TO BE CONTINUED…

BEGIN by the Millennium was an astounding artistic achievement that went largely unheralded in its own time. The 1968 album was a critical smash, but it did not catch on with the legions of post-Summer of Love rock music fans whose minds were being warped by the more assertive sounds of Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Promotional shots showing grinning band members dressed entirely in white seemed somewhat out of touch to a public living through the tumultuous events of 1968. Like many of the other great pop groups of their era, the Millennium were overwhelmed throughout that turbulent year by real world events.

That they broke up shortly after the release of their triumphant debut album was devastating news for fans of quality pop and rock music. Seldom had a group come along that featured five first-class songwriter/ musicians, all performing at their peak artistic level. Add to this solution a red hot rhythm section, plus a producer capable of crafting any sound conceivable, and the potential of the Millennium becomes apparent. Guitarist and songwriter Joey Stec remembers: "Lyrically, I think we were right on it. It was a very controversial and very well put together statement album of the time, and the technical stuff that Curt did is still unparalleled as far as I'm concerned".

Producer/ arranger Curt Boettcher oversaw most of the band's sessions, while effects whiz producer Keith Olsen sculpted their sound. Curt maintained complete control over both the group's image and their dealings within the industry. As such, he may have inadvertently rubbed some industry bigwigs the wrong way. When sales totals for BEGIN failed to top the 100,000 mark, the group was called to task by Columbia Records A&R chief Jack Gold. (BEGIN had cost the label roughly $120,000.) While fans of the Millennium may deride Gold for his decision to drop the group from Columbia (as well as for his alleged assessment of their final single), it is important to acknowledge that Gold may have been feeling some pressure as well. Explains Stec: "What would you do if you had to answer to Clive Davis and your name was Jack Gold? I'd say 'no more' and that's what Jack Gold did. I wouldn't respect the man if he didn't. I have no problem with his decision to pull the plug."

By 1969, the Millennium, Curt Boettcher (who was also an independently contracted producer for Columbia), BEGIN executive producer Gary Usher and a slew of Usher-produced acts like Gene Clark, the Peanut Butter Conspiracy and Chad & Jeremy were all let go by the label. Combined with the internal conflicts the Millennium were experiencing, and multiplied by the inherent pressures of their rock-n-roll lifestyles, the loss of their Columbia recording contract was a fatal blow for the group. The Millennium disbanded in 1969, leaving behind a classic one-shot "desert island" LP.

Yet the Millennium's breakup did not eliminate outside interest in the group. Somewhere along the line, enough "people in the know" purchased or were handed copies of BEGIN, and soon a small but devoted cult began to form around the record (as well as similar pop albums like Sagittarius's PRESENT TENSE and ALONG COMES THE ASSOCIATION). In 1990 BEGIN was finally re-issued on CD in Japan. However it wasn't until the next millennium that fans would hear anything else from the band. While BEGIN had achieved some recognition due to the reissue, what was largely unknown at the time was that many of the songs from the album-- "5 AM", "I Just Want to Be Your Friend", "The Island", "Some Sunny Day" and "Karmic Dream Sequence no. 1"-- were actually first recorded by Curt Boettcher's previous group the Ballroom and were only later embellished with Millennium overdubs. Columbia acquired the rights to these songs from Boettcher's former partner Steve Clark as part of the buy-out of Curt's Our Productions contract, and the tracks were more or less assigned to the record in lieu of more contemporaneous material. "We had to buy all those masters back from Steve Clark at ten grand, eight grand a whack", confirms Stec. "Yeah, they had to put them on the record. But I don't really believe we had to. That was just because we had no management."

For whatever reason, a good amount of unrealized Millennium material languished in the vaults for years. It is an incredible revelation to finally hear these missing puzzle pieces which reveal a band of enormous depth and songwriting talent. Before one dives into these astounding outtakes, however, it's important to recognize and appreciate the individual talents of the players involved. Although Curt Boettcher's vocals largely dominated BEGIN, he was really only one eighth of the group. What made the Millennium one of the greatest bands of the sixties was the combined genius of eight highly talented individuals: Curt Boettcher was a gifted record producer and vocal arranger, famous for his work with the Association and Tommy Roe. Ron Edgar was a longtime partner of Curt's who was highly regarded for his awesome drum work with the infamous proto-punk band the Music Machine. Michael Fennelly was a gifted young songwriter with a tremendous voice and an innate ability to compose in a wide assortment of musical styles. Lee Mallory, a singer-songwriter of some renown in Hollywood, had seen his great solo 45 "That's the Way It's Gonna Be" hit #2 in Seattle and #1 in Amsterdam in 1966. Keith Olsen, former Music Machine bassist, was the Millennium's guru of sound. Doug Rhodes was a talented keyboardist and bassist who had sessioned heavily around L.A. and who was also an integral component of the Music Machine. Sandy Salisbury, originally from Hawaii, had previously worked with Tommy Roe and also penned songs for the band the New Establishment. Joey Stec was an able young songwriter/ guitarist from Chicago who had ventured westward with members of the band the Poor after having heard their drummer Pat Shanahan play Lee Mallory's "Some Sunny Day" on the guitar.

