Distant Shores (1966)

Chad’s Memories

This LP is a bit of a mixed bag, since we had a lot of material left over from the London sessions in November of 1965. I wanted to start again from scratch, but the accountants at Columbia Records didn't see it my way!

Nevertheless, "Distant Shores" was a milestone in C & J history because the title track (and two others) were recorded on the West Coast. This was an important development because we were finally able to track our recordings (build them layer by layer) and work with a producer with whom we had a strong raport, namely Larry Marks, a fellow song writer and and creative spirit. Unfortunately, this artist-producer relationship was short lived, as Larry left Columbia to join A&M; Records. We were sorry to see him go.

Recorded earlier on the London sessions but not included in this LP was the infamous "Ballad Of A Teenage Failure". Releasing this song as a single was a great example of how blind you can be when you're in the middle of things. This piece was totally out of character for us (like Sly Stallone playing Shakespeare) and the fans greeted it with a deafening silence.

Compounding our mistake was the decision not to release "Homeward Bound" instead. A serious blunder, that one. We had been blessed with a visit from Paul Simon, who was unknown at the time, except for a folk album with Artie called "Wednesday Morning, 3 a.m." He gave us "Homeward Bound" to record and the rest might have been history. I vividly recall one day in the studio when Paul got the call about "Sounds of Silence" finally making the charts. In later years, I came to envy the way his career evolved; he made his early mistakes in relative obscurity. (His first single release with Artie was under the name, "Tom & Gerry"!) My advice to aspiring singers and musicians is - take it slow. If you're an overnight success, you won't be prepared for it. Like taking a test without doing your homework.

On a lighter note, "Distant Shores", "You Are She" and "Ain't It Nice" provided the soundtrack for our discovery of Southern California - surf, sand, palm trees, convertible Mustangs . . . boy, was it fun! The single Jeremy made hay while the sun shone. The married Chad was quite happy with his Jill. (He really was.)