The Now Generation: Come Together

Do you remember how television ads for Greatest Hits type albums always used to say "Original Hits by the Original Artist"? The reason is albums like this 1970 release on Spar Records featuring The Now Generation, as manufactured a band as you can think of, performing cover versions of Come Together, Little Bit of Soul, Sugar Sugar, Last Train to Clarksville and other top hits of the day. Designed to appeal to kids who didn't know better, these tunes (with one exception) are as lifeless as can be, and arranged to sound as close to the original hit recordings as possible (subject to the skills of the musicians, I suppose).

What makes this specimen even more laughable is the ridiculous way in which the Nasheville-based Spar records tries to pass this disc off to kids as a hip rock-and-roll record. Check out the hairstyle on that woman seated to the right -- she belongs in the Grand Old Opry, not on a rock and roll album.

The liner notes on the flip side of Come Together provide the requisite hyperbole for an album of this type. "We've come out of the golden 60's into the magic of the 70's and the magic of the space age that will accompany it... to help bridge the gap, here's a completely new collection of your favorite hit songs performed by the Now Generation. The year 1969 saw the creation of Now Generation as one of the more popular performing groups in Show Biz". Popular compared to who?

There is one bright spot on this album, though. As you might imagine, record companies have to pay royalties to the original artists when they put out a cover album like this, so they usually try to take up the slack with a few originals. Even worse, they may select to cover a traditional song that isn't subject to royalties. That's apparently what happened here. The last song is called My Bonnie, and it's a fancy rock and roll version of the tune we've all heard before (my Bonnie lies over the ocean...). Unbelievably, it's the best track on the album, full of great guitar rifts and inspired singing. If only the Now Generation had put together a whole album of tunes like this, they may have had something.

mary Edwards says:
yeah, come together and then let Doc Abortion kill another baby. That seems to be the Now Generations code for the lack of ethics. (06-09-2009)

Opossum says:
What an odd photo! Looks altered somehow, as, due to the angle and presumed distance, the man in the back appears to be twenty feet tall, ha. Just doesn't look quite right, like all those catalogs and ads where they had "cut-out" heads on the otherwise plain pages and the people literally looked decapitated. Remember those?

I also had that album where they do "Big Windy City", "You Crawled Along the Sand", and so on - actually liked it and played it all the time as a young boy. I remember it was like fifty cents when we bought it, which my mother thought was expensive. (03-14-2009)

Huh, what? says:
I think the dude with the Roy Orbison hair is actually Conway Twitty. (09-19-2008)

Mickey-Doo says:
The only people still able to see after the nucular blast were Jimmy Buffett the Ron Orbison dude and the hot Cheryl Crow broad due to their protective glasses. The suit on the blind Dolly Parton has got to be constructed of Kevlar. The front center guy became a state trooper in SC 2 years later, I know he pulled me over. The tall dork in the back is actually just some guy who walk into the picture. Last but not least is goatee boy who later starred as Sinbad in all the dinorama films. If you have not listened to this collection of tunes, you will need to add this to your "Bucket List" Oh!! I heard Jimmy Bucket kicked the bucket. (04-21-2008)

Scott (scotlorif@yahoo.com) says:
I remember as a kid listening to a now generation album with the group standing in front of an airplane, the cover had a black border around it. My favorite song was uptown downtown all around the town town, thats all I remember, I was 4 or 5 years old. I wish I could get my hands on that album, not that it was that good, it probably sucked, but I'm nostalgic. (02-06-2007)

Benlu 66 (neezerl@yahoo.com) says:
They do "My Bonnie" pretty much the same way The Beatles did back in 1962. So it's a real swinging stomper, very popular among the Now people between 1960 and 1966, the Big Beat, but definitely dated by 1969. So when they did it in this earlier 60s style they were in fact appealing to the people who weren't very Now but still cool enough to still rock'n'roll like they used to.
It's the Big Beat revisited three years later and it's boss. (07-02-2006)

gheemon says:
You folks are so funny, Its obvious why Jimmy is in this band.
If you look at the picture you can easily see that Jimmy is looking at the one chick that got him into this mess. I can see it now he was drunk and she took advantage. She couldn't resist the sideburn look. Hell he didn't care he was 22, needed a gig and wasn't doing anything special that day. Cut the man some slack its not like we didn't do stupid shit when we were young. Hey at least we know why he left town for the South Fla sunshine. (06-09-2006)

zoseph the zosarian (zoseph@socket.net) says:
"My Bonnie" is inspired by the very well-known version already recorded by THE BEATLES.