After listening to these unreleased demos, the divine results of the cosmically profound collaborative effort known as the Millennium become even more apparent. Unlike most of the concurrent L.A. super-groups (e.g. Rhinoceros), the members of the Millennium actually gelled musically. The various band members engaged in a variety of writing partnerships that resulted in some of the most beautiful (if under-appreciated) music of their era. Perhaps the most lucrative pairing resulted between Michael Fennelly and Joey Stec, who together penned three of the group's four Columbia singles (including the unreleased "Just About the Same"). The duo had a knack for killer melodic hooks that could stealthily creep into a listener's subconscious. Many of the other tunes the group recorded were written by Lee Mallory, either solo or in conjunction with other band members. It is exciting to listen to Lee's work from this era-- he really comes into his own here. For fans of the classic L.A. pop sound, his Rev-ola CD release THAT'S THE WAY IT'S GONNA BE is also essential listening. Curt Boettcher is merely himself here; composing, producing, singing and arranging with absolute finesse. Sandy Salisbury remains largely in the background, most of his compositions earmarked for an upcoming solo album. Yet whenever he takes a lead vocal or pierces through a wall of harmonies, you are instantly reminded he is a singer to be reckoned with.

Ladies and gentlemen, the promise on the back sleeve of the first record has finally been fulfilled… The Millennium… To be continued!

The Songs:

"I Just Don't Know How to Say Goodbye": An interesting story here. This Salisbury/ Stec collaboration was originally tagged to be the opening theme to the Oscar-winning Jon Voight/ Dustin Hoffman flick Midnight Cowboy. "Toxey French called us up, and he and John Barry Jr., who did the soundtrack for the Midnight Cowboy, had recorded that song ('IJDKHTSG') by a group called the Groop." explains Joey Stec. "I've never heard it, but from what I've hear there's a version of 'IJDKHTSG' on that album. It was recorded for the movie and it was supposed to be the title song for the movie the Midnight Cowboy."

"No Other Love": This breezy Mallory/ Stec rocker recalls Neil Diamond's best work of the sixties. Ron Edgar lays down a solid backbeat as the track is pierced by sustained fuzz guitar notes. The lead guitarist (Lee? Joey?) ought to be commended here-- his playing is soulful and concise.

"Suspended Animation": This is perhaps the single best unreleased Millennium song; a dreamy Latin-flavored ballad that relays the story of a starship voyager traveling "far out in deepest space" in order to escape a doomed planet (most likely Earth). The length of the journey is such that the passenger and his family cannot survive the voyage without taking turns "sleeping" in some sort of age-defying cryogenic device. The protagonist maintains his sanity during the interminable voyage by staring into the faces of his frozen family.

"Sometime or Another": All the elements that made the Millennium one of the best bands of their era are present on this Fennelly/ Stec masterpiece: romance, mystery, wistfulness and utopianism, all woven into a classic melody. The mind boggles at how great this song could have sounded with the full blown production treatment given to the tracks on BEGIN.

"Share with Me": Curt Boettcher released an alternate version of this country-flavored track as the a-side of his 1969 Together Records solo single. Surprisingly Curt was not amongst the song's composers. "Share with Me" is actually credited to Fennelly/ Stec/ Salisbury/ Mallory/ Usher.

"Baby It's Real": One of the true Millennium classics, "Baby It's Real" was the hit single that never was. Though it was recorded by both the Millennium and Curt Boettcher, neither version was pegged for release and this masterpiece languished in the vaults thirty-odd years.

"How Much I Love You": Another haunting yet beautiful Fennelly/ Stec ballad sung by Michael. It's impossible to believe female fans didn't swoon at Mike's feet after being serenaded with something like this.

"Love at Last": Lee Mallory really digs into this one. "Love at Last" shows the Millennium at their most soulful, but they also manage to drop in a chiming, ascending guitar riff amidst the funky stop-start syncopations. The switch from straight 4/4 time on the verse and chorus to the swing feel of the bridge gives this song an added lift.

--Jason Penick