I am trying to find out who the members are, what intsruments they played and who is the singer with that huge voice on the famous "Get Ready" album that i have loved and treasured for so many years. Any help given would be greatly appreiciated.
Thanks John, I was always wondering who did what. Some how I was always under the impression that all the songs were sung by the same person and I've always figured that it was the guy pictured on the far left on the back of the album, as he's the only one not holding an instrument. He must be the keyboard player and the keyboard didnt fit in the picture or something. The voice seems to sound the same in all the songs. I wonder how they ended up sounding so similar. I'll have to take a much closer listen. Though, I have listened to the album hunderds of times over the past 20 years or so, they have always sounded the same to me. Where did you get this information, as nothing is listed on the album? Thanks again - Luna
Up until the Willie Remembers lp they shared lead vocal duties although Pete Rivera sang more lead on most of the tracks. The Sunliners featured different lead vocals as did the 1st Rare Earth album "Dreams And Answers". The same followed with "Ecology" and "One World"
Listen to Gil Bridges sing live and you can tell which tracks he sings lead on and its the same for the others who have been the vocalist on other albums.
On the "Ecology" album.....
Pete Rivera is lead vocal on Born To Wander, Long Time Leavin', Im Losing You, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Eleanor Rigby.
John Persh is lead vocal on Nice Place To Visit.
Rod Richards is lead vocal on No. 1 Man.
The cover of Get Ready shows from left to right, Kenny James - keyboards.....John Persh - Bass/Vocals.....Gil Bridges - Sax/Vocals.....Rod Richards - Guitar/Vocals.............Pete Rivera - drums/vocals.
Awesome, thanks so much. Now I see the big picture. I've been wondering about all that forever. Rare Earth is a great band that totally deserves more mainstream recognition than they have gotten. People need to know who the are and who plays what. Thanks for clearing the line up issues for me and anyone else who might have wondered about this. - Luna
John-Are the vocal credits given by you on the Get Ready and Ecology LP's a fact, because I have wondered about certain songs for 35 years who in fact sang lead on them. You can pretty much tell when it is Peter, but with some of the other members it's pretty hard. And there are even a couple that sound very much like it is Peter, but sometimes I'm not so sure. If you have given credit due just by listening all these years I think you have done the job quite well. How about the One Word LP, after all these years I still find myself questioning who in fact was the lead vocalist on certain tracks. Maybe you can fill in the blanks for us on this one too. Thanks. JockoD P.S. A reminder to everyone::Don't forget to "Fill your head with dirt"
Yes it is down to my ears only, it would be interesting to see if you disagree in any way.
For One World I would go for
Gil Bridges lead vocal on Someone To Love........he wrote the song and his voice can be heard with later releases without others around.
John Persh lead vocal on Any Man Can Be A Fool........this was a John Persh written track. His vocal along with Gil and Pete are the only ones carried forward from the Ecology line up so that eliminates Rod Richards.
Mark Olsen lead vocal on Under Gods Light........this one confused me for years but after listening to a live tape when Mark and Gil were sharing lead vocal. that convinced me.
John-I agree with you 100% on the vocal credits for the "Get Ready"+"Ecology" LP's. Although I knew John Persh wrote "Any Man Can Be A Fool" that song has stumped me for many years. When the "One World" LP was released and for the first few years thereafter I thought John was the singer of the song. I even argued the point with an old girlfriend who swore it was Pete who sang her favorite Rare Earth tune. She and I attended a few Rare Earth concerts together but unfortunatly they didn't play it so the debate continued. She argued the point so well that in later years I started second guessing myself and began to believe it was Pete myself. So after many years debating who sang "Any Man" in my head, I can finally put the issue to rest. Although throughout the years I had always leaned towards John I was never 100% certain that it was he who in fact sang lead on the song. With your opinion now in the mix I am now certain it was John. I almost feel like looking up my old flame and telling her "I told you so", but on second thought, that's probably not a good idea. Thanks John, JockoD
JP2-In the back of my mind I guess I kind of always knew it was John singing lead on the song and now after the input from John and of course your guarantee we all know it as fact. I believe "Any Man Can Be A Fool" is one of Rare Earth's most underated songs. It's too bad that Motown did not choose it for release as a single. In my opinion it would have made an excellent choice as a follow up to "celebrate" and could have done just as well on the charts. On second thought it may have done even better considering what a brilliant song it truly is. From the first time I heard it until this day I say that it had all the makings of a hit single if only the public had a chance to hear it. Your dad was a gifted songwriter as well as a great musician and I was lucky enough to see him with the band a few times before he left. Although Micheal Urso did a fine job in his place I wonder what might have been if John had stayed on a little longer and his input been felt on the mostly band written "Willie Remembers" LP. Maybe that one might of done somewhat better on the charts had that been the case. I guess we will never know. JockoD
1.) Motown was kind of an enigma for Rare Earth. They were great in terms that they gave the band their first big break, but in the long run Rare Earth may have been better suited on a different label. Afterall, Motown was a hit machine and if they didn't sniff a smash record they weren't going to spend alot of money on it to make it happen. They really didn't need to, they had too many other acts that were bona-fide stars. They weren't into artist development. I think they viewed Rare Earth as a luxury and not a priority. "Any Man Can Be A Fool" was a good song, but it wasn't really in the vein of a Motown hit single. They wouldn't have known what to do with it. The bigger mistakes IMO were- 1.) not having "Hey Big Brother" on a proper album and more importantly 2.) the band not touring enough. Their records were "huge" all over the world, yet their live shows and tours were much more limited.
