Orpheus
Boston's Orpheus made four albums in the late '60s and early '70s that were something of an antecedent to soft rock. Although some of the members had roots in the folk scene, and although they were lumped in with the heavier and more psychedelic bands that comprised the short-lived "Bosstown sound," Orpheus were in fact much closer to the "sunshine pop" of the late '60s heard on AM radio. Producer Alan Lorber (who also worked with Ultimate Spinach and other local bands) gave their light-harmony pop tunes elaborate orchestrated arrangements that hinted at Baroque classical music.
Jack McKenes and Eric Gulliksen of Orpheus had played together in a pop-folk group, the Minutemen, and McKenes and Bruce Arnold formed the pop-folk duo the Villagers before the three of them plus drummer Harry Sandler linked up to form Orpheus. Relying largely on original material, mostly written by Arnold and Gulliksen, Orpheus cut three LPs for MGM (the primary home of Bosstown sound bands) in the late '60s. The group's harmonies and songwriting were similar to bands such as the Fifth Dimension and the Association, even with echoes of the Lettermen in places and with some traces of folk and psychedelic music on some tracks.
When Orpheus made their fourth and final album for Bell in 1971, only Arnold was left from the original band, although the LP had songwriting and vocals from Steve Martin (not the same as the Steve Martin who sang lead for the Left Banke), who had written some material on Orpheus' MGM recordings. The double-CD Big Beat compilation The Best of Orpheus (1995) has almost everything from the MGM LPs, as well as a couple of songs from the Bell LP and some previously unreleased material.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
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Do It This Way / Beautiful Lady
Soul - Paru chez Athens Of The North le 14 août 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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The Journey
Jazz - Paru chez Galileo Music Communication le 26 juin 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
1998 (Original Mix)
Divers - Paru chez Pharmacy Music le 2 oct. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Roads Untraveled
Alternatif et Indé - Paru chez Infeksius Records le 4 mars 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Adriatic Guitar
Classique - Paru chez Croatia Records le 9 sept. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Orpheus - Distorted EP
Trance - Paru chez DNA Records le 2 févr. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Congress Alley
Alan Lorber Orchestra & Chorus, Orpheus
Pop - Paru chez Iris Music Group le 21 janv. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Music for Sleeping, Vol. 1
Relaxation - Paru chez Music For le 1 nov. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Songs for the Apocalypse
Électronique ou concrète - Paru chez Orpheus le 2 févr. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Black Bunny
Rock - Paru chez 3310900 Records DK le 15 sept. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sleepy Land EP (Original Mix)
Divers - Paru chez Pharmacy Music le 16 févr. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -