Genre: real people
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: Pot of Gold
Company: Scyne
Country/State: Boston, Massachusetts
Catalog: VPAG3625
Year: 1984
Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+
Comments: still in shrink wrap
Available: 1
GEMM Catalog ID: not yet listed
Price: $50.00
Every city has it's share of eccentrics, but Boston seems to have a disproportionate number of them. Among the active duty element, Mr. J.D. Brennan. By the mid 1980s Brennan was already in his mid 50s when he decided that his calling was to become a rock star. Gathering up a collection of similarly self-delusional musical misfits, as J.D. Brennan and Gold Fever, they began playing the local Boston club circuit. With no chance of ever scoring a recording contract, Brennan also found the energy to form his own Scyne Record label, releasing a series of isolated singles and a couple of LPs throughout the mid and late 1980s. As far as I can tell, these vanity projects never saw more than 200 - 300 copies pressed.
1984's self-produced "Pot of Gold" (the LP was reportedly recorded in Brennan's basement), is an odd collection of mostly 1950s covers, rounded out by four period sounding originals and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's 'Pink Cadillac'. Rather than try to describe the album, here's what the back cover liner notes say: ""Pot of Gold" is a collection of some of our favorites tunes that we have played and liked over the years. Early artists like Elvis Presley, Jimmy Reed, Conway Twitty, Gene Vincent, The Big Bopper, Val Donner, Jody Reynolds, and Rochelle and the Candles influenced out style as well as that of perhaps Bruce Springsteen, whose "Pink Cadillac" has a definite fifties ring to it. We hope to flash to the past and our own tunes, "Ninety Pound Weakling", "See Me Tonight" and "Gold Fever Rock" will let you know without a doubt: "Chantilly Lace" is here to stay." Gawd only knows how the collaboration came to pass, but Grammy winning guitarist Luther Johnson provides a nifty solo on 'Be Bop a Lula'. Having listened to this set a dozen times, I can't decide whether Brennan's simply goofin' around (especially on tracks such as 'Is It So Strange' and 'It's Only Make Believe' when he kicked into his pseudo-Elvis vocal mode), or if he was deadly serious ... Definitely different and should appeal to real people aficionados even if it's a little outside of the typical timeframe !
"Pot of Gold" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Chantilly Lace (Richardson) - 2:00
2.) Girl of My Best Friend (Russ - Bobeck) - 3:20
3.) Once Upon a Time (Wyatt) - 4:25
4.) Baby Let's Play House (Gunter) - 3:15
5.) Be Bop a Lula (Davis) - 2:57
6.) Is It So Strange (Young) - 2:25
7.) Gold Fever Rock (instrumental) (arranged by J.D. Brennan) - 1:50
(side 2)
1.) Pink Cadillac (Bruce Springsteen) - 2:35
2.) It's Only Make Believe (Conway Twitty - Nance) - 2:22
3.) Baby What Do You Want Me To Do (Jimmy Reed) - 3:18
4.) Ninety Pound Weakling (J.D. Brennan) - 2:44
5.) See Me Tonight (J.D. Brennan) - 2:17
6.) Young and Beautiful (Silver - Schroeder) - 2:17
7.) Endless Sleep (Jody Reynolds) - 3:05