Despite having over a half-dozen albums to their name, The Association is a group best known for three songs: “Along Comes Mary,” “Cherish” and “Windy.” Of those three, two of them are found on their debut effort, And Then… Along Comes The Association, a disc that saw the band surrender the bulk of the musical performances to studio musicians while they handled the harmonized vocals. It is what it is; seeing how many bands did so back in the day, and have continued this practice even to the modern day, I’m not going to demonize the group for doing so.

Chances are, this isn’t the disc you’re going to find in your grandparents’ or parents’ record collection; more than likely you’ll find the Greatest Hits release. The thing is, though, this particular album was second in popularity only to the best-of back in the day… and, if we’re completely honest with ourselves, it’s not a bad album in the least.

With six capable vocalists in the group, The Association often leaned on Terry Kirkman and Russ Giguere to handle the duties (though Jim Yester provided lead vocals on “Along Comes Mary”). What could have been somewhat distracting actually proves to be a strength for the band, as the listener is guaranteed a strong performance on the lead vocals with a comforting balance from the harmonies.

As for why tracks like “Enter The Young,” “I’ll Be Your Man” and “Standing Still” didn’t get the chance to climb the charts like “Cherish”… well, that’s a complete mystery. Fact is, with rare exception, there’s not a bad track on this one—and even when something doesn’t quite hit the mark like “Message Of Our Love,” it’s not a complete failure, though some of the audio effects could have been eliminated from the final mix.

As for the hits? “Cherish” rightfully deserves to be recognized as one of The Association’s best tracks, sounding surprisingly fresh even 60 years after it was recorded. (And, brother, don’t think I didn’t feel old typing that last sentence.) “Along Comes Mary” isn’t quite as strong of a single, but still has enough catchiness for one to understand how it became popular.

Where does this all leave And Then… Along Comes The Association? Simple: if you want to discover more than the hit singles from this band, this disc is the perfect launching pad, and remains an enjoyable (if occasionally slightly dated) way to spend 30 minutes. For a band that has been all but forgotten except for three songs, it’s definitely worth re-discovering the remaining 10 tracks on this one that didn’t burn up the charts.

Rating: B+

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