Gold & Rainbow: The Warner Bros Years 1969-1978 [CD], Seals & Crofts, CD

Despite epitomizing the platinum selling Californian soft rock sound that dominated the US airwaves throughout the mid-1970s, both Jim Seals and Darrell "Dash" Crofts originally hailed from Texas. Formed in 1969 in Los Angeles, Seals and Crofts released their self-titled debut the same year, followed by 'Down Home' in 1970. Warner Bros. Records were the ideal home for their mellow, acoustic based sound, with whom they signed in 1971 for 'Year Of Sunday'. Seals and Crofts and Warner Bros. Finally struck gold with 1972's 'Summer Breeze', a worldwide smash that year, which was subsequently covered and a global hit for The Isley Brothers. The title track to 1973's 'Diamond Girl' maintained their upward trajectory with another platinum hit, even if their stance exemplified on 1974's 'Unborn Child' divided their fan base. By 1974 Seals and Crofts were established enough to hold their own alongside the biggest hitters of the decade - Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, ELP, Eagles - at one of the biggest festivals of the 1970s, the California Jam. By 1978 the influence of disco could be heard in the grooves of the danceable 'Takin' It Easy'. Deciding to call it a day following their final Warner Bros. #album in 1980, Seals and Crofts went their separate ways, occasionally reuniting for successful reunion shows. Although unfairly maligned in the ensuing years, the growth in interest for the smoother sounds and platinum hits of the 1970s, plus the cult success of the Yacht Rock series presented Seals and Crofts to a whole new audience in the 21st Century.