One of the most successful soft rock recording artists of the 1970s, the duo of Jim Seals (vocals, guitar) and Dash Crofts (vocals, mandolin) released a series of hit singles and albums in the decade before leaving the spotlight in favor of their spiritual beliefs.

Cherry Red Records, UK, has compiled the ten Seals and Crofts albums issued between 1969 and 1978 on a new five disc box set ‘Gold & Rainbows’ issued on the Lemon Recordings imprint. The ten LPs include five which charted in the top 40, two reaching the top 10, with four achieving gold status and one double platinum sales. The box set includes seven top 40 singles, three reaching the top 10.

Disc one contains the first two LPs issued by the duo which appeared originally on the TA (Talent Artists) label in 1969 and 1970. Although neither of the albums were big sellers, they document the pairs’ musical talent and developing songwriting abilities. ‘Seals & Crofts’ issued in 1969 is filled with stripped down arrangements, dominated by Seals’ guitar and Crofts’ mandolin with Louie Shelton (bass) and Jim Gordon (drums) supplying a solid rhythm section on introspective compositions such as “See My Life” which was the albums’ lone, non-charting single, while “Jekyll And Hyde” shows their ability to get heavier, thanks to the efforts of Shelton and Gordon. ‘Down Home’ released in 1970 peaked at #122 on the Billboard Hot 200 charts, resulting in the band being signed to a contract by Warner Bros., and is a much more group oriented effort. While still dominated by gentle acoustic melodies and gorgeous vocal harmonies, electric guitarist John Hall added a new dimension to the sound as on the space rock influenced folk rocker “Hollow Reed” while “Gabriel Go On Home” was transformed thanks to John Simon’s piano blending with Hall’s guitar, joined by Seals’ acoustic guitar and Paul Harris’ organ, with Simon’s piano especially showcased. The country mood of “Cotton Mouth” is complemented by Hall’s wah wah driven electric guitar, Simon’s piano and Harris’ organ.

Disc two begins with 1971’s ‘Year Of Sunday’, the debut release on Warner Bros. and the first Seals and Crofts album to feature the duo’s pairing with guitarist/producer Louie Shelton who became integral to the duo’s evolving sound and resulting success, producing the remaining eight albums included in this set. The album is predominantly acoustic, but features more intricate melodies and higher production values, paving the way for things to follow. Among the highlights are the Simon and Garfunkel-like “Antoinette” and the gorgeous “High On A Mountain” which features electric accents by Shelton. While the LP reached only #133, and the selected single “When I Meet Them” failed to chart, the duo’s rise to fame was on the horizon. Fame and fortune came with 1972’s ‘Summer Breeze’, the album hitting #7 on the Billboard Hot 200 and achieving double platinum sales status, while the long players’ opening tune “Hummingbird” and its title track reached #20 and #6 respectively on the Hot 100 charts. The album featured top session players Harvey Brooks and Joe Osborn on bass, Russ Kunkel, Jim Keltner and Jim Goron on drums, Red Rhodes on pedal steel guitar and Milt Holland on percussion. The duo’s songwriting style shines on the two hit singles and deep cuts like “Yellow Dirt” which features an acoustic intro segueing into white hot rock with Shelton’s guitar soaring above the song’s heavy groove and tastefully added keyboard parts. In addition “Say” is an uptempo rocker with a driving beat and Shelton again shining on guitar as Seals and Crofts show the capacity to reach beyond their gentle, folk oriented roots which are displayed on tracks like “Funny Little Man” and “The Boy Down The Road”, the latter a wonderful blend of acoustic guitar, mandolin and a hint of electric guitar.

Disc three opens with the 1973 LP ‘Diamond Girl’, the highest charting Seals and Crofts album, peaking at #4 on Billboard’s Hot 200 and earning the duo a gold record. The long player showcases Shelton’s electric guitar and features top session players Wilton Felder on bass, Jim Gordon and Jeff Porcaro on drums and David Paitch on organ and piano. The title track, a #4 hit, blends a gorgeous melody with delicate vocal harmonies, Shelton’s guitar and Paitch’s Fender Rhodes electric piano driving the tune a la Steely Dan. “We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” has an America vibe with its gentle guitar and vocals, supplemented by keys. A wonderful mix of folk, pop and rock, Shelton’s understated solo is icing on the cake, the tune peaking at #21 when issued as a single. The remainder of the album is a pleasant mix of mid and uptempo tracks. “Nine Houses” is a seven minute tour de force with acoustic guitar and mandolin giving a flamenco vibe before turning to Eastern influences accented with horns, indicating ever maturing songwriting abilities. “It’s Gonna Come Down (On You)” is an uptempo number with Shelton’s lead guitar line and solo front and center. Shelton’s guitar is further showcased on the uptempo tracks “Intone My Servant” and “Standin’ On A Mountain Top.” The duo’s lighter side shines on album closer “Dust In My Saddle.” The 1974 album ‘Unborn Child’ slowed the progress of the duo’s career, the title track featuring an anti-abortion poem written by a friend of Seals and Crofts put to music, coming only a year after the landmark Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision. As a result, the title track, issued as a single, was banned from airplay in some areas and stalled at #66 on the charts while its followup, “King Of Nothing” peaked at #60. Still, the album reached #14 and earned the duo another gold record. The LP has many highlights, “Windflowers”, “Ledges” and “Desert People” are light and breezy, with gorgeous, delicate melodies, while “The Story Of Love” blends Paitch’s piano with gentle vocals and a restrained Shelton solo. “29 Years From Texas” is an introspective piece with Shelton adding understated guitar. The album closer “Big Mac” is an uptempo track with Shelton’s searing guitar and Paitch’s keyboards, aided by horns, to the fore. Shelton solos twice with feedback screaming while David Hungate on bass and Jeff Porcaro on drums supply the driving beat.

