“And make sure your answer is in the form of a question.”
This group was managed by Brian Epstein, was the opening act for The Beatles’ last American tour, including their historic Candlestick Park concert in San Francisco, and had the two mid-1960s hits “Red Rubber Ball” and “Turn Down Day.”
If you responded “Who is the The Cyrkle?”, you are a music historian, or more probably read the title of this review.
The Cyrkle was a pop/folk band with a simple, stripped-down sound. Their hit singles “Red Rubber Ball” and “Turn Down Day” are emblematic of the 1960s and remain as pleasant but forgettable pieces of pop fluff.
The group disbanded in 1968 and the members became a lawyer, a surgeon, and two jingle writers (one of whom composed the Alka Selzer commercial tune “Plop Plop Fizz Fizz”). The lights went back on in 2016 when founding guitarist/vocalist Dan Dannerman and keyboardist Michael Losecamp reformed the band and produced a live album celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary. They have now issued their band’s first studio album in 58 years.
Revival is an album of competent pop that is well produced and catchy. The Cyrkle do not really cover any new ground; their sound is a little more layered and most of the folk elements have been left behind, which makes for a smoother and more crisp sound than their sixties material.
Songs include “Goin’ Steady,” “We Can Fly,” “We Were There,” “We Thought We Could Fly,” and a quirky cover of “59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),” and their two big hits “Red Rubber Ball” and “Turn Down Day” are re-recorded as bonus tracks with an updated sound.
The Beatles are gone, Brian Epstein is long gone, and the 1960s are a distant memory, but one of the unlikelier 1960 pop groups has re-emerged, and have produced a listenable album of new music. It may not change the course of rock and roll, but it is a nice visit to the past.