EMITT RHODES – Emitt Rhodes – (Dunhill) – 1970

what Frank is listening to #195 – EMITT RHODES – Emitt Rhodes – (Dunhill) – 1970

Faaark.

There's a crow outside.

I knew Rhodes as I have a couple of his albums plus the "Merry Go Round" album. Though they are all in the "pile" so remain unlistened to.

Today I won't buy into the John Lennon vs Paul McCartney argument given they both had strengths and weaknesses as their Beatles and patchy solo work proves.

Who was more influential on the music listening public? I don't want to guess. Suffice it to say that despite his ballads Lennon was probably more of a 50s Elvis type rocker at heart. McCartney, despite his rock songs, was more on a mid-tempo pop or ballad rocker in the Buddy Holly or 60s Elvis guise. There is nothing wrong with either of these positions.

But why this discussion.

Well, Emitt Rhodes could very well be Paul McCartney's musical offspring.

Is there anything wrong with that?

No, definitely not.

There have been countless McCartney imitators and followers with only a fraction of his talent. Most of those followed in his 1970s wake. Interestingly, Rhodes released this album in 1970, the same year as McCartney's first solo LP "McCartney". It is clear that he was channelling McCartney of the Beatles and adding a bit of sunshine pop and his own personality in the mix. I quite like (like a lot) Paul's "McCartney" album but this Rhodes album sounds more like McCartney than McCartney (Paul didn't hit his stride till "Ram" from 1971). This indicates to me that despite the fact that Paul was his inspiration Rhodes was spring boarding him on the pop path they were on.

I'm not saying he is better but he certainly was taking the sounds to the next level independent of McCartney, despite the fact, as I have said, that McCartney was the main driving force of those sounds. This album, then, is late sunshine pop with an emphasis on the "pop" at the pre-dawn of the US powerpop era.

bio by allmusic: Hawthorne, CA, native Emitt Rhodes made his first mark in the music world in 1967 as the leader of the baroque pop band the Merry-Go-Round. The band achieved some marginal success with the Rhodes-penned "Live" and "You're a Very Lovely Woman," recording one album of Magical Mystery Tour-inspired pop. When the band broke up in 1969, Rhodes set up a home studio in his parents' garage and began his solo career, engineering and playing all instruments himself. The strength of his initial demos, now showing a strong Paul McCartney influence, helped him get signed to ABC/Dunhill… By the time of the third album, 1973's Farewell to Paradise, Rhodes was running into legal problems with ABC, since he was unable to fulfil his contract, which demanded he deliver a new album every six months. Disillusioned, he retired from the performing side of the business, working instead as an engineer and studio operator for Elektra/Asylum. Though he never released an album since Farewell to Paradise, he continued to write and demo new songs.

As stated above Rhodes wrote all the tracks, played all the instruments, and co-produced this album which was recorded in his parents garage when he was 20 years old. Faark. Look if this was silly singer-songwriter clap trap recorded in lo-fi with one guitar or some dickhead on his casio that "faark" earlier wouldn't be necessary. But the song writing is assured and despite the fact the recording might have been a little "glossier" if recorded in the studio this is pretty much amazing stuff. There are moments pop mastery that would have made Paul do a double take …and there are also shades of Brian Wilson (co–incidently that other Hawthorne, California native).

Rhodes is not as good as Paul at his best but then few are …. but Rhodes gives it a fair go.

Tracks (best in italics)

With My Face On The Floor – faark. How good is this track. Love the piano and bass.
Somebody Made For Me – this track also
She's Such A Beauty – ditto
Long Time No See – yup
Lullabye – just what the title says ….beautiful ….the chicks would have liked this
Fresh As A Daisy – the single ….and a corker
Live Till You Die – another catchy one
Promises I've Made – did I say this guy sounds like Paul McCartney?
You Take The Dark Out Of The Night – yup
You Should Be Ashamed – really catchy.
Ever Find Yourself Running – maybe a touch of Lennon on this one …. how's that for diversity.
You Must Have – OK this is getting a little silly

There is very little song comment above as it was almost pointless dividing the tracks up as the McCartney comparison would come up in each song. Hard core Beatles fans could draw links between the songs and any numbers of Beatles tracks. Suffice it to say the lyrics are all of the romantic / lost love / yearning love type (as you would expect from power-pop and sunshine pop) and the sound on some songs have a slight (not surprisingly and quite charmingly) demo quality to them. OK the album is a little samey and a little derivative with the second side not as solid as the first …. McCartney would have thrown something from left field in. But you have to cut this kid some slack because he does have his own voice and his own musical vision.

And…

If you can get over the fact that this is not McCartney then you may think this is great. I can, and I do. A lost minor gem. I'm keeping this.

Rhodes put out four solo albums and I think I have most of them, so I may have to move them to the top (close to the top) of the pile.

Chart Action

US
Singles
Fresh As A Daisy #54, 1971

Albums

#29, 1971

England
Singles
Album

nuttin

Sounds

With My Face On The Floor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4TIK9K06CQ