Great But Glossy
Nubb | USA | 12/08/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Arrive Without Travelling is undoubtedly The Three O'Clock's best collection of songs but I've always considered it to be way over-produced.It's like an excellent cake with too much frosting.There's too many effects on everything,especially the vocals.If this album had been recorded in the same manner as Sixteen Tambourines it would have been perfect.As it is,it's still a must-have for all of you power pop fans out there.Michael Quercio's songwriting is at it's peak here as there isn't any filler to be found on this record.Quercio's vocals are a love-or-hate sort of thing.He sings like a 9-year-old English girl auditioning for a part in the school musical but it really fits the music he writes.Guitarist Louis Guiterrez's departure is very much felt on Ever After.Ever After has none of the energy of any previous Three O'Clock records.It almost sounds lke the band just stopped trying."
This is a stellar piece of 80's Paisley Underground pop!
J. Persh | 01/06/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First, like others reviewers, I waited not-so-patiently for a re-release of Arrive w/o Travelling, even acquiring MP3's of many of the songs using a P2P source. As soon as this CD was available, though, I scooped it up. When I have a record of something from the 80's and haven't heard it for a while, I tend to idealize it. Since Arrive w/o Travelling was a classic for me in high school, I particularly expected a letdown. No letdown occurred! The vocals were pristine, the guitars were beautiful, and the keyboards, bass, drums, and cello were beautiful. The Michael Hedges (not the Windham Hill guitarist) production is a little dated, particularly when compared to the timeless sound of "Sixteen Tambourines," but it doesn't distract. The full range of Three O'Clock songs can be found on this one recording: from the driving rock of "Her Head's Revolving" to the infectious bubblegum sound of "Half the Way There," from the psychedelic raveup "Simon in the Park" to the gorgeous acoustic ballad "The Girl with the Guitar." It's a can't miss recording. The notes on the inside were okay, but not very revealing about the songs or the sessions that made up "Arrive."Like another reviewer, I found myself giving the disappointing "Ever After" another listen, and it was okay, but like the original listen it reminded me of how the balance between Gutierrez and Quercio made beautiful, swirling music. If you ever liked the Three O'Clock, buy this disc! If only we could get Louis and Clark's "Hollywood Capacity Maximum" on CD . . . dare to dream."
Love them
Jeffrey Morse | Oroville CA USA | 11/11/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this cassette back when the album first came out in the mid 80s. Beautiful, lush and well crafted "neo-psychedelic" rock. Loved those type of bands from L.A.. Years later after the cassette had long been trashed I thought of them again and decided to replace it with a CD. Love them all over again. If you are looking for incredible melodies and song writing from the 80s that you haven't heard over and over, this band is a must. Talent like this should have been rewarded with a lot more airplay than they received."
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1