Genre: pop
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: The Beckies
Company: Sire
Catalog: SASD-7519
Year: 1976
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: minor ring wear; top right cut corner; original lyric inner sleeve
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4567
Price: $20.00
Cost: $
Songwriter/keyboardist Michael Brown established his credentials with such
luminaries as The
Left Banke, Montage and The Stories (see separate entries). Frustrated with
The Stories' musical direction and lack of widespread success, Brown quit
in 1973. Following a two year hiatus he reappeared with The Beckies; singer
Scott Trusty, former Chessmann Square drummer Gary Hodgden and guitarist
Mayo James McAllister rounding out the line-up.
Signed by Sire, 1976's cleverly-titled "The Beckies"
featured a thoroughly entertaining collection of power-pop. Exemplified by
material such as 'Ride By My Side (Etude)', 'Midnight and
You' and 'River Bayou' the set underscored Brown's knack for
penning catchy, commercial melodies. Tracks such as 'Other Side of Town'
and 'Can't Be Alone' stood as the kind of radio-ready stuff that bands such
as Eric Carmen and The Raspberries could only dream about crafting. On
the other hand, if you were looking for a set of Left Banke-styled Baroque
rock, this probably came as a disappointment. Among the few complaints,
some of the ballads were a bit on the fey side ('River Bayou' and ' On the Morning That She Came')
and neither
Hodgden nor Trusty were particularly inspired singers (in case anyone cared, Hodgden was
probably the better of the two). The album attracted strong reviews from critics, but in
an era of disco madness tight commercial pop simply wasn't what the buying
audience wanted to hear. Sire also tapped 'River Bayou' b/w
'Song Called Love' (Sire catalog number SAA-726)
as a single. Both the album and the single vanished without a trace. The band quickly
followed suit, as has Brown who's effectively dropped out of the music scene
over the ensuring three decades.
"The Beckies" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Ride By My Side (Etude) (Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 3:05
2.) River Bayou (Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 3:04
3.) Midnight and You (Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 3:17
4.) Fran (Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 2:52
5.) Other Side of Town (Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 2:58
6.) Song Called Love (Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 3:04
(side 2)
2.) Can't Be Alone
(Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 2:45
3.) River Song (Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 3:00
4.) On the Morning That She Came (Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 2:55
5.) One of These Days (Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 2:23
6.) Run Jenny Run (Michael Brown - Gary Hodgden) - 2:51