THE SUNSHINE COMPANY - HAPPY IS THE SUNSHINE COMPANY, OCTOBER 1967

There are many pleasantries to be found within the Sunshine Company's body of work, that of which is somewhat impressive given the fact that they released three LP's and a string of singles in just over a years time.  Their sound is most easily compared to the Mama's and The Papa's although the vast majority of their songs harvest more mellow sunshine vibes due in large part to the lush arrangements of George Tipton.  They rarely venture out of easy listening / bubblegum territory, and this can be partly attributed to the pressures of the square record company heads they were working with.  Their debut LP which hit the streets in October 1967 included a pair of chart hits and plenty of album specific gems worthy of mention.

Happy Is features some well known cover songs which are surprisingly done with class and are very enjoyable companions to their original compositions.  My pick among these is an excellent folk-rock-lyte version of the Beatles 'Rain'.  The arrangement is peppered with harpsichord and of course features some terrific harmonies.  The back of the sleeve contains a thank you note addressed to folk singer Mary McCaslin who apparently helped out with the recording of 'Rain' and the other Beatles tune on the album 'I Need You'.

I must mention side one closer 'Four In The Mornin', another cover that is undeniably based on the Youngbloods version which appeared on their debut album early in the same year.  The Sunshine Company melds their signature harmonies with some killer fuzz guitar action showing the tune a new light.  It's further accompanied by piano, bongos and handclaps giving the listener a refreshing change of pace.  The hard-time lyrics don't particularly reflect their namesake...  

In fact, quite a few tunes on the record contain moments of beautiful melancholia.  Aside from a few happy go lucky 'fluffers' the sad undertones are a far more prominent theme.  This is presented beautifully on 'Warm In My Heart' and 'A Year Of Jaine Time'.  The formers woeful verse gives way to a triumphant chorus while the latter maintains it's plaintive longing.  'A Year Of Jaine Time' is the only track on the album written by a member of the group.  

'Back On The Street Again' proved to be the groups biggest moment reaching number 36 on the charts.  Once again the arrangement is sunny and upbeat on the surface, but it's lyrics written by folksinger Steve Gillette are forlorn at best.  I'm particularly fond of the line 'Once I thought the world belonged to me, now it belongs to someone else.'   The Sunshine Company would continue to explore this territory with it's subsequent releases.  More on that later...

Billboard Magazine ad October 28, 1967