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T.S. BONNIWELL

with JIM GORDON, K, JACK LIBEU, LYLE RITZ, SHARON HICKS, DAVID BRIGGS,

STEVE LESTER, FLEETFOOT, VIRGIL EVANS, JIMMY GETZOFF

Sean Bonniwell was the singer/songwriter and chief visionary of the Music Machine, one of the finest garage-psychedelic bands of the 1960s. The Music Machine's achievements and records are described more fully in their own entry. In brief, though, it can be noted that Bonniwell was by far the most important member of that group, penning their torturous but catchy, riff-driven songs of psychological ecstasy and confusion, even if just one of them ("Talk Talk") became a hit. Bonniwell was also their lead singer, usually using a gripping, throaty tone that could reach a hair-raising intensity, though occasionally he could switch into a surprisingly smooth if moody croon. The original Music Machine lineup broke up as they were getting their second album together, and much of the second album and some of their final singles are primarily the work of Bonniwell, with assistance from some other musicians. Bonniwell sold the rights to the name of the Music Machine to get out of his contract with Warner Bros. He soon recorded his only solo album with Vic Briggs (who'd been guitarist in the late-'60s version of the Animals) producing. He went under the billing T.S. Bonniwell for the album, Close, released on Capitol in 1969. This might be a bit confusing to Music Machine fans, who are familiar with the name Sean Bonniwell rather than the handle T.S. Bonniwell.

1969     LP     CAPITOL RECORDS    STEREO  ST-277

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.      ORIGINAL COPY

SINGLE SLEEVE

THICK CARDBOARD COVER (AMERICAN STYLE)

Barcode: none

LABEL: CAPITOL - GREEN LABEL w/PURPLE TARGET - BLACK TEXT

Catalog on cover: ST-277      

Catalog on labels: ST-277 (ST 1-277) / ST-277 (ST 2-277)

Matrix / Runout (Side A, Etched & Stamped): ST1-277-W3  lAM(in a triangle)

Matrix / Runout (Side B, Etched & Stamped): ST2-277-A1  lAM(in a triangle)

  On labels: Mfd. by Capitol Records. Inc...........Marca Reg. U.S. Pat. No. 2.631.859

On back cover: Tracklist + Credits

Notes by Warren Bernard

All selections composed by T.S. Bonniwell and published by Thomas Sean Music - BMI

Produced by Vic Briggs for Capricorn Productions

Manufactured by Capitol Records, Inc., A Subsidiary Of Capitol Industries, Inc.,.......

Printed in U.S.A.(circled, bottom left corner)

tracklisting

Side A: WHERE AM I TO GO - LOVE IS SUCH A SIMPLE WORLD

WHO REMEMBERS - SOMETHING TO BE - BLACK SNOW

Side B: SHE IS - TEMPORARY KNIFE - WHERE IT BELONGS

BUT NOT WITH MY HEART - SLEEP

grading

RECORD VG+ but (please, read above description)

SLEEVE VG but (please, see pictures and read above description)

The sole solo album by ex-Music Machine leader Sean Bonniwell, using the name T.S. Bonniwell for this release, must have come as a surprise to the few people who heard it. There was none of the angst or hard garage rock associated with many of the Music Machine's finest moments. In its place was quite subdued, orchestrated singer/songwriter pop, verging on easy listening at times in its arrangements. The gravel-growl that Bonniwell employed for the likes of "Talk Talk" was totally absent, as he concentrated solely on the sweet, delicate, crooning aspects of his voice. If nothing else, his ability to switch into that voice for an entire album is a tribute to pretty astonishing vocal versatility. It's a shock, though, to hear not only him focusing almost exclusively on that vocal timbre, but also to hear him as a troubadour of moody, romantic, melancholy, and introspective songs, with plenty of touches of flamenco, bossa nova, and sweeping horns and strings. Actually this material isn't so bad, though it treads close to the saccharine at times. The melodies drift nicely in a bittersweet way, Bonniwell sounding a little like someone who's lost in a raft at sea and singing his remaining days away as he slips into oblivion. Some tracks, like "Something to Be," "Black Snow," and "Sleep" (where he lets just a little bit of the Music Machine's vocal grit peek out during the most anguished sections), are quite haunting. Just be cautioned that there's little resemblance to what Bonniwell wrote and sang for the Music Machine...(AllMusic)