Disc four starts with the 1976 studio album ‘I’ll Play For You’ , the seventh by Seals and Crofts. Slide guitarist Ovid Stevens joined the usual session players for these recordings, playing a key role as Seals And Crofts showed that they were capable of heavier rock and the blues. The album begins with the title track, a melodic acoustic guitar and piano ballad, a lilting tune with slide guitar accents, commercially accessible, which peaked at #18 when issued as a single. The box set’s title track ‘Gold & Rainbows’ is a slide guitar driven ballad with gentle electric guitar and horn additions. The light, evocative mid-tempo love song is another example of the duo’s ability to craft accessible tunes seemingly at will. “Castles In The Sand” is a moody love song, its keyboard and percussion driven melody supplemented by Shelton’s wah wah guitar and Paitch’s keyboard work. “Blue Bonnet Nation” is another rocker, highlighted by Shelton’s wah wah aided intro and Stevens’ slide work, with Paitch’s keyboards adding mood changes. “Wayland The Rabbit” is a six minute ballad, featuring the vocal harmonies of Seals and Crofts. The LP, which peaked at #30 and earned another gold record, closes with “Fire And Vengence” an uptempo folk rocker containing gorgeous vocals and Shelton who cuts loose mid-tune, soloing the song’s final two minutes away with his smoking guitar work. The disc also includes ‘Sudan Village’, a 1976 live release. Unlike most live albums none of the band’s hits are included, with five of nine tracks making their debut on the recording. The title track has a calypso vibe with lyrics that are a call for brotherhood. Other highlights include the nine and a half minute magnum opus “Thunderfoot”, an electric guitar showcase with Marty Walsh contributing a memorable lead line and two smoldering solos, while Bill Cuomo delivers a tasty keyboard interlude, and Seals adding a luscious saxophone solo. The long player includes a studio recording, “Baby I’ll Give It To You” which reached #58 on the singles charts, while the album peaked at #73.

Disc five includes Seals And Crofts final charting album, the 1976 release ‘Get Closer’ which peaked at #37 and earned a gold record. “Sweet Green Fields” opens the LP, a keyboard driven pop number. The title track follows, its keyboard intro giving way to vocal harmonies which dominate the commercially appealing tune that the duo turn into an AM radio classic in their usual vein, making it their third #6 hit. “Red Long Ago” moves from a gentle keyboard intro to a heavy guitar driven section before returning to a piano outro. “Goodbye Old Buddies” is an acoustic guitar and piano folk rocker in the vein of Simon and Garfunkel, while “Baby Blue” is a tasty mid-tempo pop rocker with Shelton contributing a soaring solo and playing the song out, and “Million Dollar Horse” is a country-tinged bit of pop. “Passing Through” is a return to roots with guitar, mandolin and harmony vocals, Crofts contributing an impressive mandolin solo. The album closes with “Don’t Fall”, another accessible pop rocker. The box set closes with Seals and Crofts’ ninth studio outing, 1978’s ‘Takin’ It Easy.’ The album opens with the title track, a hot rocker with a driving riff and commercial appeal, reaching #79 as the last charting Seals and Crofts single. “One More Time” is a piano driven pop rocker with a gorgeous melody. “Midnight Blue” is a blues number featuring harmonica and dobro, with Dan Ferguson delivering a show stopping dobro solo. “You’re The Love” is an uptempo tune with gorgeous vocal harmonies and the duo’s final hit single, peaking at #18. “Sunrise” has a majestic sound with roaring guitars and a sax solo with piano complement a la Joe Jackson. “Breaking In A Brand New Love” is an uptempo pop rocker with keyboards pushing the beat until saxophones take over, with the rhythm section keeping a steady groove. “Magnolia Man” is a gentle electric piano ballad with guitar and sax joining the rhythm section’s insistent beat. “Nobody Gets Over You” is a mid-tempo pop tune with gorgeous vocal harmonies and a roaring mid-tune guitar solo. “Forever Like The Rose” is a song of beauty and love with a delicate keyboard interlude. The album and box set close with “A Tribute To Abdu’l-Baha” a wonderful soundscape of acoustic and electric guitars blending with vocal harmonies paying tribute to the duo’s spiritual beliefs, a natural way to end this collection. ‘Takin’ It Easy’ was the final Seals and Crofts album to chart, peaking at #78 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart.

‘Gold & Rainbows” The Warner Bros. Years 1969-1978’ comes in a clamshell box, with each of its five discs in their own cardboard mini-LP sleeves. The set includes a lavishly illustrated twenty-eight page booklet, with complete album artwork, track listings and musician credits. The set will appeal to 1970 soft rock and yacht rock fans, as well as fans of classic rock in general and is highly recommended.

Kevin Rathert

Seals & Crofts – ‘Gold & Rainbows: The Warner Bros. Years 1969-1978’ (2025)