Come the Day/Georgy Girl - The Seekers

Come the Day

The Seekers

Columbia SX 6093

1966

Georgy Girl

The Seekers

Capitol ST 2431

1967

"Come the Day" is my favorite of the Seekers albums.  I first acquired the American release version entitled "Georgy Girl" configured to capitalize on the success of that hit single.  When I came across a copy of the mono British version I didn't hesitate to buy it even though it is very similar.  It features my favorite picture of the group on the cover, a sweet little statement of purpose by them on the back cover and one extra song since the penny-pinchers at Capitol insisted on limiting nearly every album they released to 11 songs.  I know I should have gotten rid of the Capitol version but the stereo mix sounds nice and the record has sentimental value for me and frankly I just love the album too much to part with even a duplicate copy.  Nonetheless "Come the Day" is the definitive version for me.  It represents the group's attempt to embrace contemporary pop music and move beyond the folk-pop that dominated their first four albums.  It opens with group member Bruce Woodley's rousing "Come the Day" which is my favorite of the songs he wrote for the group.  It has wonderful aspirational lyrics and a driving vocal by Judith Durham with strong harmonies by the lads.  I listened to it over and over when I got the record and I still love it to death.  It always makes my spirit soar even though I've probably heard it a hundred times and if I could only have one song by the Seekers this would be my pick.  The boneheads at Capitol (I'm looking at you Bill Miller) moved it to side two of "Georgy Girl."  Tom Springfield (brother of Dusty and producer of the album) wrote the charming "Island of Dreams."  It has a pleasing group vocal.  Next up they take a crack at Tom Paxton's much covered "The Last Thing on My Mind."  My favorite version is Sandy Denny's and this doesn't come close to that.  It is way too genteel for me but it sounds lovely nonetheless.  "All Over the World" was written by Françoise Hardy and recorded by her in both French and English versions.  Durham's version is very pretty but it lacks the tenderness and feeling that both of Hardy's versions feature.  The Seekers embrace folk-rock with a cover of "Red Rubber Ball" which of course was a big hit for the Cyrkle.  The song was written by Woodley and Paul Simon and although I've heard Simon be dismissive of the song it reminds me a lot of his early work.  The Seekers' version is not as vivacious as the hit version, but it sounds pretty dynamic for them and even features percussion for extra oomph.  Side one concludes with Bob Gibson and Hamilton Camp's "Well, Well, Well" which sounds like a throwback to their earlier records being pretty much straight folk-pop.  In fact the group recorded another version of it in 1964 for "Hide and Seekers."  The 1964 version is folkier, this version has a little more instrumentation most notably a piano and modest percussion and it is also a few seconds shorter but it is hardly much of an improvement and in truth I prefer the more heartfelt vocal on the 1964 version.  I'm baffled about why they included it even though it is a contemporary song, it sounds like a traditional one.  Perhaps they were dissatisfied with the 1964 version for some reason that eludes me.  Side two opens with "Georgy Girl" which was the groups biggest hit.  It is the song that made me fall in love with the group when I heard the song on the radio when I was a little kid.  It was my favorite song for awhile and I still love it all these years later.  It was written by Tom Springfield and Jim Dale for the film of the same name and is a straight pop song with orchestration and a rhythm section.  Durham has a sparkling vocal with supportive harmonies by the guys.  For me it is a true ear worm.  It is followed by a solo turn by Durham on the Beatles' "Yesterday" which is also a straight pop song.  It is orchestrated and solemnly sung by Durham.  I love her voice so it works for me but I have to admit that among the gazillion covers of this song it is pretty mundane.  It is followed by the song that Capitol chose to remove from their version of this album, "I Wish You Could Be Here" which is another Woodley collaboration with Paul Simon.  I do not consider the song expendable and if I was forced to omit one of the songs it would have been "Well, Well, Well."  Although t is arguably the weakest of the three songs they wrote together (the other one is "Cloudy" which Simon deigned to record himself for "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme") I still feel it has a lot of merit.  It is an atmospheric song with introspective lyrics which is orchestrated and sounds very appealing.  The Cyrkle recorded it the following year on "Neon" in an unsuccessful attempt to repeat the success of "Red Rubber Ball."  I prefer the Seekers version myself.  It is followed by a cover of Pete Seeger's bible adaptation "Turn, Turn, Turn" which of course was a folk-rock classic for the Byrds.  The Seekers opted not to copy the rock approach of the Byrds, although the song does feature a session drummer.  Their version is more chamber pop than folk-rock and Durham's vocal is rather stiff but I still like it.  It is followed by perhaps the most unlikely song on the album, Doug Kershaw's Cajun classic "Louisiana Man."  There were numerous pop, rock and country covers of the song in the 1960s and this version is pretty subdued if not pedestrian but it still appeals to me because of the group's impeccable vocal craftsmanship.  The album concludes with a cover of John Phillips' "California Dreamin'" which was a tremendous hit for the Mamas and the Papas.  That is by far my favorite version of the song which I have loved since I was a child when I heard it on my father's copy of "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears."  The Seekers' version doesn't come close to matching the passionate vocal and evocative arrangement of the Mamas and the Papas' version but it is the closest this album comes to genuine folk-rock and is mostly successful aside from the lead vocal.  Durham can emote when she wants to but her natural style is to be reserved which just doesn't work for this song.  Nonetheless I would listen to her sing just about anything and this is a song I love so it works for me.  I realize I'm too big a fan to be objective about this album which is probably not as great as I think it is.  The Seekers push a lot of my buttons and I'm very pleased with the song selection here.  I like their folk albums as well, but this album speaks more directly to my sensibilities and I find it endlessly listenable.  Recommended to fans of mid-1960s Peter, Paul and Mary.