ALAN MERRILL
''RIVE GAUCHE''
2007
20:39
1/Walk Away Renee/2:41
2/Pretty Ballerina/2:49
3/Desiree/2:55
4/Sing Little Bird Sing/3:22
5/You/3:25
6/Only 19/2:39
7/Pretty Ballerina/2:48
Sandy Gennaro /Drums, Percussion
Tommy Mandel /Keyboards
Alan Merrill /Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Guitar (Bass), Vocals
REVIEW
by Dave Thompson
Just seven songs long, and that's including both two bonus tracks and one "hyper-bonus" cut, Rive Gauche is one of the most unexpected treasures in Alan Merrill's entire catalog, a tribute to the pop supreme of the Left Banke. Merrill was briefly a member of the band in spring 1968, replacing guitarist Rick Brand; sadly, his arrival more or less coincided with the group's decision to become a vocal trio alone, and he departed before the band ever embarked upon its hitmaking career. But his affection for what might have been chimes through this set regardless. Of course, "Walk Away Renee" opens the show, and does so with such period passion that, just for a moment, you're back in the 1960s yourself, listening to a cheap transistor radio and singing along with one of the most haunting choruses ever committed to vinyl. Historically, the Left Banke never recaptured those peaks again; Rive Gauche, however, doesn't allow precedent to put it off its stride, as "Pretty Ballerina," "Sing Little Bird Sing," and a yearningly lovely "Desiree" complete the main attraction, the latter sounding almost Beach Boys-ish in its grasp of melody and mood. The sorrowful orchestration of "You" opens the bonus tracks, to be followed by Merrill's own "Only 19"; the set ends with an instrumental reprise of "Pretty Ballerina" that allows the listener to appreciate just what a marvel Merrill's arrangements are.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Leggett
Alan Merrill has had a long and varied career as a pop musician on three continents. Born Allan Sachs, the son of singer Helen Merrill and horn man Aaron Sachs, singer, guitarist, bassist, and songwriter Merrill played in several bands in Greenwich Village as a teen before moving to Japan, where, as a member of the group the Lead, he signed a recording deal with RCA Victor Tokyo in 1968. The Lead had one big hit in Japan, "Aoi Bara," before breaking up, leaving Merrill as a solo act. He recorded two albums in 1970 and 1971, Merrill 1 and Alone in Tokyo, becoming a huge star in Japan's domestic market, working as a TV host and soap opera actor as well as recording music. Tired of being viewed as a "teen idol," Merrill formed the glam rock group Vodka Collins with drummer Horoshi Oguchi, recording the enduring Tokyo-New York album for EMI Records, which spawned three hit singles, including a beautiful Merrill composition, "Sands of Time." Merrill left Vodka Collins to form the Arrows in the U.K. in 1974. Among the groups' hits was the first version of "I Love Rock N Roll," later an even larger smash for Joan Jett. Merrill continued his television appearances in Britain, hosting a weekly series called The Arrows Show. When punk hit, the Arrows broke up, and Merrill formed the band Runner, recording the self-titled Runner for Island Records in 1978 before returning to the States, where he joined Rick Derringer's band. He released a solo album on Polydor in 1985, then joined Meat Loaf's band for a pair of albums. He had a recurring part in the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown, and began working with producer Jon Tiven in the Jon Tiven Group. Demand for a Vodka Collins reunion brought him back to Japan for three reunion albums by the band in the late 1990s. In 2002 Merrill released a 22-song solo project called Cupid Deranged, which was in essence a career retrospective. A holiday album, A Merrilly Christmas appeared that same year. A double-album tribute to songwriters Arthur Alexander and Otis Blackwell, Double Shot Rocks, saw release in 2003, followed by another solo project, Aleecat, in 2004.
DoWnLoAd
''RIVE GAUCHE''
2007
20:39
1/Walk Away Renee/2:41
2/Pretty Ballerina/2:49
3/Desiree/2:55
4/Sing Little Bird Sing/3:22
5/You/3:25
6/Only 19/2:39
7/Pretty Ballerina/2:48
Sandy Gennaro /Drums, Percussion
Tommy Mandel /Keyboards
Alan Merrill /Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Guitar (Bass), Vocals
REVIEW
by Dave Thompson
Just seven songs long, and that's including both two bonus tracks and one "hyper-bonus" cut, Rive Gauche is one of the most unexpected treasures in Alan Merrill's entire catalog, a tribute to the pop supreme of the Left Banke. Merrill was briefly a member of the band in spring 1968, replacing guitarist Rick Brand; sadly, his arrival more or less coincided with the group's decision to become a vocal trio alone, and he departed before the band ever embarked upon its hitmaking career. But his affection for what might have been chimes through this set regardless. Of course, "Walk Away Renee" opens the show, and does so with such period passion that, just for a moment, you're back in the 1960s yourself, listening to a cheap transistor radio and singing along with one of the most haunting choruses ever committed to vinyl. Historically, the Left Banke never recaptured those peaks again; Rive Gauche, however, doesn't allow precedent to put it off its stride, as "Pretty Ballerina," "Sing Little Bird Sing," and a yearningly lovely "Desiree" complete the main attraction, the latter sounding almost Beach Boys-ish in its grasp of melody and mood. The sorrowful orchestration of "You" opens the bonus tracks, to be followed by Merrill's own "Only 19"; the set ends with an instrumental reprise of "Pretty Ballerina" that allows the listener to appreciate just what a marvel Merrill's arrangements are.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Leggett
Alan Merrill has had a long and varied career as a pop musician on three continents. Born Allan Sachs, the son of singer Helen Merrill and horn man Aaron Sachs, singer, guitarist, bassist, and songwriter Merrill played in several bands in Greenwich Village as a teen before moving to Japan, where, as a member of the group the Lead, he signed a recording deal with RCA Victor Tokyo in 1968. The Lead had one big hit in Japan, "Aoi Bara," before breaking up, leaving Merrill as a solo act. He recorded two albums in 1970 and 1971, Merrill 1 and Alone in Tokyo, becoming a huge star in Japan's domestic market, working as a TV host and soap opera actor as well as recording music. Tired of being viewed as a "teen idol," Merrill formed the glam rock group Vodka Collins with drummer Horoshi Oguchi, recording the enduring Tokyo-New York album for EMI Records, which spawned three hit singles, including a beautiful Merrill composition, "Sands of Time." Merrill left Vodka Collins to form the Arrows in the U.K. in 1974. Among the groups' hits was the first version of "I Love Rock N Roll," later an even larger smash for Joan Jett. Merrill continued his television appearances in Britain, hosting a weekly series called The Arrows Show. When punk hit, the Arrows broke up, and Merrill formed the band Runner, recording the self-titled Runner for Island Records in 1978 before returning to the States, where he joined Rick Derringer's band. He released a solo album on Polydor in 1985, then joined Meat Loaf's band for a pair of albums. He had a recurring part in the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown, and began working with producer Jon Tiven in the Jon Tiven Group. Demand for a Vodka Collins reunion brought him back to Japan for three reunion albums by the band in the late 1990s. In 2002 Merrill released a 22-song solo project called Cupid Deranged, which was in essence a career retrospective. A holiday album, A Merrilly Christmas appeared that same year. A double-album tribute to songwriters Arthur Alexander and Otis Blackwell, Double Shot Rocks, saw release in 2003, followed by another solo project, Aleecat, in 2004.
DoWnLoAd
