Here are just a few ...
When going through my morning prep on Monday morning, I noticed that Emitt Rhodes died. I know that you have been a fan.
The Merry-Go-Round album including the song Live has always been a favorite of mine. Fresh As A Daisy is truly a forgotten hit that should have been a smash.
Phil Nee / WRCO
And from Rock Cellar Magazine …
A brief tribute that also allows you to stream tracks from his final LP:
And the LA Times:
A couple of years before he fully committed to a complete album, Emitt ventured back into the recording studio on a couple of occasions to see what things sounded like.
The only one that was commercially released was his version of The Bee Gees’ #1 Hit “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart,” which came out in both an orchestrated version and solo acoustic version on the “To Love The Bee Gees” album. (kk)
There is also an unreleased single (“Just Me And You”) on Tony Blass’ Vimeo Page: https://vimeo.com/tonyblass
You’ll find more unreleased bits and pieces here on YouTube …
I wonder what motivated this recording attempt, apparently around 1980 … how far it got and why it never got any further. I like a couple of these tracks better than the ones that came out on his 2016 LP. It almost seems like he could have stock-piled tracks over a period of years and STILL have been able to release another four LPs of new material spread out between 1974 and 2016 … did he feel that the material wasn’t good enough? That HE wasn’t good enough? Maybe he didn’t have a mainstream audience … there was never anything better for me than that first Dunhill LP … it just COMPLETELY blew me away … but he certainly had his “cult following” … and how much larger might THAT have grown, had we only had the chance to continue to hear new music from this guy? (kk)
As to the first Dunhill album,, agreed! There’s not a clunker in it. I have the songbook for the fisrt LP, too, which is nice to have. Imports, DJ and store copies of most of his all labels and all groups stuff and the many CDs. A lifetime collecting the same songs over and over for decades.
His life and career could have been so great, had he just been able to do as he wanted with his music.
Clark Besch
LOL … I agree … how many copies of the same material can you have … or do you want … but I bought tons of it, too, just to have SOMETHING new from the guy to listen to … even if it was the same stuff.
I had that songbook as well … never really used it for anything … I learned all of his songs by ear … although he had some pretty cool and intricate stuff going on in the background (none of which would have been in the songbook anyway! Lol) Still, it was cool just to have another picture of the LP cover! (kk)
I’m a big Emitt Rhodes / Merry-Go-Round fan, as are the Ides of March and my son, Colin Peterik.
The early Ides, circa 1967-68, used to open with Live! What a great song. Emitt really had the gift of melody ... an absolutely brilliant songwriter and singer. It’s a shame he never got as big as his enormous talent.
Damn! He should be so, so proud of his work.
His sound will always be Fresh As A Daisy. Shine on, Emitt.
Jimbo
I don't suppose there's any chance you've got a tape of The Ides doing "Live" live, do you??? Man, THAT would make for a GREAT Forgotten Hits Exclusive! (kk)
I don't suppose there's any chance you've got a tape of The Ides doing "Live" live, do you??? Man, THAT would make for a GREAT Forgotten Hits Exclusive! (kk)
It was great to see Emitt at #5 in Omaha at the time.
Clark Besch
LOL ...
I just LOVE seeing DOA by Bloodrock sandwiched in their between The Osmonds and The Jackson Five!!! lol It certainly was a different time in music! (kk)
That was radio back then!
Jp
DOA would reach #1 on my chart. I simply LOVE the song. It's irresistible, like Laurie by Dickie Lee in ‘65.
Clark
>>>OMG, I had forgotten ALL about him doing that God-Awful Gabe Kaplan record!!! I remember thinking at the time “What on EARTH is Emitt thinking, working on a piece of crap like this?!?!” Had TOTALLY forgotten about it .., which is probably just as well! (kk)
I got the Kaplan pic sleeve 45 having never heard it. When I saw Emitt's name on it, I thought "WHY? WHY is this what you have your name on these days?" It actually reached the Hot 100. I also have this forgettable LP Emitt produced:
I tried to get ahold of Gabe Kaplan on Monday and Tuesday without success. (He’s a pretty famous gambler these days.) Would LOVE to know how he and Emitt came to work together. (Maybe HE was a big Emitt Rhodes fan, too!!??!?!) No luck … but if anybody knows how to reach him, please let me know … would still love to hear about it.
I also talked with a guy by the name of Andy Cahan yesterday … I just finished reading his book “The Most Famous Musician You’ve Never Heard Of” (and we’re going to do both an interview and a book give-away in FH) … This guy has crossed paths with EVERYBODY … kind of the Forrest Gump of Rock Music!!! … he was literally EVERYWHERE … and he was telling me that he had the opportunity to jam with Emitt many moons ago. I asked him to please share more of that story with our readers ... and we’re hoping to feature many more of his crazy encounters in our pages to come! (kk)
I met Emitt Rhodes in 1968 in Hollywood, California. I was performing with my good friend Maury Baker, the drummer from ARS Nova, Tim Buckley, Janis Joplin, Judy Collins and Frank Zappa. There was a small studio called Stronghold Studios in the valley where we would always jam and rehearse and record. Maury brought Emitt over one day and we all had an amazing jam. It was a lot of Fusion Jazz going on and I was digging on it and we also rocked so it was a combination of both styles of music. Emitt was a one-of-a-kind wonder. I sure wish I had a recording of that session … it was absolutely amazing!
