NRBQ Album-By-Album Thread

[John DeAngelis]

Then there's Macho Maria, ha ha ha ha ha ha.

By all means, add that one to the list. It's hilarious!

[edbert]

I still don't get why they re-recorded Get Rhythm for this LP when they'd already put out a great version on At Yankee Stadium!

Then there was a third studio performance of it released on the Through The Eyes Of A Quartet comp, although it sounds similar to the version on Grooves.

I like the Yankee Stadium one best. One thing unique about it is the bass drum. Unlike Tommy's usual sound which I'd describe as overemphasized snare, on that Yankee Stadium one the bass drum was more prominent for a better balance

There was at least a fourth studio performance, which is still unreleased. When Eddie Kramer auctioned off his NRBQ stuff, one of the demo tapes listed it. I'm guessing it was from about 1973-1974 because there are also some Steve Ferguson songs listed:

[rstamberg]

GROOVES IN ORBIT is near perfection.

[John DeAngelis]

I still don't get why they re-recorded Get Rhythm for this LP when they'd already put out a great version on At Yankee Stadium!

At the time, Al wasn't writing a lot of songs. As pointed out previously, this is ironic, since he went on to become a very prolific and successful songwriter. I think they re-did "Get Rhythm" to give Al another song to sing and to also add another rocker to "Grooves In Orbit". As noted elsewhere, Bearsville honcho Albert Grossman was unhappy with the inclusion of "Daddy-o", so adding "Get Rhythm" may also have been done to keep albert happy, in that it was potentially more radio-friendly than "Daddy-o".

[rstamberg]

At the time, Al wasn't writing a lot of songs. As pointed out previously, this is ironic, since he went on to become a very prolific and successful songwriter. I think they re-did "Get Rhythm" to give Al another song to sing and to also add another rocker to "Grooves In Orbit". As noted elsewhere, Bearsville honcho Albert Grossman was unhappy with the inclusion of "Daddy-o", so adding "Get Rhythm" may also have been done to keep albert happy, in that it was potentially more radio-friendly than "Daddy-o".

Wasn't aware of that, but it makes sense.

IIRC, when NRBQ was first signed to Virgin Records, their contract specified just how many "out there" songs were allowed on each album: two. (I think Terry may have been mentioned by name as the prime instigator.) Anyone else know about this? I think Al told me this himself ...

[KBanya]

What a great thread here! So mnay memories of fantastic 'Q' shows come to mind...Foran High School, Milford, CT mid-to-late '80's. Only about 50 people in attendence, but probably the best 'Q' show I have ever seen. Then there was a Levitt Pavilion show (Westport, CT), again, mid-to-late '80's...a great "bring your own chair and cooler show". Big Al parked right next to me in the lot. After the show he chatted with us all for a few. Super nice guy. Then there was Toad's Place...and Uinversity of New Haven's graduation party...and the Oyster Festival...on and on. Love the 'Q'.

[John DeAngelis]

Wasn't aware of that, but it makes sense.

IIRC, when NRBQ was first signed to Virgin Records, their contract specified just how many "out there" songs were allowed on each album: two. (I think Terry may have been mentioned by name as the prime instigator.) Anyone else know about this? I think Al told me this himself ...

I never heard of this, and I wonder how exactly would it have been enforced? How would you agree on what "out there" is? And the part about being allowed 2 "out there" songs doesn't ring true to me, because "Wild Weekend" is pretty commercial from start to finish. That said, I'm sure that Virgin told the band that if they were going to sign the band and spend a good amount of money on recording and promo budgets, they wanted an album that would be radio-friendly and the band, at that point in their career, understood that.

