THE TWILIGHTS "Once Upon A Twilight" (Stereo and Mono Versions) 1968

A clear case could be made for citing The Twilights’ Once Upon a Twilight as Australia’s greatest pop-psych album. Although almost totally ignored on its original release in June 1968, the album now takes its place among the best of the genre (MOJO magazine’s 2004 Special Edition on Psychedelia listed Once Upon a Twilight as one of the great unheralded World Psych albums).
Between 1966 and 1967 The Twilights enjoyed eight Top 40 hit singles. Near-perfect pop-psych gems like ‘9.50’, ‘Young Girl’, ‘Time and Motion Study Man’, ‘The Way They Play’, ‘Cathy Come Home’ and ‘Comin’ on Down’ remain some of the finest moments in Australia’s 1960s musical legacy. The Twilights had gained much inspiration and experience on their trip to the UK (October 1966 to February 1967), during which they recorded three tracks at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios with in-house producer Norman Smith (Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things): a cover of The Hollies’ ‘What’s Wrong with the Way I Live’, ‘9.50’ and ‘Young Girl’. Upon returning to Australia , the band set about recording what was to be their greatest (and final) LP.Just what is it that makes The Twilights’ Once Upon a Twilight such an important pop-psych artefact? First and foremost is the quality of the songs themselves, with nearly all having been written by the band’s resident musical genius, guitarist Terry Britten. Secondly, under the guidance of producer David MacKay, the band recorded the album as a complete work, so that even today it displays a unity of purpose and holistic purity not generally achieved elsewhere. Thirdly, the sound of the album boasts all the trappings of period psychedelia, with all manner of studio trickery from echoed harmonies and gentle phasing to vocals fed through rotating Leslie cabinets.
After the break-up of The Twilights, lead singer Glenn Shorrock went on to join Axiom and later, the internationally famous Little River Band. Britten became an in-demand session player and producer for the likes of Cliff Richard (for whom he co-wrote ‘Devil Woman’, ‘Carrie’ and ‘Green Light’), as well as a highly successful songwriter (Christie Allen, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson). (Allmusic)
The Twilights were an Australian 60’s rock group that had a guitar oriented pop sound pitched somewhere between the Beatles and Hollies. Down under they were a pretty popular band, releasing two albums and several charting singles. In the mid 60’s they mixed 50’s rock and British Invasion covers with garage pop/beat originals. Terry Britten, the groups guiding light, began focusing on writing group originals during the second half of the decade. With help from Norman Smith, the Twilights recorded in England, eventually releasing a string of acid pop gems.
Cathy Come Home is arguably the best of these singles and is usually cited as the group’s high-water mark. Other 45’s like Time And Motion Study Man, and Comin’ On Down were near classic efforts though, with a sound rooted in Australia’s burgeoning psychedelic culture. In 1968, the Twilights released their final album, Once Upon A Twilight. Once Upon A Twilight was a critical success though sales were very low, signaling the beginning of a downward spiral for the group. The album is consistent and full of brilliant production quirks, being one of the very few Aussie albums to have a classic British psych-pop sound.
It’s loaded with great songs, standouts being the minor key gem What A Silly Thing To Do (complete with Ringo drum fills and phased wah-wah) and the classic Stop The World For A Day. Even the softer numbers like Bessemae, Tomorrow Is Today, and Mr. Nice work really well, highlighted by very pretty string arrangements and strong melodies. Other worthy numbers are the sitar drenched Devendra, which sounds like a lost Dave Mason Traffic track from 1967, and the dramatic psychedelia of Paternosta Row. On the latter track the band feeds its vocals through Leslie cabinets. The lp’s only daft moment is the horrible cockney country-rocker, The Cocky Song.
Once Upon A Twilight is a classic pop-art album, that’s warm, friendly, and well worth a spin. A near mint original copy can cost you between $150 to $300 and was notable for its elaborate pop-up gatefold art. In 2006, Aztec Music released this great album on cd for the first time, in both mono and stereo sound. (Rising Storm)

trax:
01 Once Upon A Twilight [Stereo] 02 What A Silly Thing To Do [Stereo] 03 Bessemae [Stereo] 04 Stop The World For A Day [Stereo] 05 Mr Nice [Stereo] 06 Take Action [Stereo] 07 Blue Roundabout [Stereo] 08 Devendra [Stereo] 09 Found To Be Thrown Away [Stereo] 10 Tomorrow Is Today [Stereo] 11 The Cocky Song [Stereo] 12 Paternosta Row [Stereo] 13 Once Upon A Twilight [Mono] 14 What A Silly Thing To Do [Mono] 15 Bessema [Mono] 16 Stop The World For A Day [Mono] 17 Mr Nice [Mono] 18 Take Action [Mono] 19 Blue Roundabout [Mono] 20 Devendra [Mono] 21 Found To Be Thrown Away [Mono] 22 Tomorrow Is Today [Mono] 23 The Cocky Song [Mono] 24 Paternosta Row [Mono]
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