Mark Eric - A Midsummer's Day Dream 12"LP 

A Midsummer’s Day Dream, was released in 1969 and was the only album ever from Mark Eric (real name Mark Eric Malmborg).  When it came out there was very minimal fanfare or support and unfortunately it made little impact, but after it was reissued on CD in 2002 and again in 2009 (with bonus tracks) it was to great reviews, which caused the price for the out of print vinyl to shoot up.  Now for the first time since it was originally released, it has been reissued on vinyl in a gatefold jacket with exclusive photos and song by song comments from the now deceased Malmborg, that were also included with the CD reissues.  Written and recorded by Mark, arranged by former Animals’ guitarist Vic Briggs, and produced by Norman Ratner, the album is full of bright, sunshine-y pop, occasionally mixed with a bit of melancholia, often strongly indebted to Brian Wilson and Pet Sounds era Beach Boys and late sixties, Liberty Records era, Four Freshmen (interestingly the Four Freshmen recorded his song “When School Is Out This Year” in 1968).   The songs are lushly arranged with vibraphones, french horns and strings fleshing out the sound and topped with great vocal harmonies and Mark’s falsetto vocals that also bring to mind The Beach Boys.  The musicians are some of the best of that era including the legendary guitarist James Burton and many other members of The Wrecking Crew.  The high point of the album is “Where Do The Girls of Summer Go”, a gorgeous, laid-back track lamenting the days of summer after they are over, which with the right push probably would’ve been a hit.  Having said that, there are so many more highlights including “California Home”, sounding like a lost Beach Boys song, “Move With The Dawn”, the lush, beautifully arranged “Take Me With You” and “Don't Cry Over Me”, and “We Live So Fast”, which is more reminiscent of an upbeat surf era Beach Boys tune.  There are also a couple of tracks that veer off a little in a different direction musically, most notably “I’d Like To Talk To You”, which has more of a funk groove and “Night Of the Lions”, an extremely catchy song that is upbeat and bouncy and arranged perfectly with horns and strings (the guitar at times reminds me of Shocking Blue’s “Venus).  Although Mark did record more songs for a follow-up, the label ended up never releasing them (they were among the bonus tracks on the CD reissues), and at this point he started focusing more on his acting career, appearing in guest star roles on shows like Hawaii Five-O, The Partridge Family and Room 222, as well as the movies Call Her Mom and Pretty Maids All In A Row.  In the seventies he pursued his love of flying, getting his private license and then in the eighties and nineties he did a lot of modeling and also started playing music live again, including nightclubs and cruise ship piano bars, before passing away in 2009 at the age of 59.  While it's unfortunate that we didn't get more music from Mark, thankfully this once overlooked gem is getting its just due.

(Now Sounds)