Beau Brummels

I normally write about obscure groups from the 60's & 70's whose records were somehow overlooked even though their musical content was superior to some of the more popular offerings at the time. In my previous columns, the names presented were people who had no hits and no notoriety. This month I will talk about one of my favorite groups of the 60's who had hits and were quite well known.

When the Beatles made their trek to the US and thus began the British Invasion, musical gurus on our shores struggled to find talent that would compare to the slew of acts being forced down our throats from England. In 1964, the Beau Brummels were formed in San Francisco. They were the first American band influenced by the Beatles to have a hit record. It was called "Laugh Laugh." The group recorded for a small Bay area label called Autumn Records. Their first album appropriately titled "Introducing the Beau Brummels" (Autumn # 103) was an excellent offering. Interestingly enough, the producer who is not even mentioned on my mono copy of this record was Sylvester Stewart who went on to be Sly in Sly & The Family Stone fame.

Laugh Laugh was a hit in 1965. They followed up with "Just A Little" from the same album, which became an even bigger hit than their debut single hitting within the Top 10 list. This tune was also included on their first album. Both tunes, when played today still sound fresh and vibrant. Their second album called "The Beau Brummels; Volume 2" (Autumn #104) was just as good as the first with Sly as their producer once again. One of my favorites, "You Tell Me Why" is on this record and still sounds good today. Although the group went from five members to four on the second album, the quality remained intact.

In late 1965, Autumn Records went out of business and the contract was sold to Warner Brothers records. One might assume that with the switch from a small company to a deep pockets operation like Warner Brothers that the band would get the time and monetary support to produce excellent records. I remember buying "Beau Brummels 66" (Warner Brothers #1644) only to find that there were no original tunes on the record. What was worse was that they were doing covers of songs like "Louie Louie," "Homeward Bound," "These Boots Were Made For Walking" among other unsuitable numbers. Which Warner executive in the A&R Department came up with the idea of transforming this seemingly excellent group with a treasure-trove of original material to a bar band covering insipid and inappropriate tunes. Naturally, this album was unsuccessful.

I guess the record company saw the error in their thinking because in 1967, the group released an album called "Triangle" (Warner Brothers # 1692). The Beau Brummels were now down to three members, hence the name, Triangle. Produced by record industry veteran Lenny Waronker this is a delightful offering. Vocalist, Sal Valentino exhibits his distinctive style first heard on the Autumn releases. Along with original band members, Ron Elliott and Ron Meagher, this is an excellent offering. In 1968, they recorded a landmark album called "Bradley's Barn" which was recorded in Nashville. This was another superb album which began the country/rock trend. Unfortunately, neither album was a commercial success.The band broke up later in 1969.

You may wonder why I'm calling attention to this group. They appeared on my radar screen when I learned that they had reassembled and released a CD called "Live!" on Dig Music (102). This CD is a recording of a live performance given in 1974 when the group got back together after the 1969 breakup . I feel that the Beau Brummels are a perfect example of enormous talent recognized by a small label and mismanaged by a large label. Triangle and Bradley's Barn are two unique offerings that were not adequately promoted by the company. Talent takes you so far. To be successful, you need support from the record company and the ability to get your message out to your fans. Sadly, the group and the record company failed at achieving those objectives. We now have the ability to find treasures like these and appreciate them many years later. Record store discount bins are filled with these types of albums. Take the time and look.......... it will be worth it.

The Brummels have a web site www.beaubrummels.com . You can find out information about the group and purchase some of the albums I have mentioned.