IF IT WORKS, DON'T FIX IT

One minute and fifty nine seconds, that's it. That's enough. It the Music Machine's only legacy was the song "Talk Talk," that would be enough in annals of garage rock. They pack a lot into those two minutes. Fuzz, organ, groans, sneering vocals, simple solos, pissed off lyrics; the whole thing has a real FTW feel to it. You'd be forgiven if that was the only song of theirs you knew, because it was definitely the peak. And it was their first single.

If they'd stuck to a formula, things might have been different. The first album had other moments of greatness, utilizing some of the same elements, but there were serious departures as well. "Come On In" sounds like an early Doors song (it was released a year before the Doors first record). Still ominous, but different. It's a moot point though, because just a few songs into the album, there's a cover of Neil Diamond's "Cherry Cherry," which is everything that "Talk Talk" is not. It sounds like a completely different band, with flute and background vocals that would make Sergio Mendes proud. It's light, and airy. Today, you might call it twee. But it didn't fit. They'd given up the game, right there, on side one of the first LP. It was an unwise move, probably to cash in on Diamond's version which had been a hit earlier the same year. Regardless, the band split after one LP and the tour to support it. Lead singer and songwriter Sean Bonniwell regrouped with another cast as The Bonniwell Music Machine, recorded one more LP and had one in the can, when the machine broke down. Still, we'll always have "Talk Talk," and that's enough.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

The Music Machine - Talk Talk mp3 at Sous les Paves, la Plage
The Music Machine - Trouble mp3 at Sous les Paves, la Plage
The Music Machine - Double Yellow Line mp3 at The Bubblegum Machine
The Music Machine - Come On In mp3 at Iron Leg
The Music Machine - Cherry Cherry mp3 at Sous les Paves, la Plage
Video:
The Music Machine - Cherry Cherry video at YouTube (The sight of a flute player with a black leather glove slays me.)
Read:
Beyond The Garage - Sean Bonniwell's site
The Music Machine at Wikipedia