One Track Mind: It’s A Beautiful Day, “White Bird” (1969)

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Back in the day, songs that received heavy airplay but never cracked the charts on a significant level were called turntable hits. “White Bird” is a perfect example of such a turntable hit, and years later still enjoys occasional spins on certain radio stations.

Located in San Francisco, It’s A Beautiful Day fit right in with the mercurial music scene taking place there in the region during the late 60s. A fascinating fusion of styles adorned the group’s material, with “White Bird,” which was released as a single and included on the band’s self-titled debut album, winding up as the most memorable of the lot.

Suffused with melancholic measures, “White Bird” (Columbia Records) is doubly highlighted by gorgeous vocals and the shrill cry of a violin. Although a sad and lonely sound administers the track, a sense of resigned freedom figures into the equation, resulting in a moving meditation sparkling with color, spirituality, flighty melodies and a heart-stealing performance all the way around.

It’s A Beautiful Day’s industrious incorporation of classical music, pop, folk rock and psychedelic furnishings work absolute magic on “White Bird,” which truly projects an otherworldly feel. Lovely, graceful and producing hypnotic effects at each twist and turn, “White Bird” was viewed unique and unusual, even by the era’s genre-defying standards. Listen and hear why!

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Beverly Paterson