Harpers Bizarre - Harpers Bizarre 4 (1969-70 us, sunny soft folk, Sundazed edition)

Harpers Bizarre "4" had a better selection of material. "Knock on Wood," the Beatles' "Blackbird," the Barry Mann-Gerry Goffin collaboration "Something Better," John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane," Kenny Rankin's "Cotton Candy Sandman," and (most unexpectedly) jazzman Jim Pepper's "Witchi Tai To" were all given the group's smooth harmony veneer and mock-rococo production. 

Also on board were four bouncy, inconsequential group originals, and the theme to the movie I Love You, Alice B. Toklas. It still didn't add up to anything special -- not many groups could have stripped so much of the grit from "Knock on Wood" -- but was a soft rock marshmallow that was easier to swallow than their gooiest previous concoctions. Ry Cooder played occasional bottleneck guitar. The 2001 CD reissue on Sundazed added two bonus tracks, both from non-LP singles: Harry Nilsson's "Poly High," which is actually one of the group's better recordings, and Thomas Dorsey's gospel composition "If We Ever Needed the Lord Before." 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Soft Soundin' Music (Dick Scoppettone, Ted Templeman) - 4:10
2. Knock On Wood (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd) - 3:08
3. Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper) - 2:42
4. Hard To Handle (Alvertis Isbell, Allen Jones, Otis Redding) - 2:16
5. When The Band Begins To Play (Scoppettone, Templeman) - 2:31
6. Something Better (Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann) - 2:43
7. Blackbird (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 1:59
8. I Love You, Alice B. Toklas (Elmer Bernstein, Paul Mazursky, Larry Tucker) - 2:08
9. There's No Time Like Today (Scoppettone, Templeman) - 2:05
10.All Through The Night (John Petersen, Scoppettone, Templeman) - 2:12
11.Cotton Candy Sandman (Sandman's Coming)  (Kenny Rankin) - 2:57
12.Leaving On A Jet Plane (John Denver) - 2:22
13.Poly High (Harry Nilsson) - 2:39
14.If We Ever Needed The Lord Before (Traditional, Thomas A. Dorsey) - 2:56

Harper's Bizarre
*Ted Templeman - Vocals, Drums, Guitar
*Dick Scoppettone - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
*Eddie James - Guitar
*Dick Yount - Bass, Vocals
*John Petersen - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

1966-67  Feelin' Groovy (Sundazed release)
1967-68  Anything Goes

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Harpers Bizarre - Anything Goes (1967-68 us, harmonie sunny baroque pop, expanded edition)

Recorded in Hollywood, in 1967. Originally released on Warners, Harpers Bizarre debut album is an astonishingly varied concoction, with songs and stunning arrangements by some of Los Angeles' most creative talents (including Randy Newman, legendary singer-songwriter David Blue, and Van Dyke Parks) sharing space with Cole Porter and Glenn Miller classics and Doug Kershaw's Cajun "Louisiana Man." Extra tracks include the group's beautiful country-flavored lullaby-cum-love song, "Cotton Candy Sandman (Sandman's Coming)."

Tracks
1. (Intro) This Is Only The Beginning (Ted Koehler, Harold Arlen) - 1:44
2. Anything Goes (Cole Porter) - 2:00
3. Two Little Babes In The Wood (Cole Porter) - 3:45
4. The Biggest Night Of Her Life (Randy Newman) - 2:25
5. Pocketful Of Miracles (Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) - 2:47
6. Snow (Randy Newman) - 2:39
7. Chattanooga Choo Choo (Mack Gordon, Harry Warren) - 2:35
8. Hey You In The Crowd (Dick Scoppettone, Ted Templeman) - 2:25
9. Louisiana Man (Doug Kershaw) - 2:36
10.Milord (Monnot, Moustaki) - 3:07
11.Virginia City (Dick Scoppettone, Ted Templeman) - 2:08
12.Jessie (Mike Gordon, Jimmy Griffin) - 3:45
13.You Need A Change (David Blue) - 2:43
14.High Coin (Van Dyke Parks) - 2:35

Harper's Bizarre
*Ted Templeman - Vocals, Drums, Guitar
*Dick Scoppettone - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
*Eddie James - Guitar
*Dick Yount - Bass, Vocals
*John Petersen - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

1966-67  Feelin' Groovy (Sundazed release)

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