One of the bands that came to Warner Bros. in their buyout of Autumn Records were the Tikis. They had only recorded a handful of singles, and in terms of musical direction and group identity, they definitely had potential. Enter producer
Lenny Waronker and session musician/arranger/songwriter/general musical architect
Van Dyke Parks. The two of them brought then-drummer
Ted Templeman up to the front as co-lead vocalist, along with
Dick Scoppettone, and created a soft rock identity for the group, renaming them
Harpers Bizarre. Their first single was perhaps their greatest shot: a cover of the then-brand-new
Paul Simon song "Feelin' Groovy." Buttressed by an amazing
Leon Russell arrangement and some great performances from the A-list of L.A. session cats, the song quickly went into the Top 20. The resulting album is almost as great as the single, with songs by
Van Dyke Parks ("Come to the Sunshine"),
Randy Newman ("Debutante's Ball"), and others. An excellent and definitive slice of California soft pop. ~ Matthew Greenwald