Anyway, how 'bout those legs? (06-05-2006)

in search of (theresa83704@yahoo.com) says:
I am looking for a now genration album. They're at an airport, standing in front of this plane.
the album is a black cover. Some of the songs I remember from it, are crawl along the sand. big windy city. wise like solomn. uptown downtown.
and daytona darlin'. I'd love to get a copy of this album, either on Cd or cassette. (04-24-2006)

Turd Ferguson says:
First of all, I'm drunk. Ok? Second, I think this record is pretty neat. After all, there's a guy with Roy Orbison hair, and a chick with Dolly Parton hair. So, it's kind of a two-for-the-price of one type deal, you know? (04-04-2005)

Mad Dr. Matt (magob@aol.com) says:
What I can't figure out is why anybody would be surprised the Jimmy Buffet would go on to indulge in the musical junk-food he's been slinging for the last 30 years. Look up the word "insipid" in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of Buffett playing his Ovation in front of a crowd of "Parrotheads." Speaking of "Parrotheads" - Jimmy has been losing them lately in a big way to Bill O'Reilly and Rush "I'm On Drugs" Limbaugh. I actually preferred the old days when they just got drunk on jug wine and smoked a lot of "Panama Red" and all the ruckus they ever made was at the "Handle-Bar" in Tallahasse. Now they're all in the White House, talking to God and making war in Iraq. You just never know when you have it GOOD! (11-16-2004)

KERRY & EDWARDS IN '04! says:
KERRY & EDWARDS IN '04! (10-28-2004)

Joli (purplevioletsquishies@comcast.net) says:
Great covers. As for the album cover... hmmm, uh-'em. (10-14-2004)

Pete says:
Thanks for the info on this album. As a Jimmy Buffet fan, it's fun to know some of the musical things he was involved in before his big break.

Man, that "Last Train..." cover, what a stinker.

I was a kid in the sixties and I remember getting a rip-off album that I thought was the Beatles. It was really a group called "The Liverpools" doing lame Beatle covers. (09-28-2004)

vinyl geezer (owendailey@hotmail.com) says:
I see Jimmy Buffet is on this album. I have two other Now Generation records w/Jimmy, I didn't know about this one. Thanks! (07-26-2004)

Peanut Head says:
Wow...lookit all da bullshit posts HERE...

first dat Jimmy Bucket...he is really da guy in the middle sittin' down between da two babes...he has a big boner probably tinkin' but dat sailor fella he talkin' about....

Oh and tanks ta Todd South fer the knowledge bout da Beatles...BIG FUKKIN' DEAL....Tony Sheridan...what happen to HIM?....

why donja tell us dat it was on da Polydor label and dat Bert Kaemphart was da producer?..not so fukkin' smart NOW huh?

Lissen....c'mon over ta my house and we can listen ta Jimmy OSMINDT and shit...here is my address:

Mr. P. Nut Head
542 Toddsouthdontknowshitboutdabeatles Lane
Bumfuk, Wisconsin
EIEIO

Yup...a little Jimmy OSMINDT onna CD...some smokes...booze...den we git nekkid an ....oops...my Mommy is calling me...I haveta go...bye... (05-01-2004)

Long Tall Shorty says:
Look at that hair! I used to have hair like that. (02-18-2004)

BEAT MONSTER (SPAMME2SPAMYOU.COM) says:
the amazon with the legs is a nice piece (01-23-2004)

Todd South (tcsouth@yahoo.com) says:
The version of "My Bonnie" featured on The Now Generation album is actually a cover (song and style) of the Tony Sheridan hit record from 1961. The Beatles were his backing band at the time.

http://www.beatlesdb.com/track/page003.htm (01-23-2004)

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