Emitt Rhodes was a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and a master at working the pop tune structure, turning out 2:50 gems. He wrote songs with hooks that spoke to a listener's sensitivities -- tight ear candy that served as the blueprint for future power pop bands such as Badfinger and the Rasberries.
Rhodes musical doppelganger was Paul McCartney. Rhodes looked like McCartney's twin and sounded like him as well. He recorded all the instruments himself on three of his four albums, earning the reputation as a one-man version of the Beatles.
So why did this talented genius disappear after only four albums? Rhodes was the classic victim of a crippling contract and bad timing. Rhodes was so anxious to record he signed a ludicrous contract with Dunhill Records that called for him to produce an album every six months.
He started out at age 14 as the drummer for The Emerals, a cover band that played in his adopted hometown of Hawthorne, California. The Emerals changed their name to The Palace Guard, recording three singles that went nowhere but having the distinction of backing actor Don Grady (of "My Three Sons" fame) during a recording session.
Emitt Goes Solo
By 16, Rhodes had formed The Merry-Go-Round, a baroque/folk/rock quartet that placed a couple of minor hits ("Live" and "You're a Very Lovely Woman") on West Coast radio stations. Rhodes stayed on the merry-go-round of obscurity until 1969, releasing his solo debut, The American Dream. The album featured noted session players Jim Gordon, Hal Blaine and Larry Knechtel, among others, and was the only one of Rhodes’ quartet of albums in which he used outside musicians.
Dream’s opener, "Pardon Me," is one of Rhodes' most McCartneyesque tunes, a quiet love letter that hints at what "Teddy Boy" might have sounded like if McCartney had envisioned it as a baroque ballad. Rhodes' voice is fluid, and there's an unexpected solo on recorder mixed with chimes that creates a relaxing mood.
"Come Ride, Come Ride" received the full Hollywood soundtrack treatment with glamorous, swirling strings, a fluttering flute, and a very proper Rhodes vocal. With it's wall to wall sound, "Come Ride, Come Ride" would have made a great track for one of those classy 70s British spy thrillers starring Michael Caine.
With an active fuzz guitar and Rhodes double tracked back ups, "Let's All Sing" is a peppy piece of Badfinger pop that screamed single. Rhodes cleverly worked in a line from John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" at the end.
It was telling, however, that A&M chose not to release The American Dream until 1971.
One-Man Band Masterpiece
With the fateful Dunhill contract signed, Rhodes' self-produced, self-titled 1970 release was heralded as the emergence of a one-man band along the lines of McCartney or Harry Nilsson.
The piano possessed "With My Face on the Floor" opens Rhodes' second platter with nicely Beatle-esque regulated vocals and an avalanche of slapping tambourines. Eleven cuts later, it's evident that every song on Emitt Rhodes is a glossy gem.
"Somebody Made For Me" is a two and a half minute heavenly slice of layered vocals, fuzz bass, maracas and tight snare; a dose of reality done up pretty for romantics still searching for "the one": "I've been searching all my life, guess I've looked most everywhere. Many girls have caught my eye, but that special one's not there."
Despite clocking in at only 1:06, "Lullabye" hits a melancholy mark: “Tears that angels cry…In the darkening of the sky, when the one you love says goodbye, tears that angels cry.”
If "Lullabye" is a delicious downer, than the low key acoustic agony of "You Must Have" is a suicide watch theme song in depressed tradition of Nick Drake. It's one of those tunes that makes the listener realize there's always someone who's worse off than they are.
When "Somebody Made for Me" and “Fresh as a Daisy” (#54 on Billboard) from Emitt Rhodes made waves on the airwaves, Dunhill Records pushed Rhodes to finish his next album, Mirror. But Rhodes couldn't keep up with the hectic production pace, so Dunhill sued him for $250,000 for the delay, withholding his royalties.
Rhodes completed Mirror in 1971. The situation worsened when A&M, seeking to cash in, finally released The American Dream that same year, confusing fans and cutting into Mirror's sales.
With three albums on two separate labels in the record bins, Rhodes was faced with the dilemma of becoming over exposed. Fans voiced their opinion at the cash register, pushing Emitt Rhodes to number 29 on the Billboard charts, while the Mirror cracked at a disappointing #182 and The American Dream didn't register a pulse.
Farewell…to Recording
Disenchanted, Rhodes recorded one final album, sending a message by naming it Farewell to Paradise. The album took two years to produce and featured a harder edged power pop sound mixed with wistful, world-weary ballads.
Rhodes' bearded, bedraggled appearance on the album's cover further signaled that the dream was indeed over. When Farewell to Paradise failed to chart, Rhodes unofficially retired from music, becoming a staff engineer and producer for Elektra/Asylum Records.
The reclusive Rhodes has become a cult figure in spite of himself. The Bangles recorded “Live” for their 1984 album All Over the Place and “Lullabye” was picked for the soundtrack of The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001. In 2009, director Cosmino Messeri filmed a documentary about Rhodes, “The One Man Beatle.”
Rhodes finally returned to the studio last year, looking to restart his career with the help of Merry-Go-Round/Grass Roots/Lee Michaels drummer Joel Larson and guitarist Richard Thompson.
References:
- The Emitt Rhodes Recordings – Liner notes by Scott Schinder (March 2008)
- Emitt Rhodes Website: www.emittrhodesmusic.net
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