The Association

The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival. They are noted for intricate vocal harmonies by the band's multiple singers. The group's debut album may be better listening today than it was in 1966, because it can be appreciated more - and it definitely deserves a better reputation than it has among folk-rock, psychedelic pop, and pop/rock enthusiasts.

Renaissance was a difficult album for the Association to record. Coming in the wake of a serious hit album (And Then…Along Comes the Association) and two huge hit singles ("Along Comes Mary," "Cherish") and at a time when the group was experiencing more bookings than its members had ever dreamed possible, Renaissance was rushed out under pressure from the band's label. Alas, Renaissance bore little resemblance to its predecessor. For starters, the Association had lost the services of producer Curt Boettcher, who was the architect of the earlier album's extraordinary sound.

Greatest Hits was originally released in 1968 and was the first compilation album by The Association. Since its debut (where it peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200), it has sold over 2 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Stop Your Motor is the 1971 album by The Association. This is taken from the 1998 CD release by Warner Bros. in Japan and is a nice remaster, featuring four bonus tracks, the single versions taken from the two 45's released in support of the album. This is also taken from another blog and is being used with permission, thank you to the original uploader.