Rock Archeologia

The Upset - Sunshine (1977 Guinness Records)

Artist: The Upset
Album: Sunshine
Label: Guinness Records
Catalog#: GNS 36057
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1977
Genre: Pop Rock, Funk / Soul
Duration: 00:27:03

• Another 'Tax Scam' label release, the first of two albums from The Upset on the shady but often excellent Guinness label. This has been one of the easier albums to find on the imprint although I can't say the same for the follow-up 'Midsummer Night' which I rarely see for sale and when I do it's often well out of my limited price range. Again as with the majority of Guinness product, credits are minimal to non-existent although producer Lou Guarino pops up on numerous late 1950s-early 1960s singles including The Skyliners moldy oldie 'Since I Don't Have You' and early hits from Chad & Jeremy. Not exactly AOR material but everyone has to start somewhere right? Song writing credits are given to one Peter Allen, although it's hard to say if it's the same cat that put out a couple decent west coast/pop offerings on A&M.
• What we have with The Upset is good to fair early '70s pop that could very well be a collection of demos which I'll get to in a minute. Now I suppose an appreciation of what was coming out of American AM radio early in the decade might be a prerequisite for enjoyment. You know, stuff like Dawn, Mark Lindsay, Gallery and the orange and brown musical netherworld between the overwrought psychedelic peace and love upheaval of the late 1960s and the glitzy self-serving latter half of the decade. There are some good tunes and 'Brother' opens the record with some light orchestration going the Bobby Goldsboro route. Never a fan, but it works and while 'Riding High' features a vocalist akin to Nick Gilder I can't help but think 'Sunshine' is the work of two or even three very different bands. 'Tell Me Why' is actually quite serviceable, a nice pop rocker with a breezy infectious chorus, more of this would have been very cool. That said, the funky 'Jump Back' is horrific, sounding like a lost Rufus outtake while 'Man On The Flying Trapeze' reminds me of the 1973 Vicki Lawrence hit 'The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia'; another 'artist' I've never been very enthused about. Side two's 'It's Getting' Better' is tasty, with the feel of a good late-period Monkees track and the title cut is deliciously sweet and bubble gummy although as you can already tell perhaps too much of the record verges on light weight MOR and those looking for something with a little more substance should check out other Guinness gems such as Free Will, Sweet Rush's 'Living On Giving' or Lift's progressive rock classic 'Caverns Of Your Brain'.
• Me? I like this sort of thing. Easy going pop before punk and disco mucked it up and while Guinness and other tax shelter label's shuffled some horrendous product to the unsuspecting masses, The Upset's 'Sunshine' is one of the better releases to come my way. (glorydaze music)

 • Side One:
A1. Brother - 2:32
A2. Riding High - 2:48
A3. Tell Me Why - 2:47
A4. Jump Back - 3:10
A5. Man On The Flying Trapeze - 2:44
 • Side Two:
B1. It's Gettin' Better Together - 2:50
B2. Sunshine - 3:20
B3. In Reach - 3:30
B4. All I See You - 3:10

      Produced By Lou Guarino
      All songs written by Peter Allen

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