The Left Banke - Info.txt
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The Left Banke formed in 1965 and consisted of keyboardist/songwriter Michael Brown, guitarist George Cameron, bassist Tom Finn, drummer Warren David and singer Steve Martin, who also used the name Steve Martin Caro. Brown's father, Harry Lookofsky, a well-known session violinist, ran a studio in New York and took an interest in the band's music, acting as producer, manager, and publisher.[5] After some initial recording sessions, David was ousted, with Cameron switching to drums and Jeff Winfield on guitar. Brown's song, "Walk Away Renee", was sold to Smash Records, a subsidiary of Mercury Records, and became a huge hit in late 1966. The band's second single, "Pretty Ballerina", also written by Brown, charted in early 1967, and The Left Banke released an album entitled Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina, by which time, Rick Brand had replaced Winfield on guitar.
Tension between Brown and the rest of the band began to surface, as Brown recorded a single, "Ivy, Ivy" b/w "And Suddenly" as The Left Banke, using session musicians, (including future member of Spinal Tap, Michael McKean) and Bert Sommer on lead vocals. The remaining members of the band hired attorneys to issue a cease and desist order and used their fan club to boycott the record, which led to confusion among radio stations over which "The Left Banke" to support. Radio and Smash Records ultimately pulled their support from the single, which subsequently failed to make the Billboard Hot 100. "And Suddenly" was eventually recorded by a group called The Cherry People and became a minor hit.
In late 1967, the group reunited and recorded more material, including the single "Desiree", which just slipped into the Billboard Hot 100.[citation needed] However, many radio stations were still reluctant to plug The Left Banke after the controversy surrounding their previous single. Brown left the group for good shortly thereafter and was replaced for touring purposes by Emmett Lake. Cameron, Finn and Martin continued to record and tour, with Tom Feher replacing Lake on keyboards and writing half the band's new material. The songs cut by the various incarnations of the group in 1967 and 1968 were assembled into a second LP, The Left Banke Too, which was released in November 1968. This album featured backing vocals by a young Steven Tyler (who later became the lead singer of Aerosmith) on "Nice To See You", "My Friend Today" and "Dark Is The Bark". The band continued playing live in 1969, without Martin, but soon disbanded due to lack of success and money frustrations. Later that same year, Brown and Martin reunited in the studio to cut another single as The Left Banke; "Myrah" b/w "Pedestal", would be their final single for Smash Records.
In 1971, Brown, Cameron, Finn and Martin reunited briefly to record two songs for the movie, Hot Parts. The songs, "Love Songs in the Night" and "Two by Two", were released as a Steve Martin solo single on Buddah Records, despite featuring contributions from four founding members of The Left Banke. In 1972, Producer Les Fradkin offered to produce the group for a project on Bell Records. Although these sessions went unreleased at the time, one of the songs, "I Could Make It Last Forever", composed by Fradkin and Diane Ellis, has recently been released on Fradkin's Goin' Back solo CD in 2006. It was a rare recording since it featured Caro, Finn, Cameron, and Brown, along with Brown's father, violinist Harry Lookofsky. Fradkin sang and played 12-string guitar on the sessions. In 1978, Martin, Cameron and Finn reunited as The Left Banke to record an album's worth of material which unfortunately went unreleased at the time. However, a single from these 1978 sessions, "Queen of Paradise" (b/w "And One Day"), was released in late 1978 to modest success. The album was eventually issued by Relix Records in 1986 under the title Strangers on a Train (Voices Calling in Europe). However, the album did little to restore the popularity of the group.
After leaving The Left Banke in 1967, Michael Brown helped form the band, Montage. Although Brown was never an official member of Montage, his presence is unmistakable in their music. The band released one self-titled album in 1969, which included a re-recording of The Left Banke song "Desiree", before Brown left. Brown's next project was the band Stories, featuring singer Ian Lloyd. The band had a hit in 1973 with "Brother Louie", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. However, Brown had left the group prior to the success of "Brother Louie". Brown's next project was with The Beckies, although the band achieved only modest success and Brown soon left.
In 1992, Mercury Records released a Left Banke compilation titled There's Gonna Be A Storm: The Complete Recordings 1966-1969. The album was intended to bring together the band's entire recorded output from the years 1966 to 1969, although a 1969 outtake titled "Foggy Waterfall", which had previously appeared on two earlier compilations, was not included. The album was deleted soon after its initial release and now commands high prices on used CD websites like Musicstack and eBay.
Between 2001 and 2006, Brown hosted a series of recording sessions at his home studio with Ian Lloyd (vocals), Tom Finn (Bass/vocals), Jim McAllister (guitar), and Jon Ihle (Drums).
In 2005 Alice Cooper put a cover of "Pretty Ballerina" on his album Dirty Diamonds.
Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet, as Sid 'n' Susie covered 'She May Call You Up Tonight' for their first covers album 'Under The Covers Vol. 1".
Original guitarist Jeff Winfield died of complications from pneumonia on June 13, 2009 at age 60. [Wikipedia]
01 - Walk Away Renee
02 - I Haven't Got The Nerve
03 - Pretty Ballerina
04 - She May Call You Up Tonight
05 - I've Got Something On My Mind
06 - Barterers And Their Wives
07 - Let Go Of You Girl
08 - What Do You Know
09 - Evening Gown
10 - Lazy Day
11 - Shadows Breaking Over My Head
12 - Ivy Ivy
13 - Men Are Building Sand
14 - Desiree
15 - Dark Is The Bark
16 - My Friend Today
17 - Sing Little Bird Sing
18 - And Suddenly
19 - Goodbye Holly
20 - In The Morning Light
21 - Bryant Hotel
22 - Give The Man A Hand
23 - Nice To See You
24 - There's Gonna Be A Storm
25 - Pedestal
26 - Myrah
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