🎵 AotW AOTW: Emitt Rhodes THE AMERICAN DREAM (A&M SP 4254)

[LPJim]

The American Dream
Emitt Rhodes
SP 4254

Emitt Rhodes was lead singer of the Merry-Go-Round (SP 4132) and was a successful solo artist with a 1971 single "Fresh as a Daisy" when our favorite label decided to capitalize on this by releasing this album. Some scholars theorize that having two Rhodes solo albums (the other self-titled on ABC Dunhill) out at the same time kept either from charting as high as might have been possible. Who knows?
SP 4254 entered the Billboard Top 200 on 4-17-71, peaked at #194 and fell off the charts after one week. The Dunhill album, released 12-12-70, hit #29 and remained in the Top 200 for 20 weeks.

Side One: Mother Earth 2:29/ Pardon Me 2:46/ Textile Factory 3:05/ Someone Died 2:04/ Come Ride, Come Ride 2:53/ Let's All Sing 2:40.
Side Two: Holly Park 2:59/ You're A Very Lovely Woman* 2:45/ Mary Will You Take My Hand 2:21/ The Man He Was 2:58/ In Days of Old 2:13/ "til the Day After 2:38.
All selections written by Emitt Rhodes/ Published by Thirty-Four Muisc Co. - LaBrea Music ASCAP

*the track "Saturday Night" appears on the alternate version, pictured above right, supposedly because members of Merry-Go-Round objected to "...Woman" being marketed as a "Rhodes" tune when it was actually originally from the the MGR album (SP4132) a few years earlier...

The following site contains both versions' cover art, back covers, track information and plenty of stuff to educate Rhodes-challenged scholars:

CD availabilty: check Melody Blvd periodically; there's a Japan import disc with all tracks, including "Lovely Woman" and "Sat. Night"

www.emittrhodes.net

www.melodyblvd.com

 

[Dave]

Think the Alt. Cover should be entitled: EMMIT RHODES-- "BURGERS 19 CENTS"!

Dave

...Who has NEVER had a hamburger THAT cheap!!...

Gioccho Adesso: Emmitt Rhodes "You're A Very Lovely Woman" AMERICAN DREAM (With Old Cover) A&M SP 4254

"...But I think I'm gonna have to put you down this time... (La, La, La) ...a very lovely woman..."

 

[Mr Bill]

"...But I think I'm gonna have to put you down this time... (La, La, La) ...a very lovely woman..."

It's "turn you down this time..."

--Mr Bill
who wishes he owned the alternate cover so he could READ the 19c burger menu!

 

[W.B.]

Funny . . . from the looks of it, it appears that "alternate" cover was the original design (the top-left "lineup" associated with A&M LP's from 1968-70), and its release appears delayed judging from when it hit the charts. Mind you, it charted after the Carpenters' Close To You LP (more on that later) put Richard and Karen on the map to stay.

As for LaBrea Music: Wasn't that a lesser music publishing subsidiary of Almo/Irving/Rondor, or structured along the lines of Emanay Music, or is it all my imagination? I noticed this LaBrea Music most conspicuously on Lee Michaels' A&M releases.

 

[Mr Bill]

Regarding LaBrea Music, I suspect you are correct. There's been some debate on other forums as to which LP cover came first. Supposedly the former Merry-Go-Rounders objected to A&M including "You're A Very Lovely Woman" on American Dream since it was a MGR tune. It's said that the new cover was used on repressings that substituted "Saturday Night" for "YAVLW." Others say the "YAVLW" version was the second one since A&M figured they could sell more because that tune WAS a minor hit on the west coast a few years earlier for MGR. In any case, I've NEVER seen the "alternate cover" version but plenty of the paint splat version...

--Mr Bill

 

[LPJim]

"'Til the Day After" was a Merry-Go-Round single (# 957) which was not on LP prior to SP 4254.
JB

 

[Dave]

"...But I think I'm gonna have to put you down this time... (La, La, La) ...a very lovely woman..."

It's "turn you down this time..."

--Mr Bill
who wishes he owned the alternate cover so he could READ the 19c burger menu!

Whoops! You're Right!

I have Rhodes' sole A&M as well as his three ABC releases. And of course The Merry Go Round's LIVE/YOU'RE A VERY LOVELY WOMAN A&M SP 4132.
On the ABC's, Rhodes reached a sort of a nadir (though I like "Fresh As A Daisy"). Don't really care much for the "over-indulgent "Made at Home" multi-instrumentalist genius" quality he succumbed to. Sort of a 'Miniaturist Paul McCartney after the Beatles', IMO.

Dave

Gioccho Adesso: The Merry-Go-Round "A Clown's No Good" LIVE/YOU'RE A VERY LOVELY WOMAN A&M SP 4132

 

[Mr Bill]

Just an update to add aotw images (both of them)...

--Mr Bill

 

[lukpac]

Revisiting this:

*the track "Saturday Night" appears on the alternate version, pictured above right, supposedly because members of Merry-Go-Round objected to "...Woman" being marketed as a "Rhodes" tune when it was actually originally from the the MGR album (SP4132) a few years earlier...

Regarding LaBrea Music, I suspect you are correct. There's been some debate on other forums as to which LP cover came first. Supposedly the former Merry-Go-Rounders objected to A&M including "You're A Very Lovely Woman" on American Dream since it was a MGR tune. It's said that the new cover was used on repressings that substituted "Saturday Night" for "YAVLW." Others say the "YAVLW" version was the second one since A&M figured they could sell more because that tune WAS a minor hit on the west coast a few years earlier for MGR. In any case, I've NEVER seen the "alternate cover" version but plenty of the paint splat version...

I'd sure like to know where the "members of the Merry-Go-Round objected" story came from. Not only because it wasn't true (more below), but because it doesn't make sense. That is, two other songs on the album, Come Ride, Come Ride and 'Til The Day After, had been issued as Merry-Go-Round singles. Yes, both tracks were remixed, and yes, 'Til The Day After had a new vocal from Rhodes, but both were the same basic recordings. They would take issue with You're A Very Lovely Woman, but not those songs?




As far as which came first goes, the Rev-Ola Merry-Go-Round CD indicates the original "picture frame" issue was released April, 1970, while the "paint splatter" reissue was released February, 1971. In addition, the master tape box indicates that Saturday Night was moved to the end of the reel. What's odd is how rare the original issue seems to be. I've never seen a copy for sale, there's almost no information about it on the Internet, and I can find no mention of it in Billboard (the first mention I can find is in April 1971 when the reissue started to chart). Discogs didn't have an entry until I just added one the other day. Does anyone have more insight into the first issue?