Their great one-shot hit “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” pegged the group as a smiley, sunshiny AM pop frivolity, and while they surely shone in this regard,
Looking Glass started out as a hard-boogying rock & roll band, and elements of that can be heard on their 1972 debut. It’s not enough to make the LP an unearthed hard rock treasure thanks in large part to producer Bob Liftin, who helped turn singer/songwriter Elliot Lurie’s “Brandy” into a seamless, sunny confection and wound up defanging whatever rock & roll bite the group had in the process. Consequently,
Looking Glass winds up as a bit of a bumpy listen, careening from pop to rock and spending a lot of time in between, but not unpleasantly so: there’s enough panache in Liftin’s production and enough punch in Lurie’s melodies to give this a welcome ‘70s sheen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine