Along Comes Mary

[ketchelright]

The bass line on this song is incredible. Thanks for the upload.

[hayesman76]

This must have been filmed very close to the group's Smothers Brothers tv appearance.

BTW, is that a recorder being played? In another performance the instrument appears to be a recorder but is held (to my eyes, anyway) as one would hold a flute. Or did the player use both a recorder and a flute on different occasions?

The Association remains one of the top 1960s pop groups ever!

[hayesman76]

Great clip!

Thanks for uploading!

[LZProjects]

I wonder if Wendy was filmed, it's a good version of it! :D

[alexeis66]

This song is about Marywanna. "Now my empty cup is as sweet as the punch."(wine).

[wouldntyoulike2know]

Really love to hear a singer sound as great if not better live as he does on the studio recording. :)

[ticket88]

Wow. Awesome clip!!

[surlygirlie0321]

The "man" never knew this song was about weed.

[SimonThe1st]

There is also a very good version of this filmed on Smothers Bros - I've put it on my You Tube Channel.

[49kasey]

These guys were so together. Perfect vocals, dynamics, everything. And the guy playing the recorder is SO good!

[newjersey421]

Way ahead of it's time! The changes are pure genoius! And the flute solo is cool as hell! :)

[ligger2]

What's up with Russ, the tambourine guy, pushing Brian, the bass player, at 1:46?

Oh yeah, thank you, Tandyn Almer, for writing this fabulous song. "When we met, I was SURE out to lunch."

[cllewis1]

@ligger2 I think it's just perspective. Russ steps forward and to his left as Brian steps back from the mic.

[glaetze]

Brilliant introduction.

I would love to get to know these dudes as friends. They seem real and genuine.

[UandMeKid]

I never get tired of watching this performance.

[memphobius]

@UandMeKid me neither - absolutely superb - better than anybody there that night - that fuzztone slays me!

[davidtls66]

Looks like a band that would be fun to watch play live

[tweeber69]

Michael Cera at 1:52 lol...funny how similar they look.

[sporty05]

Where was this recorded? Thanks!

[rockhead515]

@sporty05 Monterey Pop Festival '67.

[sporty05]

Nice a live version!!! Thanks for sharing!

[rocmaven]

Looking forward to see The Association on friday July 23, 2010 at BB Kings. This is their first NYC appearance in over 10 years.

[sixitiesking]

The Association will make their first New York CIty appearance in over 10 years on Friday July 23, 2010. The concert was be held at the elegant supper club, BB Kings in Times Square NY NY. I have my tickets.

[mikal9000]

The intro is amusing -- The Association are making fun of their own image as a corporate/"square" band, and then destroying it with a great, soulful performance. I also note that these "unhip" guys were progressive enough to have an Asian dude -- Hawaiian-Filipino Larry Ramos -- singing and playing guitar in their band (he's at far stage right). A superb song, from an underrated band, at the greatest rock festival in history. Thanks for posting this!

[maida1982a]

you said perfectly what i've been thinking for years. thanks for articulating. i saw them in '09 and '08 and they still have it.

[TheWhofan62]

Can anyone tell me which one is Brian Cole? I assume he was alive when this video came out.

[rockhead515]

@TheWhofan62

Brian Cole was the bass player. Far right, doing the talking/intro in the beginning.

[alienhuman]

@TheWhofan62 chances are he was alive when he preformed in this clip.

[ivan001]

Thanks for sharing this! it's amazing!

[TheSweathog]

These boys were Rockin' it !!!

[archivist26]

GOD!!!! What a great group and performance!

[EarpJohn]

Coolest video of live...

[mwp62]

Boopa do wah, Bop do wah... What a nice tight live performance!

[Rolco64]

There is a lot going on in the studio version. These guys played a fabulous live version. I so agree-no crappy lip syncing. Awesome!

[MrWhite2222]

@Rolco64 They did do a amazing job of "learning" how to play that song live. The original studio instrument work was done by the Wrecking Crew so you know :P

[ViaggioFM]

@MrWhite2222 Most songs at the time were recorded with expert session musicians, doesn't mean that the bands themselves couldn't play them. It was the way producers worked in those days.

[ladidah9]

Machine... sort of 60s Devo, but better.

[lindaveee]

The Association 2010 Tour; Jan 31 Largo Cultural Center Largo FL; Feb 12 Rams Head Annapolis MD; Feb 13 The Birchmere Alexandria VA; Feb 14 The Palace Theatre (Valentines Day with Jay And The Americans)Greensburg PA; Mar 5 Palm Beach Community College Palm Beach FL; Mar 6 Florida Atlantic University Boca Rotan FL; Mar 27 Gateway Event Center McDonough GA; Apr 16 Weill for Performing Arts Sheyboygan WI; Apr 17 McComb Brush Performing Arts Center Wautona WI.

[snowpro90]

awesome!

[wolfpackjudo]

That's a killer "live" performance right there! No lip syncing "Disney Idol" singers in this band! The only song I'd ever heard from these guys was "Cherish" till now. Let me take back all the elevator music jokes about this band.

[1skypilot47]

this music and the time of this revolution, is the closest you can get to utopia,...in your mind. The seeded planted in my spirit still blooms when finding these songs of energy about love and friends. need anything else be said?

[mvonwahlde]

All has been said. Nothing remains to be said. It's all over now, then . . . I guess . . ..

[ElComadreja777]

Those were the days my friends.

[spiked200]

Love the "machine" bit at the beginning.

[darren1041]

Great song, Great version!!!

[AdmiralKhan]

WOW, First song for the opening act at Monterey in 1967 and they kicked it boyeee

[markukkerd]

1:00

[B00NYK]

This version is definitely their best

[tears4forfears]

more up beat than the other versions ive herd. nice

[Derlicte]

Oh man, Monterey must have been awesome...

[hipmatize]

oh no! It's DEVO!

[atp1962]

Who was the guy that did the annoucing

[borderking59]

brian cole, he passed away in 1972

[bombie1138]

I was so lucky to be born in the time of love,..

[Marywarskull633]

Awesome song

[hipsterabster]

Thanks for this.... Fantastic.... Am familiar with this song as performed on the Smothers Brothers & Ed Sullivan tv shows; but this is a brilliant performance by these fellas.... They were great... material like this is pure gold...

[SterlingSchefer]

How they sing that great live, or otherwise, is beyond me! Amazing!

[geekflab]

classic - that is music - & today we have rap and hip hop - pure crap !

[SpankRamen2]

This may be waaaaay before my time, but I can appreciate a groovy song like this. Funny thing though. Whenever I hear this song I think about Hawaii Five-0. What's uo with that???

[centralparocker]

wow, what a great live performance.....not to mention a very good song.....

[thimoneus]

That is awesome.

[rocksinger45]

I saw these guys live in the 60's maybe 3 times and they never sounded this good as they did @ MPF. Glad they caught this on film and I'm sure they feel the same.

[B52sguy]

Glad I found this, but for me, almost 42 years ago this summer, and I'm just 61!

Great that there is now a permanant digital recording of this wonderful Festival from summer 1967. I was in VIetnam then and so naturally, I couldn't come.

But that one poster is correct, but you know? I'd like to see the Jonas Bros. give this a try, with the band, of course.

[simonguitarman]

This is from the 1967 monterey pop festival.

[asuckertash62]

There's nothing like playing this clip, having a pnut butter and nana sandwich and regurgitating it....

[watchingwheels422]

this is just awesome

[tandolin2]

Brian's bass sounds AWESOME! The entire group is so powerful live...never matched & never will be.....Thanks guys!

[wildnites558]

WOW!!!!! Association in their prime pullin' it off LIVE!! Great audio!

[melmelt5]

Awesome! No annoying backing tracks-(A crappy trick used by television shows in those days) just a great band doing what they do best. Listen to those cool, ultra live guitar chords! The vocals are the absolute best.

[1KOOLROCKNDAN]

This is a great performance even though at 43 I may be too young i use to listen to them on am radio I also have there 1970 double live album salt lake city utah its great there music was enjoyable

[oj36]

Have you listened to any obscure cuts by them? They have an astounding range of diversity to their sound! You should listen to a couple cuts like Toymaker or Looking Glass. ALL of them are great. It would be such a shame for you to miss out! There are fans on here as young as 19, maybe even younger. Their range of fans is also diverse. ENJOY!! Let me know what you think!

[RowanMartin68]

beautiful way to kick off the monterey pop festival

[Ahnyanka]

Totally am into that inroe.

[brainiac9129]

I just can't realize why The Association performance was not included in the original Monterey Pop movie. :(((((

[oj36]

They were never given the amount of respect they deserved. They totally did not fit in with the new psychedelic stuff. Their incredible talent went virtually ignored because they didn't sound "rocky" enough.

[brainiac9129]

You Are Right. Maybe their clothes, their image, did not fit the mid-60s model. Not wishing to lit a fire here, I will not mention names, but as the years went by, I can clearly note that 3 or 4 third-rate artists simply did not deserved to be on Monterey movie. When additional footage of the Festival went available in recent years, I really thought (if I had the power to do it...) how a new version of the movie would be great...including, of course, the complete Association set :)

[oj36]

It's actually ironic that they were a part of the Monterey thing at all seeing how the rock culture has traditionally bashed them. It never ceases to amaze me that a group with such obvious, awesome talent has not been taken seriously.

[tandolin2]

Happy birthday, Terry Kirkman! This early but sincere wish, is from your biggest fans, John & Teri.

[frankiedivine]

pure joyous, real human energy. no hype. no irony.

a breath of pure air, from an amazing era in music.

[crisisangel001]

Yeah baby!

[ouiouimoi]

Man! What an amazing live performance! I love the Mamas & Papas but they didn't sound nearly as good as these guys at the festival.

[work0in0darkness]

I woke up with this song playing in my head. Which is very strange as I've only heard it a couple times and the last time had to be at least ten years ago.

[tandolin2]

The mics, Shure Unispheres, the group, The Association, the memories, priceless..............wow, THESE GUYS RULE!

[heyjudy1]

the lyrics are astounding. Who knew? It's pretty near the very first RAP song!!!

[yomamadontdanz]

The Association from Monterey festival 1967,wow,what a Group of talented musicians and vocalists..so easy on the ears 41 years later!

[gbsk12]

Does anyone know the lyrics to this song? I never have been able to understand the lyrics.

[firstalternate]

The lyrics are available on the internet. Just Google the title and the word "lyrics"

[gbsk12]

Thanks firstalternate

I'll do that.

[amorin1]

Excellent recording! Thanks for sharing!

[mpres47]

Brian Cole and his gibson EB-2D bass, he was definitely one of the most underated bass players of the 60's era. also the association is a favorite of mine, a truly great band!!

[dwnwrdishvnwrd]

I would highly recommend picking up the Monterey Pop Festival DVD set. So great.  Just an awesome piece of work. This is in the extras and it's a gem.

[gonzoman76]

Great live version of this song! Thanks for posting.

[dowling1981]

gonzoman - When will they be playing again?

[PsychedelicGuy]

Wow i didnt realize they played Monetrey...the quality is so great! I still love that intro no matter what anyone says haha.

[tandolin2]

You have great taste in music, my friend! They are only the most talented bunch of guys ever...thats all!

[tandolin2]

One of the most powerful postings on Youtube!

[dlanodrelda]

They had 2 of the best, not just popular, but 2 of the best songs from this period: this one and the gem of gems: "Windy", written by Ruthann Friedman. LLTA! means Long Live The Association.

[tandolin2]

Ruthann signed a piece of original sheet music for me. The title is "Windy" and to this day, I think she is very proud to have been a part in music history! This song roared up the charts in 1967, holding the number one spot for 4 weeks! A very special summer of 67! She is a very kind and friendly person to write to. Her autographed item is a key element in our extensive Association collection. Thank you, Ruthann!" Thank you, Association! John A.

[dlanodrelda]

If I remember, Light My Fire took over #1 spot after Windy. 2 back to back amazing songs!

[bsibala]

when is this performance?

[tandolin2]

1967, at the Monterey Pop Festival! They opened the show, and sang "One Too Many Mornings" as well as "Windy" that night! This sounds better every time I play it! WOW.........

[theroyalsofsd]

I can't stop watching it. It's just so good. Best version on YouTube!

[tandolin2]

ME TOO!

[jthomas666]

these guys are flyin through this rendition

[tandolin2]

This is THE fastest performance of this song I have ever seen or heard. These guys were very excited to be there, especially to open the show. Little did they know that this was such an historic moment in history! The ASSOCIATION RULES! John A.

[tandolin2]

If there was only one show in my life that I could attend, this would be my choice. The Association live is totally unforgettable! The sparks seem to fly of these guys! The best of the best. THE ASSOCIATION RULES! John A.

[yomamadontdanz]

i'd love to see the association live,any concert info on their touring???even 3 or 4 original members is o-k with this fan!!!

[tandolin2]

All this great information is soon to come on a brand new website! This will have great photos and many other great features. No Association fan will want to miss this new place! There is even a proposed planned place in it called "Association Fun Facts". All fans should be also able to add their photos and memories to this! The exact formant, however, is still being worked out at this time. John A.

[yomamadontdanz]

anymore footage from monterey on the association>>?????these guys kick some serious ass when they start jammin and harmonizing!!

[tandolin2]

It seems, so far at least, their first song "One Too Many Mornings", was never filmed. But, since they were THE opening act, and the fact that "Papa" John Phillips announced them, maybe there is? I sure hope it turns up! They would be really great. Even the 4 CD set, released in 1992, lacks their first song and that just does not seem possible. Very strange indeed.. John A.

[tandolin2]

Check out this post at...THE ASSOCIATION "Wantin' Ain't Gettin". This shows a great sound of the guys, that many never knew about! Very cool. John A.

[roadrocket7]

Wow. What a group AND a band. They perfected 6-Part harmony; a feat NO other group can do to this day. Too bad the extended version of the Monterey Pop Festival DVD only featured this 1 tune; These guys were super nice and supremely talented. Ted Bleuchel,Jr. was one of my favorite drummers. He and Russ probably got ALL the chicks. Ha ha ha! They played a million gigs around So Cal before they hit it big. That's why they were so tight and polished. They should be in the R&R Hall of Fame NOW!

[tandolin2]

Hey Roadrocket, at least there IS the music of BOTH songs(Windy, too)at Monterey. It is in the 4 cd box set put out in 1992 by Rhino records. This also has their introduction by "Papa" John Phillips. I really like your comments, they were the most polished and hard working band of that time. If the R&R hall does not induct them, they will have passed on the BEST group in rock history. The Grammy show already has hit rock bottom, missing these greats. John A.

[trixxiestar]

These guys were not squares. They were way over most peoples heads. Please don't tell me you thing that Mary refers to a waoman.

[tandolin2]

Squares? Well not really, ever heard that you can't judge a book by it's cover? This was just the spark that sent these guys into chart history. "Cherish" number ONE , four weeks in a row. 'Along Comes Mary", a huge number six hit, even though many radio stations in the country refused to play it! "Never My Love", the 2nd most played song in modern music history. 'Windy", the number ONE feel good song of summer,1967. "Six Man Band", too far ahead of it's time! Just to name a few...John A.

[zobajoe]

They were the only act on the festival to wear suits....Man these guys were squares!

[dlanodrelda]

they weren't squares by a long shot. not by a long shot.

[shortsleave]

Squares who could blown most off the stage, thank you very much.

[jimfocus69]

Wow--were they ever nervous! They were going a 100 miles an hour on this.

[cutis1000]

Too bad there isn't more footage of their opening set at Monterey. It seems the only song that was filmed was their opening tune. They played more songs than just the opening tune.

What a bummer Pennebaker didn't film more of the Association's opening set.

[quialman666]

this is such a great song

i wonder why alot of great bands arent in the movie

[leah1959]

man, all the crap they put in that Monterey movie, and they left this out?

[ffa14]

Can anyone confirm to me whether this live performance was:'The Monterey International Pop Festival' 16-17-18 June 1967?.

[seacuc]

Yes, they were the opening act.

[jthomas666]

yes...like seacuc said below, this is the Monterey International Pop Festival

[Jacme]

watch?v=LMXnpWhCrJc

Reduced version by only two original members (surely after 1972, decadence period):

[biggjimgraffitinet]

My grand mom's name was Mary. This was the 2nd 45 I ever bought. The flip side is Cherish.

She used to dance to this song. She was over 60 at the time!!! Grand mom's are great when you're young!!!!!

[DoctorWhoUSA92]

thats cool, I this girl I like named Mary, and when a song with her name in it would come on when I was talking to her, shes sorta get a lil sorta not mad, just sorta, i dont know, but shes cute when she does it

[biggjimgraffitinet]

My grand mom's name was Mary!!!!!!

[ishredu]

"pitchy"

[Jacme]

Good live video "Never my love":

watch?v=cKGfakfKZdw

[Jacme]

Goodbye Columbus vinyl song:

watch?v=LnsOWudL-M4

[sagittoo]

The Association was a great live band not only for the obvious vocal harmonies but the solid rhythm section of Brian Cole on bass and Ted Bluechel on drums. It's a shame that rock historians never listened beyond their "sunshine pop" hits produced by Bones Howe.

Russ and Larry still have a touring version of the group that I heard Jim Yester (vocalist of Mary) is now part of.

[Jacme]

You are completely right.

[gjamieson78]

It appears that either this was filmed the same day as the appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour seen elsewhere on YouTube (performing "Windy"), or the Association had a limited wardrobe---they're all wearing the same suits they have on in the Smothers Brothers "Windy" performance.

[seacuc]

Bands back them had a "uniform".

[Bluntfacts]

Now this is some vintage footage. appears to be live. A great effort.

4.71 Stars

[saltcar8]

where did this took place?

[Jacme]

In Monterey Festival.

[saltcar8]

and they were the ones who performed first in the Monterey pop festival. Thanks for reminding me.

[jthomas666]

awesome, thanks for posting

[thedesiresymposium]

Far out, man.

[batpuller]

this song is about weed

[Jacme]

"It's a simple song about falling in love" (according Allmusic)

[fmrock4ever]

Its defititely not a simple song, download the lyrics and try to memorize them. As true of most great songs it has complex layers of meaning, and taking into context the times and the general reference to pot as "mary jane" there is no doubt that reefer is one of if not the central focus.

[njgodfrey]

These guys dropped the ball by not doing any songs as crucial as "Along Comes Mary" and instead turning into a soft rock group.

[Jacme]

I think that this generalized opinion would change if people knew a bit more their last albums: "the Association live", "the Association","Stop your motor", "Waterbirds in Trinidad": there are styles from folk rock to garage.

[jad50]

I could not concur with you more greatly. "Live" is still my favorite album and Stop Your Motor and Waterbeds were albums that were unheralded, but truly magnificent. These guys were so damn talented.

[Jacme]

I agree.

[jad50]

Any particular favorites from the Live album? There are so many, but off the top of my head, Requiem, Remember, Cherish, Dubuque Blues and so on.

[Jacme]

Goodbye Columbus, Let's Get Together...

[jad50]

Those two and The Time it is Today, What Were the Words, Mary, Seven Man Band and so on. The best!

[Jacme]

"Yester says of their performance at that 1967 festival, "that was kind of a disappointing thing. We were used as the guinea pigs for that whole thing. They threw us on first to get the sound all set, get the lights and everything, and then they started the festival. They threw us to the lions!" (R.U liner notes to "Association live".

[Jacme]

Is it from Monterey Festival?

[Jacme]

Great contribution: a live video of the Association.