Andy
Check this photo page from his website:
http://www.allentertainment.net/photos.html
Here is New Zealand's Avengers 45 version of Emitt's classic "Listen Listen"????
Here is New Zealand's Avengers 45 version of Emitt's classic "Listen Listen"????
Clark
In listening to all of Emitt’s stuff this week, I came across this one … it was always one of my favorites and I had actually forgotten all about it. (And I used to sing this one back in the day!)
I always thought it was a clever use of rhyme and story telling … a pretty and catchy melody with a very interesting meter … not your typical pop tune.
Everyone has heard of his passing … but now all should see this video: https://vimeo.com/266426996?fbclid=IwAR3SDcAQ5FAhnnFIXKPlcj-PanlLMjYO6V-6ZOEFeZZXpaASrkidn-KoU0g
David Lewis
Yes, this is the “One Man Beatles” documentary we linked to the other day.
Somebody else mentioned the sadness and awkwardness of that one scene when the filmmaker was trying to get Emitt to join in and play along on one of his old songs … and Emitt feigned ignorance … acting like he didn’t know or remember the song … “Oh yeah, something like that.” It’s that kind of moment that makes me think NOBODY could have reached him. He had buried those memories SO far down deep inside that even HE couldn’t access them anymore.
Think about it … he was just a KID when these albums first came out … 20-23 years old and already had recorded (between his three Dunhill solo LPs, the A&M album that was thrown together to cash in on the success of that first Dunhill album, a Merry-Go-Round album along with a few non-LP singles and all of the material he had recorded with Palace Guard) … a WEALTH of material over a period of just seven years … maybe retreating the way he did was due to early burn-out. Let’s face it, none of this music was really commercially successful … and, if you read the newspaper article shown in the previous post, he was content on making music for HIMSELF. Well, we ALL know that no label is going to allow THAT to happen … they’re in it for the money … and to sue this kid after not promoting his work for not making MORE music … music they didn’t believe they could sell … just seems downright ridiculous (if not extremely mean-spirited!!!)
Truthfully, it’s VERY sad film … and pretty hard to watch if you’ve ever held any affection for Emitt Rhodes in your heart. The damage was insurmountable. In many ways, it feels like a life wasted … and ALL of us were cheated out of his genius in the process. So sad. (kk)
I don't know if anyone wants to see much of the documentary as it is sad for the most part. When it talks of how his mom supported him and was SO happy when he stepped out in front from drums to sing "Michelle" at the Hullabaloo club in LA as a Palace Guard member, that is cool. When the film's creator tries to get Emitt to sing along with one of his 70's tunes, Emitt just kinda pretends like he doesn't know it and gets tears in his eyes when hearing another, yet cannot bring himself to sing it. THAT IS PAIN! So sad for him all these years.
Clark Besch
It is … but the film also provides some insight into the demons that haunted him post-career. I don’t know HOW he survived for the next 40 years. He clearly loved “his mommy and daddy,” as he calls them in the film … and even bought the house across the street from them so that he could stay near them his whole life. Sounds to me like Emitt had some issues that NONE of us will ever fully understand. (kk)
I don’t think he was known well enough in enough circles in order for this to happen … but wouldn’t it be something if Emitt’s fans … and those out there curious enough to try and learn more … afforded Emitt’s music enough streaming and YouTube airplay these next few weeks to see some of this music chart again? Especially the early stuff from his first solo Dunhill album, “The American Dream” and “Mirror” … imagine four or five tracks making The Hot 100 after all this time. (Unfortunately, as we have learned FAR too many times over the past few decades, the biggest surge in an artist’s catalog seems to be when they pass away … by which time it’s too late for them to see or appreciate it … you know, kinda like The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame!!!) But boy, that would be a KILLER way to go out … having Emitt’s music recognized for all that it was … and developing a brand new audience for it in the process. Now THAT would be something. (kk)
More From Clark Besch …
A look at Emitt’s song “She’s A Very Lovely Woman” as performed by Linda Ronstadt in 1971. (#59 Record World, #70 Billboard and #94 Cash Box … another one of those nearly 40-point spreads that make absolutely NO sense at all!)
By the way, the Merry-Go-Round original version, released in 1967, charted at #86 Record World, #94 Billboard and #96 Cash Box. A&M Records had so much faith in the song that they issued it again as an Emitt Rhodes solo track on his “The American Dream” album … but it still never made much of a mark with the public.
Emitt's songs appealed to different genres and genders, too.
One more thing was that women did Emitt's songs, too.
The Bangles talk a lot about their doing "Live" on their first LP and even going to Emitt's house to have him possibly produce their first disc, but found him too depressing.
Meanwhile, I was quite happy when Linda Ronstadt chose to record Emitt's "She's A Very Lovely Woman" with re-worked lyrics as an A side single as both her single and Emitt's "Fresh as a Daisy" worked their way up the charts in January, 1971. As mentioned earlier, in April of 1971, A&M reissued the MGR 45 as by "Emitt Rhodes & the Merry-Go-Round."
Linda's version battles Emitt's new songs: #19 and 29 on WKLO AM Louisville 2-6-1971
Linda had an FM hit, too. KLZ-FM was an awesome station back then. #12, 2-27-1971.
She even reached #17 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart with it on
2-20-1971
And finally, here are The Bangles doing Emitt's Merry-Go-Round hit "Live"!
