''Feelin' Groovy'' is the debut album by the American

sunshine pop Sunshine pop, originally called soft pop and soft rock, is a loosely defined form of pop music that was first associated with early soft rock producers and songwriters based in Los Angeles, California, during the mid-to late 1960s. Its recording ...

band

Harpers Bizarre Harpers Bizarre was an American sunshine pop band of the 1960s, best known for their Broadway/sunshine pop sound and their cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)." Career Harpers Bizarre was formed out of ...

, released in 1967. The record peaked at #108 on ''Billboards Top 200 Albums chart in May 1967. Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, "

The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" is a song by folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon and originally released on their 1966 album ''Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme''. ''Cash Box'' called it a "sparkling, spirited li ...

" peaked at #13 in February 1967 and "

Come to the Sunshine "Come to the Sunshine" is a song written and recorded by Van Dyke Parks and covered by several other artists. It was one of two singles Parks issued through the MGM label in 1966 before moving to Warner Bros. the following year. Composition It wa ...

" peaked at #37 the following May.

Background

Two

Ted Templeman Edward John "Ted" Templeman (born October 24, 1942) is an American musician and record producer. Among the acts with whom he has had a long relationship are the rock bands Van Halen and Doobie Brothers and the singer Van Morrison; he produced ...

/Dick Scoppettone originals from 1966 were added as bonus cuts to the 2001

Sundazed Sundazed Music is an American independent record label founded and based in Coxsackie, New York. It was initially known as a '60s-centric surf, garage, and psych label. Over time with the additions of imprints such as Modern Harmonic, Americana ...

CD reissue of this title: "Bye, Bye, Bye" and "Lost My Love Today." The latter tune was the "B" side to the single of "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)," Harpers Bizarre's most enduring hit. This recording was also available as an import. It can be found under Warner Brothers label manufactured by His Master's voice (N.Z.) LTD.

Track listing

" (

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, record producer, singer, and former Warner Bros. Records executive whose work encompasses orchestral pop, elaborate recording experiments, Ame ...

) #"

Happy Talk Happy talk, also called banter, is the additional and often meaningless commentary interspersed into television news programs by news anchors and others on set. It may consist of simple jokes or simply a modified wording in asking a question o ...

" (

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

) #"Come Love" (

Alan Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (née Katz; November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celeb ...

, Marilyn Keith,

Larry Markes Lawrence Wolcott Markes (September 24, 1921 – May 19, 1999) was an American comedian, singer and screenwriter. Markes was born in Brooklyn, New York, and decided at an early age to become a writer. Soon after graduating from the University ...

) #"Raspberry Rug" (

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock a ...

, Donna Washburn) #"

" (

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

) #"The Debutante's Ball" (

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...

) #"Happy Land" (Randy Newman) #"Peter and the Wolf" (Ron Elliott,

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

, Robert Durand) #"I Can Hear the Darkness" (Leon Russell, Donna Washburn) #"

Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear" is a song written by Randy Newman, about a young man of modest means who entertains affluent diners with his dancing bear. The Alan Price Set released a version as a double A-side with "Tickle Me" on 24F ...

" (Randy Newman)

Personnel

*Guitars:

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

, Al Casey,

Mike Deasy Michael William Deasy (born February 4, 1941) is an American rock and jazz guitarist. As a session musician, he played on numerous hit singles and albums recorded in Los Angeles in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He is sometimes credited as Mike De ...

, Don Lanier, Louis Morell,

Tommy Tedesco Thomas Joseph Tedesco (July 3, 1930 – November 10, 1997) was an American guitarist and studio musician in Los Angeles and Hollywood. He was part of the loose collective of the area's leading session musicians later popularly known as The Wre ...

*Bass:

Don Bagley Donald Neff Bagley (July 18, 1927 – July 26, 2012) was an American jazz bassist. Career Bagley was born on July 18, 1927, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He received formal training on the double bass. He studied in Los Angeles and played in 1945 ...

