Emitt Rhodes' story is a sad one.
Emitt Rhodes was ready, willing and able, and that one Merry-Go-Round record remains a cult favorite for a reason. It was pop perfection. It helped to follow it up with a solo album that critics compared to McCartney right when Sir Paul was trying the one man band thing himself.
Long story short, Emitt Rhodes got fucked and he gave up. There's a lot more to the story and if you are interested, I highly recommend the documentary, "The One Man Beatles," which you can watch HERE.
But, if you just want the music, there's plenty of it. It's not just the Merry-Go-Round record, which is a true lost classic that will come with me when I die. Or the self-titled debut, which is absolutely deserving of the accolades. There are b-sides that rival any a-side, like "She Laughed Loud." Or, the MGR leftovers found on "The American Dream," which for me, plays even better than the critically acclaimed debut. And "Mirrors," a cut out bin perrenial, so undeserving of its fate.
Chris Price, singer-songwriter and producer, did all he could for an Emitt comeback. The result, "Rainbow Ends," was a wonderful step in the right direction.
Listen to some Emitt Rhodes. I'll give you a head start.
Rest In Peace, Emitt. Peace.
16 comments:
Damn, I'm so sorry to hear this. He really was a treasure. I particularly love "Bubblegum The Blues/I'm A Cruiser" from Mirror and "Someone Else" from the comeback album, but so much of his stuff is great. Always hoped he'd be able to do a tour and I'd get to see him perform live. RIP.
I loved his music, too. R.I.P. - Stinky
I am saddened by this.
What a moving post. Of course, I am a fan. I watched the documentary with family and showed them Michael Penn's 'No Myth' which was also a great tune.
Thanks for letting us know, for the vids you included and the link for the documentary. All nicely done.
Rest in peace, Emitt, thank you for your music. God bless you.
What a sad way to start the week.
I've been familiar with Emitt's music for several years now, but just began to really explore his catalog following the release of Rainbow Ends. It's obvious how well respected he was by the stellar lineup of musicians on that album.
Yes, I'll be listening to Emitt today...and tomorrow...and...
Randy
Thanks for the link to the documentary. Didn't;t know about it and really looking forward to listening. That first solo album is one that always stands out from all the other stuff that was happening all the time. Didn't know his full story and was sad to hear it wasn't happy one.
Woke up to this sad news. I saw Emitt a couple of years ago at the Grammy museum here in L.A. It was to be a celebratory talk/interview with him on the release of The Rainbow End album. It turned out to be a painful experience to watch as he was clearly uncomfortable with the whole process. I have such strong memories of watching him on Bandstand as a kid and loving that first solo album when it first came out. RIP Mr. Rhodes and thank you for such beautiful songs.
Those Merry-Go-Round and solo records are timeless classics. A sad life, a true artist.
Bless you for this, Sal. Seriously.
One of the saddest stories I know. Talent/ambition snuffed out by corporate boot heels.
How the music industry could conclude that the best utilization of this pop genius’ talents would be to engineer ‘a novelty single by the “Welcome Back Kotter” star Gabe Kaplan titled “Up Your Nose.”’ Is baffling and tragic, Listened to his music all day and was touched by the beauty and often sadness. And the hooks - so many hooks. And what’s up with Hawthorne CA - Brian Wilson and Emitt Rhodes? Incredible. 20 years old upon the release of his first solo album - that he made in his garage on a used 4-track while playing all the instruments. That first solo album is arguably better than any album McCartney has done in his solo career. Thank you to Burning Wood for the introduction many years ago. I’m indebted to both you and Emitt for the pure joy these masterpieces provide.
R.I.P. Emitt
Thanks Sal. So heartbreaking, so many people said yesterday they weren't aware of him and when played some of his music said they should have been. He was of course his own person and artist but for me very personally, he's the only artist other than McCartney who could fill my McCartney jones when I get it. Thank you for making beautiful music, Emitt. I'm hoping his music is discovered by more even it it's later than it should have been, the world needs Emitt.
Wow, 'Isn't It So' is a beautiful song. Thank you for sharing it here, Sal...
sometimes, talent doesn't find the success it deserves.
Music history is littered with the stories of those whose talents never had the fair hearing they deserved.
as with far too many, Emmitt Rhodes' music will likely be appreciated more now that he's gone than when he was here.
Having a hard time processing this today - just seeing that Emitt passed (your site is the ONLY place I've seen it mentioned!!! Criminal that it's not more widely recognized!), and then hearing that Peter Green passed.
Whew.
Here's a great clip I found of a rare Emitt live appearance, 23 years ago, with an appropriate song choice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW3DNiGsSWU
and here's my favorite Emitt song of all, from 2016's "Rainbow Ends" -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW3DNiGsSWU
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