My personal opinion (worth absolutely nothing) is that these unknown guys deserve to be on the list of purveyors of classic psych albums ... Again, not that anyone cares, but note that in my world of music criticism, I assigned it a rare four stars rating ... Lots of folks will disagree, lumping them into the sell-out MOR pile. You'll have to judge their album by your own standards.

The David's another short-lived Southern California act I wish I knew more about. The line up consisted of guitarist Mark Bird, singer/keyboardist Warren Hansen, drummer Tim Harrison and bassist Chuck Spieth. I've got nothing to back it up, but a couple of on-line references indicate that all four were still in their teens when the recorded their first couple of singles and sole LP.  

Originally known as The Reasons, after signed to 20th Century Fox, the band debuted with a pair of instantly obscure and highly collectable 45s:



- 1966's '40 Miles' b/w 'Bus Token' (20th Century Fox catalog number 6663)
- 1967's 'People Saying' b/w '40 Miles' (20th Century Fox catalog number 6675)



1967 found the band signed to the small, newly formed L.A. based Vance Music Corporation (VMC) label which agreed to finance an album. Obviously nothing more than a coincidence, but band manager Steven Vail was the label owner.   

Produced by Vail with Gene Page arranging, "Another Day, Another Lifetime" showcased a set of ten originals penned by singer/keyboardist Hansen. Lots of reviewers have slapped The David with a Baroque/sunshine pop label and while there's certainly some of that genre in their repertoire (check out ''), that label was limiting, if not outright misleading. Like competitors such as The Association, Curt Boetcher, Orange Colored Skies, etc., tracks such as 'Another Day, Another Lifetime/I Would Like To Know', 'Now To You' and 'Mirrors of Wood' offered up an intriguing blend of classic pop moves with occasional nods to psychedelia, then cutting-edge eastern musical influences, and cool studio experimentation. Unlike lots of their competitors, the album distinguished itself from the competition by virtue of the fact almost all of the horn and string arrangements actually added to the collection's appeal - check out 'Tell Me More'. Credit arranger Gene Page. The other strength these guys has stemmed from the fact that while they were comfortable playing pop, without breaking a sweat they could rock out. Skeptics need only check out the driving fuzz and organ propelled 'I'm Not Alone', the equally impressive 'Tell Me More', or 'Professor Crawford'. Personal favorites included the psych-drenched 'Time M' and 'Of Our Other Days'.  

- For a group of guys still in their teens, 'Another Day, Another Lifetime/I Would Like To Know' showcased a surprising amount of confidence and a willingness to experiment. Kudos to VMC management for allowing the band to go beyond the normal two minute slice of mundane top-40 pap. The result was a great slice of sunshine pop complete with wild orchestration (courtesy of Gene Page), nice harmony vocals and a distinctive rock edge (it even sported a raga segment), this w as the kind of material Curt Boetcher and bands like The Association would have killed to get their hands on. rating: **** stars
- The Farfisa organ and fuzz guitar propelled rocker 'I’m Not Alone' was one of the album's commercial highpoint. Imagine The Monkees being allowed to cut a real rock song and you'd have a feel for what this pounding gem sounded like. rating: ***** stars- Showcasing Hansen on lead vocals and Doors-styled keyboards, 'Sweet December' found the band taking a stab at a double time slice of garage grunge. Moody and quite likeable.  rating: **** stars
- 'Tell Me More' showed these guys could handle top-40 styled jangle rock. Great melody with one of those hooks that bore into your head and won't let go. Even better was Harrison's frantic drumming (move over Keith Moon) and Bird's freak out closing guitar solo.  rating: **** stars
- The first side's most commercial offering, 'Now To You' somehow managed to take a good rock song, slap Baroque-styled orchestration on top of it and not kill the song. In the hands of a band like The Left Banke the results would have been coma inducing, but here Hansen and company managed to retain control of the the song ... not sure how, but the thing actually rocker. One of my favorite songs on the album.  rating: **** stars
- Side two opened up with a great slice of psych-tinged jangle-rock. Imagine 1967-era Roger McGuinn and company getting away from Bob Dylan covers and you'd get a feel for this one. With angelic harmony vocals, a killer hook and a fantastic splash of fuzz guitar, this was easily one of the album highlights.  rating: **** stars 
- Full of reverb, effects treated vocals, and haunting keyboards, 'Time M' was two blatantly psychedelic offerings.  rating: **** stars  
- 'So Much More' was another pop song covered in heavy, psych-tinged orchestration. Unfortunately, while Hansen and company gave it their all, unlike the other tracks, on this they were largely swallowed up by the arrangements.  rating: ** stars     
- Complete with hypnotic one-two beat, Bird's effects treated guitar, Hansen's lysegenic soaked vocals, and some "Magical Mystery Tour" styled orchestration, 'Mirrors of Wood' was a classic slice of psychedelia. Very cool song.  rating: **** stars  
- Sporting a vaguely Caribbean feel, 'Of Our Other Days' showcased the band's more conventional and commercial side. Clearly a throwaway song, but with a catchy top 40-ish melody it would have made a dandy AM radio single. Judging by the sound effects, it sounded like they had quite a bit of in-studio fun recording the track.  rating: **** stars  

In summary all ten tracks were worth hearing, and my only real complaint would be that clocking in at a hair over 31 minutes the set was simply too short. Shame they never recorded a follow-up. Not exactly rare and the set's been reissued a couple of times, however original copies still command fairly high prices. (By the way, the album sounds great on a high end stereo or with a pair of good headphones.)  

"Another Day, Another Lifetime" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Another Day, Another Lifetime/I Would Like To Know (Warren Hansen) - 5:50
2.) I’m Not Alone (Warren Hansen) - 1:483.) Sweet December (Warren Hansen) - 4:05
4.) Tell Me More (Warren Hansen) - 2:25
5.) Now To You (Warren Hansen) - 3:58
 
(side 2)
1.) Professor Crawford (Warren Hansen) - 2:40
2.) Time M (Warren Hansen) - 4:50
3.) So Much More (Warren Hansen) - 2:16
4.) Mirrors of Wood (Warren Hansen) - 3:40
5.) Of Our Other Days (Warren Hansen) - 2:05




For hardcore fans there were two more singles. Both sides of the third single were pulled from the parent album: 1968's 'I'm Not Alone b/w 'Sweet December' (VMC catalog number V-716). 

I've never seen it, but there's supposedly a fourth and final non-LP 45: 1968's 'Don't Slam The Door In My Face' b/w 'Sandy' (VMC catalog number V-717) - see comment below

Wikipedia indicates bassist Spieth died at 21 in a house fire.

And thanks to the internet, here are a couple of tidbits from one of the band members:
Genre: psych
Rating: **** (4 stars) 
Title:  Another Day, Another Lifetime
Company: VMC 
Catalog: V 124
Year: 1967
Country/State: Los Angeles, California
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened)
Available: 1
Catalog ID: 4891
Price: $175.00
Cost: $54.00

A very complete a interesting compendium of the group. Most of the material is correct except that the single "Slam the Door in my Face" was not one of our songs. Warren and I were 16 and Tim and Chuck were 17 when we recorded the David album. We did the singles when I was fifteen. Thanks again for taking the time to write the review.

Mark Bird (member of The David)