2.) I too wonder what it would have been like if my dad had stayed on board for "Willie Remembers". The material he wrote for Pywackett was the best stuff he had ever written. Hopefully one day I can share some of that with you Rare Earth fans. Incidentally, it was the legendary Clive Davis that brought him in to Bell Records. When Bell crumbled, JP had had enough of the music business. In regards to him leaving Rare Earth, I can tell you that when the band fired Kenny, that pissed my dad off. That and the excess and rigors of the road were a turn off to him. So when Motown moved to California (right after he bought a house in Detroit), he decided not to go. To this day I wish he would have stayed on a bit longer, but he could see the inevitability of where things were headed. In addition to a musician/songwriter/friend, I think the band lost some "backbone" when JP exited the band.
Good to see all these RE fans still passionate about the band.
JP2 I would like to say thank you on behalf of all of us here on the forum for sharing so much with us. Your posts are really welcome and your opinion carries a lot of weight to all of us and this I know for a fact. What you said in your last post definitely has a lot of credence to it. In my last post I had actually typed out in the following words-I felt that when JP left after the "One World" LP a part of Rare Earth left with him. After previewing my post I had second thoughts and went back and changed it. I didn't want to offend MU or any of the other members that have meant so much to all of us for so many years. After seeing you write just about the same but with different words I had to be honest with you and myself. If this ruffles any feathers so be it. Don't get me wrong, they were still a great band and "Willie Remembers" was a fine LP as far as I'm concerned, but it could of been better if things weren't as they were. That's all water under the bridge now so I guess we'll just go ahead and let it flow.
What you said about Motown couldn't have more truth to it. The band did not receive anywheres the amount of promotion that they were due. There should of been more concerts in the USA and in other countries as well and that's to say the least. Our good friends on the other side of the Atlantic didn't have a chance to see the band until 1989. Something was definitely wrong with the powers that be at the time. You're probably right on "Any Man". Motown wouldn't know what to do with it even if was a potential hit staring them right in the face. I just returned from running a few errands in my car and listened to the entire "One World" LP on CD and I still say that song could have been a hit had the cards been played right. The song is a masterpiece and the entire LP is great as well. I will never tire of listening to it. Once again John it has really been a pleasure hearing from you and I do hope we continue to do so. JockoD
There is certainly no disrespect coming from me when it pertains to Mike Urso, who was a fine musician and a good person. And for the record - I myself enjoy alot of Willie Remembers & Ma, as well. I could listen to Pete sing the phonebook and be entertained lol. I do agree with you that "One World" was the band's highpoint. That and Rare Earth "In Concert" which to this day is one of the greatest live records ever IMO.
2 things I've noticed about Rare Earth fans..
1.) They're still very vibrant & thirsty for the music.
2.) They're all over the world.
It bums me out that people still want the music and Motown/Univ is making it so difficult for them to find it. I hope that boxset happens sooner rather than later. I know I'll be buying one.
I would like to echo the fact that "Any Man Can Be A Fool" is a brilliant song. Its my favourite all time Rare Earth self-penned song and I never tire of listening to it. After hearing "Any Man.." I was so looking forward to seeing what he would contribute to the next album. I was gutted when I bought "Willie Remembers" only to find that the line-up had changed. Again, nothing against Mike Urso, but I regarded your Dad as a principal member of the band and a fine musician and songwriter.
Being UK based I never got to see the band play live, but I live in hope that one day some old live footage will emerge on DVD to add to the more recent release.
I hope you stay in touch with the forum as your insight and opinions are particularly interesting and a pleasure to read!
