BILL SODEN - AN ECHO IN YOUR MIND / RAINY DAY, APRIL 1967

This mellow and moody double sider features two great originals from the mystery man himself.  As mentioned in my previous post Bill Soden released a small handful of singles in the late 60's which were unsuccessful to say the least.  This was a highly sought after disc for me, mostly for the melancholy slice of brilliance 'Rainy Day' which I first heard on Fading Yellow vol. 11.  This downtrodden tune features some delicate acoustic guitar picking, tasteful orchestration and most importantly some wonderful songwriting and vocal delivery.  Some haunting harmonies are added near the end of the song making it a truly breathtaking piece.  Everyone can relate to a song about a rainy day, and sometimes simplicity gives way to indescribable complexity.  Such is the case with 'Rainy Day'.

'rainy day go far away
i'm tired of blues i've gone through
lonely nights, eight thousand sights
of times i once knew..

..transparent dreams, not what they seem 

float by in shades of grey"

Simply amazing..

The plug side, 'An Echo In Your Mind' was unheard of before I located a copy of the original single and to my knowledge isn't available anywhere else.  It's a very easygoing acoustic/folk tune, a bit of a downer once again, but that just adds to the charm.  It's really no surprise that this record didn't generate much airplay though it did receive a brief review in Billboard Magazine.  Both sides will be featured on my next podcast in all their monophonic glory so don't miss that..

BILL SODEN - SOAKIN' UP SUNSHINE / OLD TIME MOVIES, JULY 1968

I picked up this Bill Soden single based on the strength of his earlier releases, namely the way cool sitar laced pop sike gem 'My Mermaid And Me' and the stunning orchestrated folk ballad and personal favorite 'Rainy Day'.  Both of these tracks were released on the Compass label in 1967 and can be found on Fading Yellow comps respectively..  Adding to the curiosity was the absence of any info regarding this single on the net, not even a Youtube clip which is pretty impressive in 2016!  It's one of those records that's neither common nor a collectors item..

After obtaining and listening to this 45 I'm left with slight disappointment, but only on account of the greatness found on his earlier singles.  Bill Soden seems to have taken a heavy Lovin' Spoonful/John Sebastian approach on this record.  In fact, 'Soakin' Up Sunshine' basically comes off as a direct ripoff of 'Daydream'.  The resemblance is uncanny and while 'Daydream' was a smash hit for The Lovin' Spoonful in 1966, 'Soakin' Up Sunshine' sunk without a trace 2 years after the fact.   Absolutely no disrespect to Bill Soden as this record gets lodged into your ears just as any great pop song does.  'Old Time Movies' is executed in similar fashion giving off a slight Nashville influence.   Bill Soden would go on to record a fourth and final single on yet another label, Cotillion, later in 1968.