Tandyn Almer

A fascinating and enigmatic footnote to the West Coast pop scene of the late 1960s, pianist, composer, and producer Tandyn Almer is best known for writing the Association's classic "Along Comes Mary." Virtually nothing is known of Almer's origins and upbringing. In 1965, Associate Jules Alexander was hired by producer Curt Boettcher to play on a demo of "Along Comes Mary," and was so impressed by the song he asked if his group could record it officially. Released in 1966, the single emerged as a blockbuster, defining the Association's pioneering harmony pop sound. It should have made Almer one of the hottest songwriters in Los Angeles, but he never again scored a major hit. That doesn't mean he was missing in action, however, any number of obscure psych pop singles bear Almer's writing and production credits, among them the Paper Fortress' "Sleepy Hollow People," the Garden Club's "Little Girl Lost and Found," Pleasure's "Poor Old Organ Grinder," and Dennis Olivieri's full-length Come to the Party. He and Boettcher also teamed to write another Association song, "Message of Our Love," as well as Sagittarius' "Musty Dusty." In 1969, Almer recorded his lone solo single, "Degeneration Gap," for Warner Bros.; he also recorded an LP of demos for Almo/Irving Publishing and even compiled a songbook, Along Comes Tandyn, including new and possibly never-recorded material including "I Get High," "Sunset Strip Soliloquy," and "Alice Designs." Though Almer was later credited alongside Brian Wilson as a co-writer on a handful of Beach Boys efforts, including "Sail On, Sailor," his most significant contribution to western culture may be the Tandyn Slave-Master, a waterpipe that was described in the headshop classic A Child's Garden of Grass as "the perfect bong." Almer's activities and whereabouts since the early '70s remain a mystery. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi