Lighthouse - Sunny Days

Bin diving at my local record store where there were more than a few choices to make. After picking out a half dozen treasures, I figured I'd stop looking and leave before I caused myself trouble at home. Lighthouse was one of those ridiculously large bands in the early 70s I didn't understand. I mean really, BTO was just four guys, The James Gang was three, until they weren't, what in the world do you do with a dozen guys in a band?

Of course I had a radio — it was the first significant purchase I made with my money from cutting lawns. I think at the time it cost about 35 bucks, and had FM and other high frequency things I never got to use living out in the suburbs away from the reach of the big city FM signal.

"Sunny Days" was a great song. I remember thinking it was cool and didn't switch to the other AM station when it came on. A few years later, when I got my first record player, the obligatory K-Tel anthologies would feature a myriad of cut up and edited classics, among them "Sunny Days" and other golden nuggets that would form a lot of my musical tastes.

I'm spinning the record as I write this, hearing most of the songs for the first time. I'm struck by how diverse the music is, and how well it holds up. Yeah, it was the 70s, and while I lived through them I was just a kid, so the nuances of the period were, and still are for the most part, lost on me. What I have is the music. Which runs all over the place: rock, jazz, country rock, and lots of horns and even (gasp) vibraphone.

DIGRESSION ALERT

Anyone else immediately think of Monty Python when you read the word vibraphone? Let me refresh your memory: "Now lesson 2: Noises. Noises are a major embarrassment source. Even words like "tits", "winkle" and "vibraphone" cannot rival the embarrassment potential of sound."

END ALERT - Please resume your reading at a normal speed

Like so many bands of the time, their schedule must have been absolutely punishing, and likely exhilarating. They started out in 1969 and by the time this dropped in '72 they'd released three gold, and three platinum albums in Canada (okay, I'm not sure if they were certified at the time, but they are now). I was pretty pleased when I found this, and honestly other than "Sunny Days" didn't really know what to expect. For sure it's a period piece, but it's also pretty good too.

I found it really interesting when reading up on the band that composer Howard Shore was a member during their early years. Yes, that Mr. Shore — a frequent collaborator with David Cronenberg, scored the movie Big (and a shit-tonne of other great films) and won Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings.

Aside from a few pops and clicks, mostly between tracks, this one was pretty good after getting cleaned up. The jacket was in decent shape and was an enjoyable listen all the way through.

"Sunny Days" indeed (see what I did there?)