Coined by producer Alan Lorber, the “Bosstown Sound” was a heavy-duty campaign devised to tout the fertile Boston music scene of the late ’60s. Although the region housed plenty of great acts, such enthused promotion failed to spawn universal attention as intended. Sad to say the vast majority of those trumpeted groups are now totally forgotten or merely a footnote in history.
The only band connected with the Bosstown Sound to achieve even a fraction of commercial success was Orpheus. Stationed in the neighboring suburb of Worcester, the group featured singer and lead guitarist Bruce Arnold, singer and guitarist Jack McKenes, singer and bassist John Eric Guilliksen, and drummer Harry Sandler.
The band’s introductory album – simply titled Orpheus, on MGM Records – exposed a visible degree of elegance and maturity. Prominent jazz and baroque influences, attended by dashing orchestral arrangements, layered much of the material. Strands of experimental pop rock also surfaced here and there.
Carved of lush textures and soft melodies blinking with beauty, “Can’t Find the Time” was further enhanced by dizzy scat-styled harmonies and a chorus of breezy ba ba ba ba‘s. The song stirred little action when originally released as a single in early 1968.
Reissued in the autumn of 1969, “Can’t Find the Time” may not have turned into the huge hit it deserved to be, but gained far more traction than before, peaking at No. 80 on the Billboard charts. The romantic ballad clearly refused to die, as the Rose Colored Glass and Hootie and the Blowfish delivered versions in 1971 and 2000, respectively.
Reeling and rolling with topsy turvy rhythms, Orpheus’ “Music Machine” boasts a carnival-like atmosphere and contains some pretty trippy lyrics. Swinging jazz grooves run neck and neck with funky figures on the rump-shaking “Congress Alley,” and the moody “Never In My Life” adds a shot of slinky sitar riffs to the session.
Starkly structured, “The Dream” dispatches a dark and solemn expression, where the radio-friendly “I’ve Never Seen a Love Like This” soars with soulful vocals, gripping hooks and a defined sense of power and polish.
An interesting collection of songs, Orpheus could easily be labeled psychedelized wine-and-cheese music. The album smacks of poise and class, yet is balanced by enough curiosities to form a far-out feel.
Orpheus went onto record a few other albums, and have reunited in recent years. After giving Orpheus a spin, you will no doubt want to dig deeper into the band’s catalog.
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