George Cameron may not be a household name, but as a member of The Left Banke, he was part of one of the most unique American bands of the 60's.
Most know the hits "Walk Away Renee" and "Pretty Ballerina," which were both Top 20 singles, peaking at #5 and #15 respectively. The absolute beauty and perfection of those two singles alone would have been enough to seal their status as special. But their 1965 full length debut has no less than another half dozen mini masterpieces, songs that not only pushed the pop envelope, but contained melodies and arrangements that were unheard of from a rock and roll band at the time.
I've always thought replacing the two weakest tracks, "Evening Gown" and "What Do You Know" with "Goodbye Holly" and "Desiree" from the follow-up, "The Left Banke, Too" would have made an album that would have rivaled the greatest albums of that era, but sadly, even with two Top 20 hits, The Left Banke will always be remembered as one-hit wonders.
Safe travels, George. Say hi to Michael.
6 comments:
Sad day, I had heard he wasn't in good health.
That first album is a wonder - a totally original vibe that sounds a bit dated today but at the same time comes across extremely fresh sounding.
Randy
Thank you again for enlightened us. Man, I love and need this 'blog like no one's business. I barely click on the music but often research the artists because if you all post about them, I must be listening. Thanks!
Paul
Sorry to hear this news... they had some magical songs.
I don't recall The Left Banke having much of an impact on this side of the Atlantic, but thanks to blogs like yours I have picked up on their stuff over the years and found it very pleasing on the ears!
Sal, I stumbled upon this a few months ago. Maybe this is known but not by me.
In 1971 Steve Martin issued a single on the Buddah label with again a couple of songs written by Michael Brown.
https://www.discogs.com/Steve-Martin-Two-By-Two-Im-Losing-You/release/6807985
This would be my choice to replace Evening Gown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuUbZiwziI&list=RDfJuUbZiwziI&t=5
Androdad
Yes, Androdad! Great one. There is a Rhino LP, The History Of The Left Banke, which has a half dozen tracks not on the first two LPs, including both Steve Martin tracks and the unreleased "Foggy Waterfall."
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