Sunday morning coming down

You may never have heard of the Boston-based sixties group Orpheus, but you may nevertheless recall its one hit — it only reached number 80 nationally, though it went to number one in some local markets — “Can’t Find the Time.” Written by singer Bruce Arnold, the song is representative of Arnold’s recordings with producer Alan Lorber. The song has been covered by a few other artists, most notably Hootie & The Blowfish for the soundtrack of “Me, Myself & Irene.”

Arnold’s voice puts me in mind of the Walker Brothers. The middle of the road pop tenor of the group’s work recalls the Association, another group I love. Orpheus’s best album was probably its self-titled debut, but its best-titled album was undoubtedly “Ascending.”

The video captures Orpheus at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, probably in 1968. According to the information posted at YouTube, the performance aired locally in New York City on a show that also included Marvin Gaye, The Staple Singers, Woody Allen and The Mothers of Invention. The video leaves a lot to the imagination. Where did the crew put the amplifiers, the microphones, the strings? They couldn’t find the time to tell you. Don’t even try to get this one out of your head!

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