From the taken for granted file, I pull the undervalued "Cherish" by The Association. A quick survey confirmed my suspicion that is wimpy treacle that is quickly turned off the when it comes on the radio and, to be honest, I agreed for quite a few years, tossing it into a box of childhood treasures I'd outgrown. But, having listened to it repeatedly on my twenty minute drive to and then from the office, I realize that I was wrong.
The arrangements, both vocal and instrumental, on "Cherish" are absolutely stunning. For starters, there's the vocal "bom bom" thing that merges so well with the real bells that, at times, you can't tell where one ends and the other begins. The vocals, progressively stacked, grow from languid choir boy to doo-wop to underscore the mounting desperation of the lyric. And what a lyric it is. So romantic in thought and so lushly delivered that it's easy to forget that, while this may be a love song, the love is unrequited. Clearly it is a case of idle worship that is confirmed by the frantic banging of those bells during the final go at the chorus as a wall of suitors sing out to be heard amongst the crowd.
Of course, there's also that despondent, trembling guitar that closes the show and the sneaky little voice that sneaks in a lone "I need you" about 1:51 in the proceedings. That's Curt Boetcher at his best.
Give it a fresh listen but be advised that the mono mix is the best choice: as is so often the case with elaborate tracks from the sixties, the whole thing seems on the verge of caving in when experienced in stereo.
Move beyond that underwhelming "Greatest Hits" package with "Just The Right Sound: The Association Anthology"
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