This album came out in 1971. A friend of mine introduced me to Audience when we were listening to albums at his place. I was very much into the heavier side of music with bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Alice Copper dominating play on my stereo. Audience was a very big departure for me, and it was such a refreshing change. It was like when I first tasted Chinese food – “Where were you all my life?”. It was always there, but I was too ignorant to find it.
There is a wide variety of music on this album. That was one aspect of the album that intrigued me – great use of horns, woodwinds and acoustic guitars. This album helped to broaden my perspectives and open me up to music outside of my then comfort zone.
Songs
The music has always been captivating and attractive. It makes for a great change of pace when you’re setting up longer listening sessions. As I’ve gained life experience (nice euphemism for aging!), some of the songs take on a more special meaning (esp. “You’re Not Smiling”, “I Had a Dream” and “Indian Summer”).