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| Emitt Rhodes / Emitt Rhodes | ||
| Artist: EMITT RHODES Title: EMITT RHODES Date: 1970 (recording) Release: Dunhill #50089 |
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| One of the great mysteries in pop music remains how, given two hypothetical artists of equal talent, one can prosper while the other fails dismally. For every rich rock star convinced that "talent will tell out" is an absolute truism, there's another poor one banging his head against the wall complaining about his incredible bad luck. It's a common scenario, brought up here only to illustrate that album and singles charts can only tell one side of the story. Whether Emitt Rhodes (b. 1949) was ever the sort of artist inclined to head-banging is another mystery. But one thing's for sure: in the six-year span of 1967 to 1973, he mad some of the best pop records that nobody ever heard. Actually, enough people heard Rhodes's first two records to make them Number One in Los Angeles during the very eventful music year of 1967. A 17-year old from the L.A. suburb of Hawthorne, Rhodes had formed a group in his garage called the Merry-Go-Round. After recording a few demos, the quartet was signed to A&M, who quickly released their first single, "Live," and watched it explode...at least locally. Sounding much like the Beatles-and who better at the time?-the single was melodically sophisticated, filled with gorgeous harmonies, and oozing with promise. Nationally, however, that promise only extended to number 63 on the singles chart. Equally as popular in L.A. was the second single, ?"ou're A Very Lovely Woman," not as immediately catchy as "Live" but even more elegant melodically. It sputtered on the charts for three weeks and peaked at number 94. Two months later, when A&M released the Merry-Go-Round's only album, it too escaped national notice, holding a chart position for a meager two weeks. Why did the album flop? Surely not for lack of talent. Rhodes, who wrote nearly all of the material, could sing like Paul McCartney or John Lennon at will, and often did; yet he was more than a slavish Beatle imitator. It was recognized early on by England's distinguished Fairport Convention, whose cover of the Merry-Go-Round's "Time WIll Show The Wiser" actually opened their 1968 debut album, otherwise filled with original material (by members Richard Thompson and Ian Matthews, no less) and songs by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. It was likewise recognized by the Bangles 16 years later, when they chose to cover Rhodes's "Live" on their debut album. And it was very likely recognized by Rhodes himself-who, when his group collapsed amid much bickering while working on a second album, decided to become his own band. In 1969, Emitt Rhodes bought himself an Ampex four-track recorder and became one of the very first one-man bands in pop. Already fascinated with recording studio technology, and a capable multi-instrumentalist, Rhodes spend the remander of his music career making beautiful music with himself. He recorded his first album, Emitt Rhodes, sold it to Dunhill Records in 1970 for only $5,000, and, remarkably, watched it soar into the top 30. It's single, "Fresh As A Daisy," received significant airplay and at number 54 became the highest-charting single Rhodes had ever made. Seeing that success, A&M-as record companies typically do-soon issued their own new Emitt Rhodes album, American Dream, that comprised unreleased tracks Rhodes and his former band had recorded between 1967 and '68. Oddly enough, it was very good indeed. Building a full-fledged recording studio in his Hawthrone garage, Emitte Rhodes then made two more albums--Mirror (1971) and the especially elequent Farewell To Paradise (1973). Neither fared as well as his first, however, and after Paradise, for whatever reason, he simply stopped making records. Why didn't Emitt Rhodes become a household name? Maybe because he might've actually needed a band. Maybe because a one-mand studio band couldn't readily go onstage and win new fans. Maybe because the insular environment win which he deliberately placed himself didn't allow the kind of helpful feedback many artists acutely need. Maybe becuae his record company did a lousy job of promoting his records. And, of course, maybe because he just had bad luck. But when anyone hears an Emitt Rhodes record for the first time, count on it: it's a sure bet they won't be able to figure it out, either.  Buy or Hear It Now... Tracks: 1. With My Face on the Floor 2. Somebody Made for Me 3. She's Such a Beauty 4. Long Time No See 5. Lullabye 6. Fresh as a Daisy 7. Live Till You Die 8. Promises I've Made 9. You Take the Dark Out of the Night 10. You Should Be Ashamed 11. Ever Find Yourself Running 12. You Must Have Players: |
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