[Buy "So Tough"]
When the Beach Boys took the stage at State University Plaza in Albany on March 16th 1972, you couldn't blame the crowd for looking confused. The Boys had invited two members of the South African band The Flames to join them on tour and record.
Ricky Fataar ( third from the right in the photo above) was there to drum in the place of Dennis Wilson who accidentally injured his hand when he put it through a glass door. Blondie Chaplin (second from the left), replacing Bruce Johnson, joined to add vocal harmonies and play guitar. Back in 1970 they recorded an album for The Beach Boys label Brother Records. You can hear a sample of their Beatlesque tunes here via The Rising Storm.
After a series of warm-up concerts for a Summer tour of Europe, Chaplin and Fataar went into the studio for ten days in April with the rest of The Beach Boys to record Carl And The Passions - "So Tough" which included some old Flame tunes like "Here She Comes" and "Hold On Dear Brother". The two stuck around for Holland, with Blondie singing lead on the great "Sail On Sailor" and "Funky Pretty". They also played on The Beach Boys In Concert.
Fataar may be best known for playing the George Harrison-ish member of The Rutles, Stig O'Hara. Blondie Chaplin has toured as a backing vocalist and guitarist with The Band and The Rolling Stones.
Carl and the Passions- So Tough has a few decent tracks but overall is NOT an essential BBs record. Holland on the other-hand is a killer album, and often regarded as their last masterpiece along with the Love You album from '77. The Beach Boys were very hit&miss from the late 70s onward but the output of phenomenal music they made from '62 thru '72 is staggering. NO other group ever, ever achieved what they did. The Ramones come in 2nd I'd say, by rejuvenating rockNroll and carrying the torch that the Beach Boys lit. I stand by that and pay homage to the both of them as often as possible.
ReplyDeleteAgree! Holland is a great album. If I have the energy to continue scratching the 40 year itch into 2013, you'll find a Holland post on January 8.
ReplyDelete