The Left Banke Too
| The Left Banke Too | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Left Banke | ||||
| Released | November 1968 | |||
| Recorded | 1967-1968 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 31:26 | |||
| Label | Smash | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| The Left Banke chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
The Left Banke Too is the second studio album by the 1960s baroque rock band The Left Banke, released on Smash Records in 1968. It would be the final album of the band's initial lifespan, with their next album not appearing until 1986.
Background
In between the release of The Left Banke's debut album Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina and the making of this album, the original five-piece band had been whittled down to a trio after the departures of songwriter and keyboardist Michael Brown and guitarist Rick Brand.[2] To replace them, the band brought in guitarist Tom Feher, who had written songs with Brown for the group's first album.
Half of The Left Banke, Too consisted of tracks that had been issued as singles in the period since the release of the band's debut album in February 1967. "Desirée", released as a single in June 1967, barely scraped into the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 98. The band's next two singles, "Dark is the Bark", released in the summer of 1968, and "Goodbye Holly" following in November 1968, both failed to chart. Following the release of the album in November 1968, a fourth and fifth single were issued, "Bryant Hotel" b/w "Give The Man A Hand" and "Nice To See You" b/w "There's Gonna Be A Storm" respectively, but they also failed to chart.
A pre-Aerosmith Steven Tyler, then known as Steve Tallarico, contributed backing vocals to several songs on the album including ‘My Friend Today’ and ‘Dark is the Bark’.[3]
The entire album was at one time available on the 1992 compact disc There's Gonna Be a Storm: The Complete Recordings 1966–1969, but that compilation went out of print in the mid-1990s. On June 28, 2011, The Left Banke, Too was reissued on Sundazed Records, remastered by Bob Irwin.
Track listing
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Goodbye Holly" (Smash single 2198) | Tom Feher | 2:56 |
| 2. | "There's Gonna Be a Storm" (Smash single 2226b) | Tom Finn | 4:16 |
| 3. | "Sing Little Bird Sing" (Smash single 2198b) | Tom Feher | 3:09 |
| 4. | "Nice to See You" (Smash single 2226) | Tom Finn | 2:41 |
| 5. | "Give the Man a Hand" (Smash single 2209b) | Marvin Potocki | 2:33 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bryant Hotel" (Smash single 2209) | Tom Feher | 3:24 |
| 2. | "Desirée" (Smash single 2119) | Michael Brown, Tom Feher | 2:42 |
| 3. | "Dark is the Bark" (Smash single 2165) | George Cameron, Finn, Steve Martin Caro | 3:28 |
| 4. | "In the Morning Light" | Michael Brown, Tom Feher | 2:50 |
| 5. | "My Friend Today" (Smash single 2165b) | Tom Finn | 3:03 |
Personnel
- Steve Martin Caro — lead vocals; drums (on "Goodbye Holly"), tambourine (on "Nice To See You"), bass (on "Bryant Hotel")
- Tom Finn — bass, guitar, backing vocals; lead vocals (on "Nice to See You" & "There's Gonna Be A Storm")
- George Cameron — drums, percussion, backing vocals; lead vocals (on "Goodbye Holly" and "Bryant Hotel")
- Tom Feher — piano; guitar (on "Sing Little Bird" & "Bryant Hotel")
- Michael Brown — piano, organ (on "Desirée" & "In The Morning Light")
Additional personnel
- Steve Tallarico — backing vocals (on "Nice to See You", "Give the Man a Hand", "Dark is the Bark" & "My Friend Today"), tambourine ("Dark is the Bark")
- Paul Griffin — keyboards (on "Dark is the Bark")
- Paul Leka — string arrangements; piano (on "Bryant Hotel")
- Rick Brand — banjo (on "Bryant Hotel")
- Hugh McCracken — guitar (on "Desirée" & "Dark is the Bark")
- Ralph Casale — guitar (on "Dark is the Bark")
- Marvin Potocki — guitar (on "Give the Man a Hand")
- Chet Amsterdam — bass (on "Dark is the Bark")
- Joe Mack — bass (on "Desirée")
- Bobby Gregg — drums (on "Desirée")
- Artie Schroek — vibraphone, drums, string arrangements (on "Dark is the Bark")
- John Abbott — horn arrangements (on "In the Morning Light")
- Ray Alonge — french horn (on "Dark is the Bark")
- Ray Desio — trombone (on "Dark is the Bark")
- Marvin Stamm — trumpet (on "Dark is the Bark")
- George Young — woodwinds (on "Dark is the Bark")
Chart positions
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "Desiree" | Billboard Hot 100 | 98 |
References
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-left-banke-too-mw0000843613
- ↑ "Biography of The Left Banke". The Left Banke Fan Page. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ↑ "Left Banke Interview Part 2". Retrieved 2011-11-14.