A Group Called Smith, Minus-Plus

Product Details Sales Rank: #20274 in Music Model: 25740523 Released on: 2014- 02-04 Number of discs: 1 Number of items: 1 Dimensions: .47 h x 5.59 w x 4.84 l,.21 pounds Features Brand Name: SONY BMG MUSIC Mfg#: 848064002161 Shipping Weight: 1.00 lbs Manufacturer: REAL GONE MUSIC/SONY BMG Genre: Popular Music All music products are properly licensed and guaranteed authentic.

Product Description Smith were discovered in an LA nightclub by none other than Del Shannon, who got them signed to ABC-Dunhill and arranged their smash hit cover of Baby, Its You. They also boasted one of the best albeit largely unknown female singers of the 60s in the person of Gayle McCormick, who, with her blonde good looks and powerful, bluesy voice, seemed destined to lead Smith to big things (she did go on to record a series of solo for Dunhill). However, broke up after these two albums, and while the first was reissued on a long out-of-print (and now very expensive) CD, the second album has never been reissued in any format until now. Remastered by Maria Triana at Battery Studios in NYC, with liner notes by Richie Unterberger and added photos. One of the missing links in the late-60s LA scene!

Real Gone Music, a fairly new reissue label, have released a CD compiling the only two albums by SMITH, 'A Group Called SMITH' and 'Minus-Plus.' There was an older CD on Varese Sarabande that featured the complete first album, a track from 'Minus-Plus,' their version of which was featured on the ' ' soundtrack (due to legal issues over THE BAND's original, which was in the movie) and two tracks from lead singer Gayle McCormick's first solo album. There have also been expensive import releases of the individual albums. It's odd that Real Gone didn't include The Weight, especially since the SMITH and soundtrack masters are both owned by Universal, otherwise the label did a great job with the remastering. Kudos also for designing the CD to resemble the old Dunhill Records label. The informative booklet features a band history and full page reproductions of both album covers. The founders of Real Gone Music, Gordon Anderson and Gabby Castellana, were respectively the former heads of Collectors' Choice Music and Hep Cat Records. Anderson oversaw all the reissues on the Collector's Choice label, which have reverted to a trickle since his departure...... SMITH was a Los Angeles-based cover band when discovered by Del Shannon and Brian Hyland.Shannon helped the group arrange their soon-to-be- hit cover of ' Baby It's You and let them rehearse in his house. The group signed with Dunhill Records, home of The Mama's & The Papa's and STEPPENWOLF. Both albums were eventually produced in-house by Steve Barri and Joel Sill, with occasional horn charts by Jimmy Haskell (THE GRASS ROOTS, numerous soundtracks). True to the band's roots there are no original compositions on the debut. Five tracks are sung by other band members, bassist Jerry Carter does a just fair version of 's oft-covered Who Do You Love and guitarist James Cilburn takes on two ROLLING STONES classics, a decent but overlong (The) Last Time and an overwrought Let's Spend the Night Together featuring a cameo from McCormick near the end. He also takes the lead on the Sill co-write Mojaleskey Ridge, a decent rocker with occasional help from McCormick, and his best performance, the soulful gospel-influenced I Don't Believe. As exemplified by her terrific performance on Baby It's You (which reached #5), McCormick can basically do no wrong, especially compared to the others' vocals. From the surprisingly rockin' and funkified versions of hippie anthem album opener Let's Get Together and her gender-bended version of ' Tell (Her) Him No, to her scortchin' take of the chestnut I Just Want To Make Love To (wrongly credited, someone should report them!), her pipes steal the show. The album ends on a high note with anthemic horn-driven I'll Hold Out My Hand, a co-write from the pen of Wild Thing composer Chip Taylor. I'd be remiss without mentioning the great organ work throughout from Larry Moss, who gives the band their trademark sound. There's no doubt the album would've charted higher than #17 if Gayle McCormick handled more of the vocals. As a side note I want to mention that there are two great live band performance of Baby It's You out there on DVD (if you can find them), from 'ED SULLIVAN'S ROCK & ROLL CLASSICS, Vol. 6 and Music Scene: Best of 1969-1970, Vol. 2. Both are well worth checking out. There's also a surprising number of live vocals with backing tape TV variety show appearances on YouTube...... McCormick, Moss, and drummer Bob Evans are the only SMITH's in the phone book for 'Minus-Plus,' except for the track Take A Look Around, a leftover from the first LP's sessions written by departed members Cliburn (who takes the lead vocal) and Carter. To add insult to injury it was also released as the follow-up to Baby it's You, reaching #43, their second highest charting single. This go-round the band members composed eight out of ten songs, but the album itself only reached #74, again probably from their fans' disappointment that McCormick only sang half the debut's tracks. If Gayle's fans didn't want to chance it again they made the wrong decision, 'Minus-Plus' is a strong album. New guitarist Alan Parker and bassist Judd Huss are not only better vocalists than their forebearers, but decent songwriters to boot. Parker sings lead on three tracks, including the funky strutter Born In Boston (with some great backwards guitar), and the organ-driven Feel The Magic. His Since You've Been Gone, a duet with McCormick, should've been released as a single. Huss takes over the mic for his own Circle Man, but lets McCormick shine on his excellent early-Elton John-ish Jason. Gayle also shines on original LP opener You Don't Love Me (Yes I Know), a horn-driven rocker reminiscent of COLD BLOOD and Lydia Pense, but with that classic SMITH organ upfront, and the soulful What Am I Gonna Do a co-write considered by some the band's finest moment, yet only reaching #73. Ironically, Bobby Bare took it to #13 in the 1972 country charts. The band had high hopes for Parker's soul-popper Comin' Back To Me' but it stalled at #101. The album closes with the exuberant title track, written by organist Moss. It's arrangement skirts prog-rock with the expected heavy keyboards and some tasty guitar work from Parker.The style fits the band well, it would've been interesting if they continued in that vein...... 'Minus-Plus' is a cohesive and accomplished album, with nary a trace of it's troubled genesis. A more than worthy followup to A Group Called SMITH,' surpassing it with surprisingly strong songwriting and playing from the band, but by the end of the sessions McCormick had enough of band politics. Gayle had a mini-breakdown after the first album, her high hopes dashed after the highs experienced during Baby It's You's pinnacle failed to re- materialize. The year long struggle to complete 'Minus-Plus' couldn't have helped. The break did her good however, rejuvenated she recorded the above mention solo album for Dunhill with production duo Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, who helmed Dusty Springfield's 'CAMEO' and THE FOUR TOPS' comeback hits on ABC, among others. McCormick later recorded two more albums for Decca and Fantasy, then quit the business to focus on her personal life. All the band members eventually left the music business. With a little more time and support SMITH might have again tasted success, but instead joined the pantheon of one-hit wonders. But what a great hit it was.....! Nice to have these 2 albums on 1 CD.Lead vocalist is great.She is the heart and soul of this band. When my boss saw my LP of SMITHI mentioned they did Baby It's You, because he knew and worked with . I said also recorded it, and he erupted- B. S. !!!, and I'll bet you fifty bucks they didn't! I'm a first-gen Beatle fan, so I said Harry, I'll take five bucks, if you want to bet, because you will lose! Next day, I brought in the album, and Harry bought my lunch. Cheap date! The energy that Smith packs into this cover version almost makes it their own, much in the way that Love's version of Bacharach's Little Red Book did. Gail's voice is so powerful, and the band backs her up adroitly. See all 13 customer reviews...

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