category, but by feeling.

You hear it immediately in the opening track, “Another Time.” The harp enters. The harmonies follow. The song feels warm, sublime, and almost otherworldly. It sounds like something beyond the everyday. It sounds like possibility.

Curt Boettcher’s songwriting and arranging shine throughout the record. His work here would extend into The Millennium, another project that stretched the boundaries of what pop music could be.

Across the album, the listener hears:

  • Layered vocal harmonies that feel choral and immersive
  • Studio experimentation including phasing and multi-track recording
  • Orchestral textures that elevate each arrangement

There are also moments of bold experimentation. Usher and Boettcher explored musique concrète, early synthesizer textures, and even incorporated elements connected to The Firesign Theatre. These were not safe choices. They were necessary ones.

This was not about chasing a hit.

This was about making something that mattered.

The Return of Present Tense

That is why this reissue matters so much.

Music On Vinyl has brought Present Tense back into the world with care and intention. This Netherlands-based label is known for its commitment to quality, and it shows here.

This limited reissue of 1000 copies is pressed on 180-gram vinyl. The packaging is thoughtfully reproduced on high-quality cardstock. The sound is pristine.

Every detail comes through:

  • The depth of the harmonies
  • The nuance of the arrangements
  • The studio innovations that defined the original sessions

When I drop the needle on “Another Time,” I hear something that still stops me in my tracks. Those opening notes feel like the sound of heaven.

There is love in this reissue. The same kind of love that went into creating the album in the first place.

You can explore more about their work here:
https://www.musiconvinyl.com/

The Leadership Riff: Protecting the Creative Soul

What compels me most about Present Tense is not just how it sounds. It is why it exists.

Gary Usher needed an outlet.

He needed space to create without expectation.
He needed room to experiment without judgment.
He needed to reconnect with the part of himself that made the work meaningful.

That resonates deeply.

In leadership, in music, and in life, the demands can take over. Expectations can define the work. Output can overshadow purpose.

Present Tense is a reminder that:

  • Space to create is essential
  • Trust in collaborators elevates the work
  • Courage to explore leads to meaning

This album is the sound of freedom.
It is the sound of collaboration.
It is the sound of quiet courage.

It is the sound of someone protecting their creative soul in a world that kept asking for more.

Take Your Present Tense for Present Tense

Every time I return to this album, I am reminded to be present in the work that matters.

To create.
To collaborate.
To trust.

To make space for something meaningful, even if it does not fit the mold.

I would love to hear how this album resonates with you. What do you hear when you listen to Present Tense? What does it bring out in you?

Listen and Subscribe: Vinyl Riffs with Sean Gaillard

This album will be featured in an upcoming episode of Vinyl Riffs with Sean Gaillard. If this resonates with you, I invite you to listen, subscribe, and share the journey.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@seangaillard3841?si=qQtdTHssmUu3qL8m
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vinyl-riffs-with-sean-gaillard/id1875382603
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qZ1Qa79O5ssx10OYFPVKO?si=d05d95748ab54eb8

Call for Guests and Albums to Riff On

I am always looking to connect with others who feel this music deeply.

If you have an album that has shaped you, or if you want to join me for a conversation on Vinyl Riffs, I would love to hear from you.

Please reach out at: sgaillard84@gmail.com

Much gratitude to Gary Usher and Curt Boettcher for creating something timeless.

Much gratitude to Music On Vinyl for honoring that legacy with care.

Much gratitude to you for taking the time to listen, read, and share in this space.