The Hobbits was the studio project of songwriter/musician/producer Jimmy Curtiss who struck psych pop gold in late 1967 with the album Down To Middle Earth. The album received a pop spotlight in Billboard magazine along with a full page ad in October 1967, but it went mostly unnoticed and has been seemingly labeled by some as imitation or fluff. Perhaps Curtiss was merely trying to cash in on the pop culture at the time, but cast all the irrelevant bullshit aside and you have an extremely pleasing ten song set of pop psych delights. I can sing the whole damn album in my head and I haven't even known it for very long. Below I will provide a personal track by track breakdown.
Opening number 'Down To Middle Earth' is the only track to reference the groups Tolkien namesake, and its touches of flute and echoed vocals provide an excellent introduction to the album. This along with the rest the album features some top notch orchestration co arranged by Curtiss, Jerry Vance and Terry Philips.
'I'm Just A Young Man' is an electric sitar laced number and the first track containing lyrics dealing with some 'girl problems'. Things get rather trippy during the chorus which is always appreciated.
'Daffodil Days' which was released as the albums single is a bit of a hard nut to crack, but after the initial 'novelty sound' wears off one will find a brilliant song. The falsetto vocals, dissonant organ, and W.C. Fields imitation all combine for something special and unique. It's a rather arcane tune and fits in respectably within my assorted favored sounds. This somehow perfectly transitions into the acoustic led 'Break Away' which features more falsetto vocals over a strong rhythmic bassline. The girl has gotten mixed up with the wrong dude this time, and Jimmy is trying to convince her otherwise.
Side one closes out with 'Treats' which I will refer to as 'bubblegum rock'. The songs hard backbeat is a nice contrast to the soft and breezy chorus.
Side two kicks off with 'Hands And Knees' which abrupt opening notes feature a swirling organ sound that sticks around for the duration of the song. The lyrics deal with some more girl problems, this time Jimmy is desperate.
Perhaps my favorite track on the album is 'Let Me Run My Fingers Through Your Mind' which has a great build leading into an absolutely incredible chorus with some excellent reverbed out harmonies. Although not nearly as grand it brings to mind an all time favorite 'My World Fell Down' at certain moments. It doesn't get much better than this.
'Out Of My Mind' is another delightful pop number, similar in theme to 'Hands And Knees', but lighter in its approach. 'Clap Hands Til Daddy Comes Home' is the most bubblegum moment on the album, and the only track to feature some harmonica action.
Closing track 'Sunny Day Girl' is an acoustic based pop song of the highest order. It's an instant sing along with with a perfect melody accompanied by a lovely flute and bouncing bass line.
The whole thing clocks in at under 30 minutes which is perfect for an album of this style. Not so surprisingly it has never seen any kind of reissue treatment, but original vinyl copies are still affordable and out there to find.
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| From Billboard Magazine October 28, 1967 |
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