Carol Kaye Carol Kaye (née Smith; born March 24, 1935) is an American musician. She is one of the most prolific recorded bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in a career spanning over 65 years. Kaye began play ...

Joe Osborn Joe Osborn (August 28, 1937 – December 14, 2018Lyle Ritz Lyle Joseph Ritz (January 10, 1930 – March 3, 2017) was an American musician, known for his work on ukulele and bass (both double bass and bass guitar). His early career in jazz as a ukulele player made him a key part of the Hawaii music scene ...

*Keyboards: Carl Fortina, Gene Garf, John Gallie,

Larry Knechtel Lawrence William Knechtel (August 4, 1940 – August 20, 2009) was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles–based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Sim ...

Mike Melvoin Mike Melvoin (May 10, 1937February 22, 2012) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He served as chairman and president of The Recording Academy and worked as a prolific studio musician, recording with Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, ...

*Drums:

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

*Percussion: Gary Coleman,

Victor Feldman Victor Stanley Feldman (7 April 1934 – 12 May 1987) was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as ...

, Norm Jeffries,

Emil Richards Emil Richards (born Emilio Joseph Radocchia; September 2, 1932 – December 13, 2019) was an American vibraphonist and percussionist. Biography Musician Richards began playing the xylophone aged six. In High School, he performed with the ...

*Horns:

Bud Brisbois Austin Dean "Bud" Brisbois (April 11, 1937 – June 1, 1978) was a jazz and studio trumpeter. He played jazz, pop, rock, Country music, country, Motown, and classical music. Career Brisbois was born in Edina, Minnesota and began studying the tr ...

, David Duke,

Arthur Maebe ''Freak Out!'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on June 27, 1966, by Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, it is a satirical expression of guitarist/bandlea ...

Vincent DeRosa Vincent Ned DeRosa (October 5, 1920 – July 18, 2022) was an American hornist who served as a studio musician for Hollywood soundtracks and other recordings from 1935 until his retirement in 2008. Because his career spanned over 70 years, duri ...

, Dick Hyde, Lew McCreary,
Oliver Mitchell,

Roy Caton Roy Vernon Caton (January 28, 1927 – July 29, 2010) was an American trumpet player and session musician. Biography Caton was born to Vernon and Eleanor Reed Caton in Frackville, Pennsylvania. At the age of seven, he received a cornet from a fa ...

, Thomas Scott *Saxophone –

Gene Cipriano Gene Fred Cipriano (July 6, 1928 – November 12, 2022), known familiarly as "Cip", was an American woodwindist and session musician, playing clarinet, oboe, flute and saxophone among other instruments. He played on hundreds of recording sessions ...

Jim Horn James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician. Biography Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for ...

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. () (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s " The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and bar ...

Jay Migliori Jay Migliori (November 14, 1930 – September 2, 2001) was an American saxophonist, best known as a founding member of Supersax, a tribute band to Charlie Parker. Biography Migliori started playing the saxophone after he received one as a birthday ...

Abe Most Abe Most (February 27, 1920 – October 10, 2002) was a swing clarinetist, alto saxophonist and flutist who is known for his performances and recordings of the works of Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman. He began his career in 1939 as a member of Les ...

, Bill Perkins *Woodwinds, Flute: Norman Benno, Bill Green, Bob Hardaway, Jules Jacob, Sidney Miller,

Wilbur Schwartz Wilbur Schwartz (17 March 1918 Newark, New Jersey – 3 August 1990 Los Angeles), aka Wil Schwartz or Willie Schwartz, was an American studio session clarinetist, alto saxophonist, and flutist who was widely known as a member of the Glenn Miller Or ...

*Strings: Edgar Lustgarten,

Harry Bluestone Harry Bluestone (30 September 1907 – 22 December 1992) was an English-American composer and violinist who composed music for TV and film. He was prolific and worked mainly on composing with Emil Cadkin. Earlier on, he was a violinist and ...

, James Getzoff, Paul Shure

References

1967 debut albums Harpers Bizarre albums Warner Records albums Albums produced by Lenny Waronker {{1960s-pop-album-stub