Along Comes The Association: Beyond Folk Rock and Three-Piece Suits

by Russ Giguere, Ashley Wren Collins, David Geffen (Foreword)

Along Comes The Association is the story of how Russ Giguere and his fellow band members in the legendary and influential pop group The Association came together to create unparalleled music, with such chart toppers as "Cherish," "Windy," "Never My Love," and "Along Comes Mary," unique to the time and place, and never again to be repeated. Yes, there were drugs, and there were women, such as the lovely Linda Ronstadt and Helen Mirren, but it was the sixties, after all. In reading Along Comes The Association, you are transported back in time to post-1963 America. Go on, try to resist the urge to roll one while floating on the musical cloud of melodic rock that Russ Giguere and his band of troubadours popularized and we still cherish to this day…

Genres: Music

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2020

Reviews

[Koren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started out good with a lot of name dropping and nostalgia for the 60's music scene, but after that it is mostly about the author and doesnt go into a lot of detail about the other members of the group. At times I thought he dwelled a little too much on each individual song to the point where it seemed more like filler to make the book longer. I saw The Association in concert a few years ago and they were soooo good and worth it if you get a chance to see them.

[Tosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kimley and I will discuss this book on BOOK MUSIK. Book Musik podcast

[Kimley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tosh and I discuss this on our Book Musik podcast.

The Association had several enduring top-40 hits in the 1960s but were a bit of an anomaly. While performing they typically wore suits and they sang lush harmonies on songs like “Cherish,” “Windy” and “Never My Love.” This was during a time when guitar-heavy rock was dominating the music scene and the cool kids had a proclivity for outrageous attire and social upheaval. But as an integral part of the Los Angeles music scene, The Association was in the thick of things, opening the Monterey Pop Festival and hanging out with all those cool kids.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun semi-autobiography. Although I enjoy the Association's music, it's always been hard to get past the idea these guys were like a college glee club more straight than the Beach Boys. Russ Giguere of the band corrects that assumption, as I though he would.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite thing about this book is how effortlessly Russ invites you into the group. I was intimidated going in since I could barely name all the members of the group, but it's been a joy getting to know them all a bit better. He doesnt dish as much dirt as I would like, but at least he's a gentleman about it ( but I seriously give me the tell-all). I also wish it was written more clearly, as he jumps around by themes instead of sticking to timeline, which would have helped.

[kc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting history of Russ and the 6 part harmony group of the 60’s to present. Somewhat disjointed at times, but good information and insight.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a DNF for me. I really like Inside Out and Birthday by The Association, so I was enthused about reading a book about the band. Well, it's like this: it started out great with valuable information about the early days of folk-rock in Los Angeles with clubs like The Ash Grove making the scene, etc.

That part was terrific, however once the band gets started Giguere got lazy and simply quoted full-length interviews with teeny-bopper magazines like Teen Set with dated remarks from the band like, "We're the young generation and we've got a lot to say, cause we're doing our thing, man!" There's also a lot of cutesy in-joke nicknames for each member with their respective hobbies. It's like holy shit, Sixteen Magazine never ended for this guy!

I think there's a book on The Association by a non-member of the group and I would suggest searching that out because this was too immature for me. YOU DIG, BABY?

[Stevie Ray DeFoe]

Along comes my review

I liked this book a lot. I wasn't a huge fan of the Association, but Giguere paints a great picture of the 60s & beyond through the eyes of his band. As usual, it could've used a little more technical info regarding the music but I understand that such things don't interest the casual fan. I was entertained throughout & enjoyed the "insider" ride provided for the reader. An undeniable fact is that the 1960s was the GREATEST decade of rock n' roll & the Association played a part in that truth.

[Court · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda Ronstadt AND Helen Mirren? My man.

[Sarah Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ramblings of an old dude who did some cool things