I guess only my family and closest friends know about my on again/off again relationship with Chad and Jeremy, and I’m sure it’s not a matter of major concern for anyone. That being said, we have the release of a long awaited CD of C & J in concert performance, entitled Reflection, and man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

Rather than get off on the wrong foot yet again with the folks managing C & J, as well as Chad and Jeremy themselves, let’s start with the good news. It’s a wonderful sounding CD; crisp, ear filling, full of the harmonies and instrumental virtuosity I’ve come to expect from these guys in concert. It contains 16 tracks, comprised of 5 of their 11 top 100 Billboard hits, several album tracks that have become concert favorites (Homeward Bound, Everyone’s Gone to the Moon, Zanzibar Sunset, When and If I Can), a few covers (I’ll Be Back, Take Out Some Insurance), and several songs that have yet to make an appearance on any of their major releases (Doghouse Blues, Some Small Town, All the Harvests, Lady Wants A Gentleman). It is certainly well performed, and taken from three shows, though we don’t know what came from where. In any case, it does, per a blurb from their web site "capture a true reflection of the Chad and Jeremy sound."

And now, for the other side of the coin. As good as the performance is, it is totally devoid of their engaging personalities. These two excerpts from reviews of their January, 2010, performance at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA, tell what's missing : "Both of them (but especially Jeremy) kept up a light-hearted banter which was charming and amusing. They sang for about 1 3/4 hours, and held the appreciative audience the entire time," and "Besides the incredible music, their amiable personalities really shine through in the stories they tell of their history. The whole performance was a pleasure...."

What's missing, obviously, is their wonderfully amusing and self-depreciating humor, any of their stores about the 60’s and their TV appearances, and several telling song introductions. The most important of these must be the story about how they came to record Homeward Bound, Simon & Garfunkel’s follow-up to Sound of Silence. There is a smattering of applause during their instrumental intro to Homeward Bound that directly refers to their missing intro story, and to the uninitiated it must seem rather out of place.The head-scratching part of this for me was that, at a smidge over 47 minutes long, there was certainly sufficient time remaining on a single CD to include at least song intros, a story or two, and several other songs from their typical 100 minute+ stage act. I had heard Chad relate, in a radio interview about the live CD, that to include the funny parts of the show would make them unfunny on a CD. Whether that's entirely true or not (comedy CD's continue to sell), the removal of all of their dialog reduces this to basically a segment of their 4 year old Ark-eology CD performed in a live setting. Enjoyable yes, but missing the feeling of actually being at a concert.

Hopefully you will be able to see them live at some point in 2012. Jeremy's commitment to a successful, extended run, play in England, caused him to be unavailable for concerts from November of 2011 through, I think, May of 2012. There have been no dates announced for 2012 as yet, and word has it that they won't be around until this coming winter..

So, finally, Reflection, for the casual fan, is a very well done CD, which provides the essential hits as well as a sample of some of their well-loved concert favorites. Would I have liked to hear one of their Buddy Holly covers, or a folk song from their early days or maybe another Clyde/Pierce original of the caliber of Zanzibar Sunset or Tell You Something Else? And a little more of their personalities? You bet. But it’s good as is, and available at www.chadandjeremy.net .

That's it for now. You can get Reflection only on their web site, and for $20, pick up an autographed copy and a free bonus disc with a live performance of You Are She, and a previously broadcast radio interview from SC, with more live, in studio, performances. And that CD does contain some of the magic that's missing from the major release :).