The Association:

Insight Out: (1967)

Greatest Hits: (1968)

Ornate 60's pop records are always interesting. That said, I don't hear too many mentioning the Association these days, and they were good purveyors of said ornate pop. Sure, some of it is a little heavy handed and pompous, but it's of its time. I feel the same way, forgive me, about Beach Boys stuff. But then there are tunes like Never My Love, and Along Come Mary which are just classic radio-ripped-ready-rollickers. Bones Howe, who's name I first learned through early Tom Waits records, produced Insight Out, which is a plus. The guy produced clean records. Members of the Association worked as session players around L.A., and some even played with Zappa before the Mothers were formed. As an extreme side note, I recall a story my high school band director told about taking his then girlfriend/now wife on a date to an Association concert, and when the people in front of them sparked a joint his date said, "That smells like the cigarettes my grandmother  used to smoke." Anyway, these are 60's relics that deserve a listen from time to time.