Myrth (1969)
---5/12/15
I'd say within the horn rock spectrum, Myrth tracks closest to Ides of March. The vocals are gruff, and the music is hard charging. The horns are tight and well charted. And, yes, there's a commercial slant to some of the material, that is wonderfully offset by more progressive leanings. This is exactly the style of music you'd find on Ides of March's Vehicle, a much under appreciated album in my eyes. It remains debatable if the horn rock era will ever find a new fan base after its initial run. But if it does, Myrth should be an early consideration.
I haven't been able to discern where Myrth originated. The album was recorded in Hollywood, and it would seem given the logistics of a large ensemble, that southern California would be the logical source. But I've also found references to Utah and Arizona, that are possible but not conclusive.
---5/4/26
That was the CDRWL entry and now the album makes its debut into the UMR. At one point, I kept albums that needed a reissue separate on that blog, even if I owned the item. I'll be moving quite a bit of albums over here, as I'm now getting to that part of my collection.
My original review still stands. I would also submit that the reason many of these horn rock albums didn't make it, and Myrth is no exception, is the lack of a memorable song. While the ten tunes on display are well written, the obvious chart tries fail to deliver. Not everything is geared for the radio, and there you will find the better compositions. As you will see in the video below, the producer also suggests that RCA had no idea how to market the record.
As for the origins of the band, we now have the complete story from their producer John Florez. This is well worth watching, and it also explains the annoying bird lol. Myrth story.
Ownership: 1969 RCA (LP). Gatefold. Acquired in 2015.
The album remains without any kind of reissue as I enter this on 5/4/26.
2008; 5/12/15 (review); 5/4/26 (update / new entry)
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