tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380084716739328494.post4173053950392690525..comments2024-03-28T11:23:41.370+02:00Comments on Plain and Fancy: The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee...Pretty Ballerina (1966-67 us, wondrous psychedelia with baroque colours, Sundazed 2011 remaster)Marioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11521078254326011558noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380084716739328494.post-89463934319187880932018-12-11T22:07:26.503+02:002018-12-11T22:07:26.503+02:00Thanks Marios. I am so happy to find so many hidde...Thanks Marios. I am so happy to find so many hidden treasure here like the Left Banke . In this blog there is so much music of quality and distinction. I appreciate it.joe v berlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17680387078238669537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380084716739328494.post-73129428854149158772016-09-13T05:38:27.776+03:002016-09-13T05:38:27.776+03:00Pass: xaraPass: xaraMarioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11521078254326011558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380084716739328494.post-45237678711330541182016-09-12T21:48:34.653+03:002016-09-12T21:48:34.653+03:00what about the password? thx
what about the password? thx<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06260723207216733238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380084716739328494.post-25322802540592121522015-01-16T10:52:47.356+02:002015-01-16T10:52:47.356+02:00....Renee Ballerina....came........Renee Ballerina....came....Marioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10825394886031470166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380084716739328494.post-17597297781865053112012-11-26T04:03:08.483+02:002012-11-26T04:03:08.483+02:00ha, I hung out with a guy, a very talented poet ac...ha, I hung out with a guy, a very talented poet actually, in NYC who went to high school with "Renee"DanPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16229247640809721650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380084716739328494.post-82175188505667518242012-11-26T03:57:28.099+02:002012-11-26T03:57:28.099+02:00cool, this will be an upgrade for me of some of th...cool, this will be an upgrade for me of some of these tracks! :DDanPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16229247640809721650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380084716739328494.post-38343771637658505382012-11-26T00:30:43.537+02:002012-11-26T00:30:43.537+02:00Sourced from the original stereo tapes, we get the...Sourced from the original stereo tapes, we get the original track orders for this and The Left Banke Too. The CD features new liners and interviews (but when will Sundazed finally give us liners with the vinyl?).<br /><br />The ruffled collars, the Prince Valiant haircuts, the harpsichord... there is really no substitute for the classical-scented rock baroque of the Left Banke, a loose and historically unstable NYC pop group that made its mark in the salad days of 1966-67. Oldies radio has not let us forget their biggest hit "Walk Away Renee," a gentle, affected ballad with a huge chorus, soaring male vocals, and beautiful, ornate production. Follow-up single "Pretty Ballerina" is even stronger, with vocalist Steve Martin's falsetto gliding to dizzying heights. <br /><br />It's not easy to describe the band or their place in history, as their songwriting style was all but unparalleled, even as it struck right in the heart of Brill Building pop chronology. I remember fielding a question from a young fan who'd recently discovered the group's music, asking how many other bands sounded like the Left Banke, and the answer was... not many. You'd have to do some serious digging in the 45 bins to find any groups that made music this moving, yet so precious, that somehow pulled back right at the point where things might've gotten too maudlin or sappy. The Left Banke made fragile, gorgeous pop music that was out of joint with post-British Invasion rock & roll, and the hairier descendants that followed, as well as the hair-helmet professionalism of early '60s pop. Everything about their sound screamed "vulnerability," a characteristic that isn't often associated with hit music or with the longevity of bands that would make it. <br /><br />Sure enough, despite the two radio hits, the band never really gelled as a working, touring unit, and principal songwriter (and keyboardist) Michael Brown left the group after their first LP Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina, and issued a solo single under the band's name. Scandalized, the group pushed on without him on 1968's The Left Banke Too, an even more ambitious effort, with crazy complex arrangements (see the whisper-to-a-scream structures of "Desiree" (actually one of only two tracks on the record with Brown) and "There's Gonna Be a Storm") and a willingness to stretch out purely on longevity alone. Their earlier success would never be matched; the band splintered, and Brown recorded the #1 hit "Brother Louie" with Stories (itself a cover) a few years later. The Left Banke's music has been out of print for quite some time; Sundazed presents two exact reissues of these classic records, back again to enchant. Fans of groups like the Clientele or Belle & Sebastian will recognize the influence of the Left Banke straightaway. They are both wonderful albums for this time or any other. <br /><br />Thx Marios!<br />adamus67https://www.blogger.com/profile/07035959023698485029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380084716739328494.post-89350497133026190322012-11-25T23:19:30.686+02:002012-11-25T23:19:30.686+02:00Beautiful! ThankxBeautiful! ThankxMartahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18080672583679548929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380084716739328494.post-20211794576874577722012-11-25T20:24:03.775+02:002012-11-25T20:24:03.775+02:00Thanks very much, Marios!Thanks very much, Marios!Remyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03079050108692713727noreply@blogger.com