It's a Beautiful Daaaaaay

Overall Album Score: 9.4 out of 10

I cannot express to you enough what I’m about to write:

This band’s name makes me want to VOMIT. I mean, SERIOUSLY! The last time I heard somebody (my aunt) say “It’s a Beautiful Day” I kicked her shin. And then I learned that this freaking hippie band back in 1969 decided to be so smug and call themselves such a crappy name! BLAHHHGHH!!! … I mean, who am I supposed to think the band comprises of? Five clones of Mister Rogers?

…Yet, I really like this band. I’m sacrificing my “image” of “rock critic who doesn’t like fruity hippie music” by admitting this, but … “WHITE BIRD” IS THE BEST SONG EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! … AAAAAAAAAA!!!!! … I’m also sacrificing my final shred of credibility by giving this album a higher rating than I gave any Moody Blues album, but … credibility’s overrated. And the Moody Blues suck, anyway.

The album starts with one of the finest art-rock songs that probably exists (“White Bird”) and, while none of the following songs can really top that in terms of awesomeness, the album goes on very strongly from there. They do this by doing more awesome art-rock (“Hot Summer Day”), very pretty Baroque-ish-stuff (“Girl With No Eyes”), being weird and worldly (“Bulgaria”), and ROCKING OUT MOST VIVACEOUSLY, BETTER THAN TWO-THIRDS OF THE BANDS WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONES TO ROCK OUT (“Wasted Union Blues”). … Amazingly, all of these songs seem nearly flawlessly composed and their grasp of melody/harmony is quite impressive.

…Seriously. This is a great album. Everyone should have this album. It is so seriously good I might actually start liking the band’s name with time.

Overall Album Score: 9.4 out of 10 (Oh, hippies … I love hippies … especially when they’re not so fruity.)

Average Song Score: 9.3 (Very very good songs! Artistically, the music is high quality and it’s very pleasing to the ears!)

Album Tilt: 9.5 (Good stuff! The album is strong throughout.)

Artist Rating: 9.5 (They’re decidedly different from the average psychedelic rock band of 1969 … and their music is quite pretty, too!)

Track Reviews

White Bird 10/10

This is clearly one of the finest hippie songs ever recorded. Quite simply put, it’s classic! The melody is very good and very catchy, the instrumentals were perfectly chosen. The harmonies between the two main singers (a woman and a rather passionate man). Very very good … these guys might have been off to a late start (it’s 1969 and they’re doing psychedelia) but they’re off to the right start … and … oh, what a nice song!! And it’s not annoying like The Mama’s and the Papa’s! (Those guys are bloody annoying … I’m just telling you that.)

Hot Summer Day 9/10

Another totally solid song! … I can’t say I like it better than “White Bird” (‘cause, seriously, what can be better than “White Bird?”). The harmonies, melodies, and instrumentation are absolutely on top of their game … again. The violin in the middle of this song is particularly nice. … Yay! Long live hippie freaks!

Wasted Union Blues 9.5/10

ELECTRIC GUITAR!!!! … Wait, I thought this was a psychedelic/art-rock band! What’s with the ‘lectric guitar? … I don’t care! I like the ‘lectric guitar! … That’s some pretty good lickin’ too … and a hippie song starts to emerge slowly and gradually (and skillfully) picks up pace to deliver one mightily enjoyable song! Again, the harmony between the two principle singers is fantastic. … Yay! This song gives me something to rock out with! I’m sooooooo happpppppyyyyy!

Girl With No Eyes 9.5/10

Yay! Classical music clavinet stuff!!!! … I love this kind of stuff! … WOOOOO!!!! … The mood of the song is very moody, but it’s pretty. The two-part vocal melody/harmony (this one, in particular, I can’t really tell who’s singing the melody and who’s singing harmony … mesmerizing). This is the kind of thing I crave about art-rock!!!! HOORAY FOR THIS BAND THAT HAS A STUPID, CORNY NAME!!!!!!!

Bombay Calling 8.5/10

Bombaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy! … Dude … what if you have to go to an airport to go to Bombay, and you say that you are going to Bombay to somebody in the security line queue and the security guards only pick up on the “Bomb” part? … Yeah, you’d be screwed and might possibly have to undergo a strip search! …… And now, I shall address the song “Bombay Calling” by It’s a Beautiful Day. … It’s an instrumental! What’s with THAT? I like the vocals!!! … But, as far as instrumentals go, this is pretty good. There’s some ‘lectric guitar on here, anyway, so there’s something for the kids to enjoy.

Bulgaria 9/10

…Lately, these guys have just been really lost. Here, they had Bombay calling them, and they somehow ended up Bulgaria. Don’t you hate that? … They apparently were depressed about it, because the song starts up very quietly and very moodily. Then, apparently getting used to the stench of Bulgaria, the song picks up steam and gains a more “hopeful” aura. I very much enjoy the instrumental interlude in here that occurs sort of at the plateau of emotion (which admittedly isn’t as high as it ought to have been). The violin playing and the “aaahhh” singing is nice!

Time Is 9.5/10

Yay! Rock jam thing! … And this ain’t your ordinary rock jam … It starts out sounding like an over-glorified (and not vomit-inducing) and very well-instrumented thing you might hear played at the circus. Then, the dude-singer starts to sing as the song just chugs along … there’s some really fun piano pounding away in the background. … And the dude stops singing and the song continues to chug along like a well-oiled jam machine until … it starts twisting and it breaks down (that part was done exceptionally well). Then … *groan* … drum solo. Based on the laws of the physical universe, it’s impossible for a drum solo to be good. I’ll just leave it at that. Then the dude starts to sing again! Yay! … The song reverts back to its well-oiled jam machine mode and … and … The End.

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