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Ars Nova's first release was intermittently intriguing eclectic psychedelic rock with a slight classical influence, as well as some unusual instrumentation in the bass trombone of lead singer Jon Pierson and the trumpet and string bass of Bill Folwell. The songs ? often linked by brief interludes ? are a mixed bag, though, that seem to indicate a confusion over direction, or a bit of a psychedelic throw-in-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach. There are haunting tunes with a folk-rock base and a faint Renaissance ballad melodic influence, jaunty narratives with a vaudevillian air that bear the mark of then-recent albums such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and harder-rocking period psychedelic tracks with a bent for unpredictable bittersweet progressions and vocal harmonies. It's unusual, and in some senses attractive. But to be less charitable, there's a sense of listening to a generic psychedelic band that sounds better than many such acts mostly by virtue of benefiting from Elektra's high-class production, here handled by Paul Rothchild of Doors fame. Put another way, the songs themselves aren't as good as their arrangements. "Fields of People," about the best of those songs, might be the most famous one here due to getting covered in an elongated treatment by the Move, who did a better job with it than Ars Nova.

Review: Allmusic
Poster: Shane_54

Tracks 

1  Pavan for My Lady (Fall, Winter, Summer and Spring)  Day  2:45 2  General Clover Ends a War  Copeland, Day  2:44  
3  And How Am I to Know  Day  5:07  
4  Album in Your Mind  Day, Pierson  3:02  
5  Zarathustra  Baker, Strauss  3:32  
6  Fields of People  Day, Pierson  3:39  
7  Automatic Love  Day  4:52  
8  I Wrapped Her in Ribbons (After Ibiza)  Copeland, Day  2:37  
9  Song to the City  Copeland, Day  3:04  
10  March of the Mad Duke's Circus  Copeland, Day  3:19  
  

Line-up:
Maury Baker Organ, Percussion, Keyboards  
Wyatt Day Organ, Guitar, Piano, Guitar (Rhythm), Keyboards, Vocals  
Bill Folwell Bass, Trumpet, Guitar (Bass), Vocals, String Bass
Giovanni Papalia Guitar
Jon Pierson Trombone, Trombone (Bass), Vocals 
Jonathan Raskin Bass, Guitar, Vocals  

Het leuke aan de lp is dat het begin van Zarathustra gebruikt is door Radio Veronica, om een oude plaat aan te kondigen ("Herinnert u zich deze nog") Dat laatste is trouwens ook de titel van dé musical over de zeezender Radio Veronica, vanaf februari 2011 in theaters door het land.