An Appreciation For The Unappreciated Curt Boettcher

It was 30 years ago today that Curt Boettcher passed away at the age of 43.


Chances are you've never heard of Curt Boettcher, but if you are a Baby Boomer or an aficionado of 1960's and 1970's music then you've probably have heard his musical imprint but just don't know it.


Boettcher produced The Association's debut album including "Along Comes Mary" and "Cherish".


He sang back up vocal on Elton John & Kiki Dee's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart".


He worked as a producer and recording engineer for the likes of The Beach Boys, Tommy Roe and Gene Clark of The Byrds.

I must confess I did not come across Boettcher's name until I became a fan of Emmitt Rhodes, another artist who has spent decades wallowing in obscurity (though he is still among us.) Boettcher did some engineering work on Rhodes' 1973 album Farewell to Paradise and Rhodes would not release another record for more than 40 years. That same year, Boettcher released his only completed solo album There's An Innocent Face. Have a listen to "I've Been Wrong" which is in the video above.


Perhaps his two greatest musical legacies were two albums both released by Columbia Records in July 1968 - Present Tense by Sagittarius and Begin by The Millennium. Sagittarius wasn't as much a band as it was a vision by fellow Columbia producer Gary Usher with Boettcher carrying out the music. This album would produce a minor hit called "My World Fell Down" which featured a lead vocal from an anonymous Glen Campbell, but was the one track where Boettcher had no involvement. To give you a sense of Boettcher's sweet presence have a listen to "Song To The Magic Frog (Will You Ever Know)".

Whereas Begin was Boettcher's baby and, at the time, the most expensive album Columbia had ever produced. Unfortunately for Boettcher it did not sell and he would produce only sporadically afterward. This is a shame because Boettcher was way ahead of his time. If you listen to some of the songs on the album you would not think they were recorded in 1968. Case in point - "It's You" and "The Know It All."

I realize this appreciation only scratches the surface of Boettcher's musical output. But if you are unfamiliar with Boettcher's music and this heightens your curiosity sufficiently to get you listen to more then I have done my job. If only Curt Boettcher were around to hear the appreciation. R.I.P.