Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina (1967)

Artist: The Left Banke
Release Year: 1967

Rating: 10/10

Track Listing: 1) Pretty Ballerina; 2) She May Call You Up Tonight; 3) Barterers and Their Wives; 4) I've Got Something on My Mind; 5) Let Go of You Girl; 6) Evening Gown; 7) Walk Away Renee; 8) What Do You Know; 9) Shadows Breaking Over My Head; 10) I Haven't Got the Nerve; 11) Lazy Day.

Alright, I admit it: I needed a pick-me-up after slogging through Wind & Wuthering again.  

I don't know if Michael Brown should stand alongside Lennon/McCartney as a songwriting god, but I'm never going to say that he shouldn't.  He's the main creative force here, and the next albums really suffered from his departure.  This is one of the most gorgeous pop albums I've ever had the pleasure to experience, and it absolutely delivers the melodic hooks to support the aesthetic.

And what is that aesthetic?  Baroque pop rock, complete with violin, harpsichord, and all the lush harmonies you could want.  I feel a little dirty saying this, but it's almost like the bubblegum pop genre shared a common ancestor with this record, albeit with the Left Banke obviously taking the sunny disposition and immaculate hooks in a much more artistic and meaningful direction.  Yes, the album would still be fine without that baroque, almost medieval flavor that's been injected into what would otherwise be a set of standard pop tunes-- but it's that very element that brings out every incredible aspect of Brown's astounding gift for songwriting.  Everything works, and I doubt we'd be here if he hadn't been given the space to fully develop these songs into the orchestrated gems they ultimately became.

The album is titled after the two singles, and those are probably the best songs on here, but all of them are great.  "Pretty Ballerina" is stately yet airy, floating along into that gorgeous "was I surprised, yeea-aa-ahh" before the falsetto resolution.  "Walk Away Renee" would overflow with intolerable sentimentality in someone else's hands, but it ends up a masterpiece instead, because the longing is just portrayed that well in that gorgeous melody.  Then there's "Barterers and Their Wives", the most obviously "medieval" song on here, pairing a bouncy melody with a brilliant vocal twist in the chorus-- and some low harmonies to give it a bit of gravitas.

There are so many other little touches to call out, like the insistent, bubbling bass on "Let Go of You Girl", or the swirling intensity of "Evening Gown", or the angelic harmonies in the bridge of the ominous "Shadows Breaking Over My Head" that might even beat out the Beach Boys, or the buildup of anticipation in "She May Call You Up Tonight" that you almost don't realize the extent of until you fall back into the chorus.  And yeah, I do have to pick out "What Do You Know" as the oddball country number on here that sounds a fair bit like "What Goes On" from on Rubber Soul.  Hey-- it's even track eight!  Points off of originality for that one?  Nah.

This album sounds like the late morning sun shining through stained glass, with maybe some youthful pining to add a small, exquisite emotional ache to the picture.  It's hazy and dreamy, overflowing with images of dewy flowers and ladies-in-waiting and unsent love letters: youthful and romantic, but noble and classy.  I don't care that this album drips with all sorts of sugary sappiness, because it's the most delectable, gourmet-quality sweetness that's out there.  All those string flourishes, harpsichord accents, and warm vocal harmonies that become desperate in just the right places are legendary to my ears, and that's that.