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Sagittarius - Present Tense (1967) • • • • • "Another Time" "Song to the Magic Frog (Will You Ever Know)" "You Know I've Found a Way" "The Keeper of the Games" "Glass" "Would You like to Go" "My World Fell Down" "Hotel Indiscreet" "I'm Not Living Here" "Musty Dusty" "The Truth Is Not Real" Sagittarius is the project (and zodiac sign) of one Gary Usher, collaborator and friend to Brian Wilson and producer of Notorious Byrds, and the ambitious Curt Boettcher, another Beach Boys coconspirator and genius behind the legendary Begin album by The Millennium. Basically, they are companion albums, released in the same month in 1968, where most recommend starting with Begin and expanding into Present Tense. Some will find this album a bit twee for their tastes, and it is very hard to take seriously on first listen. But a little effort in putting it on, and it won't take long before the album reveals itself to you. I find Present Tense to be almost a little better put-together than Begin. Realize though, that you're not going to win points pumping this album full blast; maybe this is an album for headphones on the train, or a light rainy day. Usually, I would balk at posting a track called "Song To The Magic Frog;" I have to though as it well represents the album. The instruments are eq'd with fairy dust it seems, and nice orchestral touches. "Will you ever, will you ever know" sounds to me like a classic Curt Boettcher melody, and though this is a Gary Usher project, Curt's prevailing influence is unmistakable. The vocals soar on "Another Time" and it's near the top, but I promise you that it is worth growing with Present Tense and all of its loveliness. http://www.redtelephone66.com/2010/07... • • • • • Present Tense is the first Sagittarius album, released in 1968 by Columbia Records. Though the record was basically a Gary Usher solo project, he enlisted many top LA session musicians, and heavily utilized Curt Boettcher as a songwriter, musician, vocalist, and producer (even going so far as to include two tracks that Boettcher had produced on his own as the leader of the group The Ballroom). The album also contains the recording "My World Fell Down", which had no Boettcher involvement, albeit the LP version was edited, with the musique concrète bridge from the single version being excised (though a few extra bars of music were added in between the first and second verses). The single "Hotel Indiscreet" also had a similar fate when it reached the LP. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagitt...) • • • • • 1960's sunshine pop psych 60s psychedelic 1960s psychedelia 60's California popsike west coast psyche sixties pop-sike popsyke 1967 67 '67 1968 68 '68