Let's Live for Today (album)
| Let's Live for Today | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1967 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:36 | |||
| Label | Dunhill | |||
| Producer | P. F. Sloan, Steve Barri | |||
| The Grass Roots chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
Let's Live for Today is the second studio album by the American rock band the Grass Roots, released in July 1967 by Dunhill Records. A new group was brought in for this album which included Creed Bratton, Rick Coonce, Warren Entner and Rob Grill. It features their first top-ten hit by the same name, "Let's Live for Today". The bulk of the compositions are by group creators Sloan and Barri, but the new group was allowed to compose four songs and was given some input in the studio instrumentation. The other A and B side singles released were "Depressed Feeling" (Non-LP B-side of "Let's Live for Today"), "Things I Should Have Said" b/w "Tip of My Tongue", and "Wake Up, Wake Up" b/w "No Exit". The album charted at No. 75.[4]
Songs
[edit]Unlike much of the group's later material, Let's Live for Today contains no horn or string arrangements. The songs reflected a new psychedelic direction for the group, but there are still folk elements throughout the record. The band was allowed some input of their compositions and instrumentation in the recordings. The songs "Tip of My Tongue" and "Where Were You When I Needed You" were the same recordings done with the previous group that Sloan and Barri hired as The Grass Roots, but with rerecorded vocals by the new lineup. The charting success of the album and its singles led to greater confidence in the new group's contributions by Dunhill. This led to even more input and a heavier direction in their psychedelic music for their next album titled Feelings.[5]
Artwork and packaging
[edit]The original release of Let's Live for Today is on Dunhill ABC as mono or stereo. The front cover was designed by Phil Schwartz.
Early US LP jackets list the song "Wake Up, Wake Up" before "Things I Should Have Said" on the back cover, though the label of the record lists them in the correct order.[citation needed]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Things I Should Have Said" | Grill | 2:30 | |
| 2. | "Wake Up, Wake Up" | Grill | 2:50 | |
| 3. | "Tip of My Tongue" | Grill | 2:29 | |
| 4. | "Is It Any Wonder" | Grill | 2:42 | |
| 5. | "Let's Live for Today" | Mogol, David Shapiro, Michael Julien | Grill and Entner | 2:35 |
| 6. | "Beatin' Round the Bush" | Warren Entner, Creed Bratton | Entner | 2:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Out of Touch" | Grill and Entner | 2:50 | |
| 2. | "Won't You See Me" | Warren Entner | Grill and Entner | 2:56 |
| 3. | "Where Were You When I Needed You" | Grill | 2:59 | |
| 4. | "No Exit" | Warren Entner, Rob Grill, Creed Bratton | Grill | 2:34 |
| 5. | "This Precious Time" | Bratton | 3:01 | |
| 6. | "House of Stone" | Creed Bratton | Entner | 2:40 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Depressed Feeling" | Warren Entner | Entner | 2:32 |
| 14. | "A Melody For You" | P.F. Sloan | Grill | 2:57 |
Personnel
[edit]The Grass Roots
- Rob Grill – vocals, bass, composer
- Warren Entner – guitar, vocals, composer
- Creed Bratton – lead guitar, vocals, composer
- Rick Coonce – drums, percussion, Dixie Cup
Additional personnel
- Steve Barri – co-producer, composer
- P. F. Sloan – co-producer, composer, guitar, bass
- Chuck Britz – engineer
- "Bones" Howe – percussion
- Hal Blaine – drums, percussion
- Larry Knechtel – keyboard instruments
- Joe Osborn – guitar, bass
- Bobby Ray – guitar, bass
References
[edit]- ^ Cooper, Kim (2001). "Cutting a swath through the L.A. sound with P.F. Sloan and his pals". In Cooper, Kim; Smay, David (eds.). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth. Los Angeles: Feral House. pp. 108–109.
- ^ Let's Live for Today at AllMusic
- ^ Let's Live for Today at AllMusic
- ^ "Discography". The Grass Roots Official site. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
- ^ "The Grassroots official website". The-grassroots.com. Archived from the original on 2015-01-26. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
