Tufano & Giammarese

Recently my daughter and I were discussing the body of work produced by Neil Young. I told her that I thought “Harvest” and “After the Gold Rush” should be considered classic albums and be part of a Top 20 list of the best albums ever recorded. I started thinking about Neil and the other members of his original group, Buffalo Springfield. An alumni reunion of those guys would be pure Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame material. Neil, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin, Stephen Stills and Jim Messina not only went on to greatness after the demise of the band, but also embraced different forms of music than they originally produced while with the Buffalo Springfield.

It is my contention that the growth of an artist is fueled by many components. We all know that the endless array of small music venues where an artist must appear early in their career is most crucial in their development. This is where they grow up and earn their stripes. Once they are found by a manager/agent and begin recording, another set of learning curves begin. Dealing with the management types is tough enough, but also understanding studio techniques and performance under those circumstances are more lessons to be learned. As my readers know, I am an avid fan of the Beatles. I know that the lads learned quite a bit from their producer, George Martin. Even with their obvious talents, Martin was crucial in their maturation as studio giants. Any albums made today by Paul, George & Ringo have George Martins’ imprint.

In looking for the obscure album that is a gem, lineage and learning are important factors to consider. While driving cross-country with my best friend, Bobby in 1966, we stopped in Chicago to hear a group called the Buckinghams. They recorded for a small label called USA Records. Their hit that summer was “Kind of a Drag.” It was played endlessly. I wouldn’t consider it a great record, but it served it’s purpose for us as we traveled through the west with the top down on Bobby’s MG. As you can imagine, USA Records was a low budget operation. Witness to that fact was that the quality of the recording was poor. Sure enough, the following year, The Buckinghams signed with Columbia Records. A good move for their career. From 1967 through 1969, they enjoyed a number of hits. Columbia brought in James William Guercio as their producer. After the Buckinghams, he went on to produce Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago and a number of top artists. Clearly, Guercio remains today as one of the most successful producers in the history of recorded music. His Caribou Ranch studio in Colorado has been the site of recording for virtually every major music artist. Just like the Beatles learned from George Martin, it would be plausible that anyone recording with Guercio would learn similar lessons.

In 1977, two members from the Buckinghams, Dennis Tufano and Carl Giammerese recorded an album on Ode Records. There are a number of factors here. The label, Ode was owned by legendary producer, Lou Adler. The album was co-produced by Tom Scott, the legendary West Coast musician. Appearing on the album, as session men were the likes of Richard Tee, Waddy Wachtel and Chuck Rainey. Put all these factors and the lineage and learning work in our favor to find an obscure gem.

The album by Tufano & Giammerese is called “The Other Side” on Ode Records (# PE 34969) and is truly a gem. The opening song is called Night-Rider, written by another legend, ELO’s Jeff Lynne. This tune stands the test of time and still sounds fresh and vital today. The production is crisp and highlights Tom Scott’s great saxophone a work. If you remember the sound of the Buckinghams, this album will most assuredly be an example to you how artists sound when they mature. Carl writes most of the songs. The vocals are shared by both and it is obvious that they are very comfortable together. Prior to this album, Carl and Dennis released two other albums. They also released two 45’s for Ode. While I can’t speak for the other records, “The Other Side” is a very enjoyable album and I highly recommend it, if you can find it.