Most of the early Christmas singles in any given year have certain charms or novelty appeal, but it's more often the later singles that sparkle. But my faith in music is refreshed and renewed when a real gem turns up early, shining like... like a bright star in the east (too much? OK). And this is not only one of the best sounding Christmas singles I've heard in a long time, it's even got a great story.
Back in the 60s, after the Beatles hit, every kid in the world wanted to be in a band and most every kid tried. In America, these would-be rock stars rehearsed (and often only played) in their parents' garages (thus the term "garage band"). You'd think this was largely for naught for most of them, but, in reality, a good many of these groups would write ONE song or hit upon ONE sound that would grant them their 15 minutes of fame (even if it was just local fame). Then, either they couldn't come up with another or, more often, they just couldn't get along and that would be that. Watch "That Thing You Do" sometime; awesome movie.
Here, every kid wanted their band to be "the American Beatles". In England, oddly enough, many wanted to be "the British Beach Boys". The band that held that title for a few years from about 1969-1971 was MacArthur Park (technically, they were billed as "the West Country's Beach Boys"). The band had gone through numerous names and lineups since starting as The Kynd in 1968. It was upon Dave Rees' arrival in 1969 that the band developed it's psych pop vocal harmony style that led to a contract with Phillips records and extensive touring. The band only managed a couple of singles before more lineup changes and poor management derailed them. The band name remained alive into the 80s but it wasn't the same band.
The first new song from MacArthur Park in 40 years is an original Christmas song, "Now A Child Is Born In Bethlehem". And, clearly, the story isn't worth much if the song isn't any good. Well, I'm here to tell you that the song is good. The song is very, very good. It strikes me as sort of a cross between Peter, Paul & Mary and The Magic Lanterns. Anyway, I really dig it and I think it's worth checking out. Released yesterday, you'll find "Now A Child Is Born In Bethlehem" by MacArthur Park at Amazon and CD Baby. And, 40 years on, it feels good to say... there is more to come. Look up the boys on Facebook and look for the album "Full Circle" in the not too distant future. Just a teaser below.