#116 February/March 2005

Border Lord
Bonny Brave Boys

"Rick Stanley may not be a household name in the world of folk-rock, but he's paid his dues and he's still making wonderful music. As a singer/songwriter back in the 1960s, he hooked up with Pamela Polland and formed The Gentle Soul, a dreamy and love-drenched musical duo whose inspiration for songs and harmonies came chiefly from the Everly Brothers. The Gentle Soul became somewhat of a legend around the Los Angelsa area due to their frequent bookings at the famous Troubadour nightclub in 1966 and 1967. With a contingent of loyal fans and friends like Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, and Linda Ronstadt, and getting a record deal on Columbia with Terry Melcher as producer (the Bryds and Paul Revere and the Raiders), it looked like The Gentle Soul was going to go all the way to the top of the pops. Alas, it was not to be. The band lasted only until 1969, when Stanley and Polland split up to pursue new spiritual and musical directions, and The Gentle Soul was no more.

Sundazed Records has re-released The Gentle Soul, a 1968 album which is beautiful, ornate and captivating, and certaily captures the optimistic vibe of the time.

The lead-off instrumental track "Overture" is a good example of what TGS could do in the studio. Using some of the best session musicians of the era like Van Dyke Parks, Larry Knetchel, Jerry Cole, Hal Blaine, and Ry Cooder, Melcher and the band arrange harpsichord, flute, string quartet, country guitar, and soft zen cymbals to create a Renaissance/Baroque/hippie soundtrack which is dazzling in its depth of production. "Our National Anthem," which was thought by everyone to be a surefire Top Ten single, fizzled out when it was released due to lack of promotion and touring. Listening to the song now you can't help but be swept up in the dreamscape-utopia visions of Stanley and Polland, and their vibrant singing, which sounds at times like the Mamas and Papas blended in with Spanky and Our Gang.

The good news is that Rick Stanley never left music at all. His latest effort is with his new band Border Lord, a traditional Celtic folk group with Irish harp, cello, guitar, flute, and whistle. Influenced by the old airs and tunes of Scotland and Ireland, Border Lord's music combines the harp (Stanley) and cello (Robin Pfoutz) in unique and clever arrangements using counter-melodies and rhytms. Stanley also sings on songs like "Beauty Is" and "Queen Ann's Lace." and his voice is rich and evocative. The standout track, perhaps, is "Bonny Brave Boys," a song inspired by Stanley's tour of Vietnam in 1965 and the numerous mothers awaiting their sons who never returned from battle."

T.J. McGrath (Woodbridge, CT)