STORIES
''STORIES''
1972
35:54
1/Hello People
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:54
2/I'm Coming Home
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/2:38
3/Winter Scenes
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/4:18
4/Step Back
Michael Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:20
5/You Told Me
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:06
6/Saint James
Ian Lloyd/4:30
7/Kathleen
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:14
8/Take Cover
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:01
9/Nice to Have You Here
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:25
10/High and Low
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/4:28
Michael Brown /Harpsichord, Keyboards, Moog Synthesizer, Organ, Piano, Synthesizer
Peter Buonconsigilio /Violin
Peter Hoffman /Guitar
Ian Lloyd /Vocals
Harry Lookofsky /Violin
Steve Lowe /Bass, Vocal Harmony
Bryan Madey /Drums, Percussion
Larry Wilcox /Arranger, String Arrangements, Strings
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stories was always an odd creature, bearing echoes of Michael Brown's delicate work with Left Banke, a more mainstream McCartneyesque pop also reminiscent of a sweeter Raspberries and, thanks to Ian Lloyd's light rasp, hints of Rod Stewart. That hoarse soulfulness served Lloyd well on the band's only hit "Brother Louie" -- which appeared on their second album, About Us -- but he was never a true blue-eyed soul vocalist, and not just because Stories didn't often delve into blues-rock: his touch was too light, his voice too high and thin to dig deep into R&B. He was stuck between two sounds, between precious pop and soulful rock, which was completely appropriate for Brown's artful pop writing. Brown's songs for Stories weren't immediate, they were elliptical and gentle, just melodic enough to hint that these tunes are hookier than they are, having just enough structure to suggest big pop arrangements that never quite materialize, at least on their debut Stories. The touchstone for Stories is quite plainly Paul McCartney, as this is music that places the melody at the forefront; it's proudly precious and willfully whimsical, music crying out for listeners with a sweet tooth. Here, Stories make Badfinger seem like muscular macho men, as their hardest-rocking song "Take Cover" -- with its big, cascading chorus, it's a tune that could have slipped onto No Dice -- almost perversely avoids power chords. Then again, "Take Cover," while it does point the way to About Us, is atypical on Stories, as it's built upon Baroque ballads and lovely, lilting midtempo pop, signatures of Michael Brown from the days of Left Banke. While it's interesting to hear Brown navigate the valleys of modern rock production here, Stories could have used more definition in its arrangements, more power in its production, to really grab listeners. As it stands, it's ideal music for cultists: music that requires a bit of work, but not too much, to truly appreciate, and it does pay back the effort it demands.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Though originally helmed by onetime Left Banke mastermind Michael Brown, Stories ironically scored their lone hit, the 1973 chart-topper "Brother Louie," following Brown's exit from the lineup. After leaving Left Banke in 1967, Brown -- the keyboardist who composed the group's classic "Walk Away, Renee" and "Pretty Ballerina" -- cut a 1969 LP with the band Montage which closely recalled the pioneering baroque pop approach of his previous work; he then formed Stories with vocalist Ian Lloyd, guitarist Steve Love, and drummer Bryan Madey. Following the group's self-titled 1972 Kama Sutra label debut, the mercurial Brown abruptly resigned, at which point the remaining Stories recruited bassist Kenny Aaronson and pianist Ken Bichel to record 1973's About Us. "Brother Louie," a tale of interracial romance penned by Hot Chocolate's Errol Brown, hit number one that summer, but Stories never again returned to the Top 40. Brown, meanwhile, resurfaced in 1976, leading the short-lived Beckies before spending the following decades out of the limelight.
DoWnLoAd
''STORIES''
1972
35:54
1/Hello People
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:54
2/I'm Coming Home
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/2:38
3/Winter Scenes
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/4:18
4/Step Back
Michael Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:20
5/You Told Me
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:06
6/Saint James
Ian Lloyd/4:30
7/Kathleen
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:14
8/Take Cover
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:01
9/Nice to Have You Here
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/3:25
10/High and Low
Erroll Brown / Ian Lloyd/4:28
Michael Brown /Harpsichord, Keyboards, Moog Synthesizer, Organ, Piano, Synthesizer
Peter Buonconsigilio /Violin
Peter Hoffman /Guitar
Ian Lloyd /Vocals
Harry Lookofsky /Violin
Steve Lowe /Bass, Vocal Harmony
Bryan Madey /Drums, Percussion
Larry Wilcox /Arranger, String Arrangements, Strings
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stories was always an odd creature, bearing echoes of Michael Brown's delicate work with Left Banke, a more mainstream McCartneyesque pop also reminiscent of a sweeter Raspberries and, thanks to Ian Lloyd's light rasp, hints of Rod Stewart. That hoarse soulfulness served Lloyd well on the band's only hit "Brother Louie" -- which appeared on their second album, About Us -- but he was never a true blue-eyed soul vocalist, and not just because Stories didn't often delve into blues-rock: his touch was too light, his voice too high and thin to dig deep into R&B. He was stuck between two sounds, between precious pop and soulful rock, which was completely appropriate for Brown's artful pop writing. Brown's songs for Stories weren't immediate, they were elliptical and gentle, just melodic enough to hint that these tunes are hookier than they are, having just enough structure to suggest big pop arrangements that never quite materialize, at least on their debut Stories. The touchstone for Stories is quite plainly Paul McCartney, as this is music that places the melody at the forefront; it's proudly precious and willfully whimsical, music crying out for listeners with a sweet tooth. Here, Stories make Badfinger seem like muscular macho men, as their hardest-rocking song "Take Cover" -- with its big, cascading chorus, it's a tune that could have slipped onto No Dice -- almost perversely avoids power chords. Then again, "Take Cover," while it does point the way to About Us, is atypical on Stories, as it's built upon Baroque ballads and lovely, lilting midtempo pop, signatures of Michael Brown from the days of Left Banke. While it's interesting to hear Brown navigate the valleys of modern rock production here, Stories could have used more definition in its arrangements, more power in its production, to really grab listeners. As it stands, it's ideal music for cultists: music that requires a bit of work, but not too much, to truly appreciate, and it does pay back the effort it demands.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Though originally helmed by onetime Left Banke mastermind Michael Brown, Stories ironically scored their lone hit, the 1973 chart-topper "Brother Louie," following Brown's exit from the lineup. After leaving Left Banke in 1967, Brown -- the keyboardist who composed the group's classic "Walk Away, Renee" and "Pretty Ballerina" -- cut a 1969 LP with the band Montage which closely recalled the pioneering baroque pop approach of his previous work; he then formed Stories with vocalist Ian Lloyd, guitarist Steve Love, and drummer Bryan Madey. Following the group's self-titled 1972 Kama Sutra label debut, the mercurial Brown abruptly resigned, at which point the remaining Stories recruited bassist Kenny Aaronson and pianist Ken Bichel to record 1973's About Us. "Brother Louie," a tale of interracial romance penned by Hot Chocolate's Errol Brown, hit number one that summer, but Stories never again returned to the Top 40. Brown, meanwhile, resurfaced in 1976, leading the short-lived Beckies before spending the following decades out of the limelight.
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