[ceddy10165]

NRBQ: Tapdancin' Bats
Released: 1983
Recorded: 1972-1981
Label: Rounder Records

1 Captain Lou [Adams, Anderson] 2:32
2 I Don't Think Of... [Spampinato] 2:45
3 Proctor's Gamble [Adams ]1:55
4 You Got It [Remixed, Unedited Version] [Adams] 2:54
5 Rats in My Room [Cupola, Neaverth, Reynolds] 2:30
6 Big Goodbyes [Adams] 3:52
7 Tex [Anderson, Spampinato] 1:29
8 Boardin' House Pie [Adams, Adams] 2:57
9 Trouble at the Henhouse [Spampinato] 2:18
10 Ain't It All Right [Adams, Ferguson] 3:01
11 Pretty Thing [Adams] 2:40
12 Dry Up and Blow Away [Adams] 3:06
13 Come on and Ride [Adams] 4:44
14 Capriccio 1:56
15 The Dough Got Low [Adams ]2:12
16 Tapdancin' Bats [Adams, Adams, Ardolino, Spampinato] 2:52

[B]Releases:
Year Type label Catalog #
1983 LP Rounder 3066
1984 Line Records LP
1986 LP Demon Fiend 51 made In U.K.
1998 CD Rounder 3066

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=1804400&postcount=8

Mike Dow best pressing recommendation:

"Tapdancing Bats" (sessions from 76-81) Again, the vinyl is great but the CD adds four songs.

Credits
Donn Adams: Percussion, Trombone, Vocals
Terry Adams: Arranger, Multi Instruments, Producer, Vocals
Joey Albano: Vocals
Lou Albano: Vocals
Chris Andersen: Mixing
Al Anderson: Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Whistle (Human)
Tom Ardolino: Drums
Phil Crandon: Vocals (Background)
James Frazier: Drums, Engineer
David B. Greenberger: Art Direction, Design
Eddie Kramer: Engineer, Producer
Tom Mark: Engineer, Producer
Dr. Toby Mountain: Mastering
Joey Spampinato: Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Keith Spring: Sax (Tenor)
Tom Staley: Drums
Gary Windo: Sax (Tenor)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapdancin'_Bats

Tapdancin' Bats is the name of a 1984 album by the band NRBQ. The album is composed entirely of archival material. At the time of production, NRBQ were signed to Bearsville Records and the label's owner, Albert Grossman, did not want NRBQ to record more albums for the label, but also would not let them out of their contract. NRBQ had amassed enough archival material to compile several future albums and used some of this material for Tapdancin' Bats.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/tapdancin-bats-r14250

allmusic.com review by Lindsay Planer:
This is without question one of the 'Q's [read: NRBQ's] best compilations -- displaying many facets of the band's instrumental agility and uncanny sonic reinventions. Chronologically, Tapdancin' Bats represents the quartet during the mid- to late '70s. However, a number of the tunes -- most notably "Ain't It Alright" and "Trouble at the Henhouse" -- date as far back as 1972's Scraps album, which was the first to feature "Big" Al Anderson (guitar). The disc also represents the final chapter in their association with the Bearsville record label -- which was owned and administered by Albert Grossman (of Bob Dylan fame). Regarding the talents and musical interests of the band itself, the album's contents run the full gamut of pop music -- making pit stops into avant-garde jazz ("Tapdancin' Bats") and even classical ("Capriccio") along the way. However, it is their undeniable sense of humor and meticulously crafted straight-ahead pop and rock songs that comprise the vast majority of this title. Several of the more notable tracks include the duet between Joey Spampinato (bass/vocals) and the self-proclaimed guiding light of professional wrestling, "Captain" Lou Albano, on the tune "Captain Lou." Likewise, Albano contributes vocals to "Boardin' House Pie." The two tracks represent the respective A and B sides of their difficult to locate and long out of print 45 rpm single that Albano original sold at his matches. There are also a few solid rockers, such as "Ain't It All Right" and "You Got It" -- the latter of which features Anderson on vocals. Fans of '50s television pioneer Ernie Kovacs will undoubtedly remember "Rats in My Room" -- which was one of the oddities featured on his program. Here, the 'Q give the song almost a ragtime feel. The title track and "Come on and Ride" feature Terry Adams (keyboards/vocals) at his far-out jazzy best. His portable keyboard experiments are right out of Sun Ra. While not a perfect primer, Tapdancin' Bats is indeed a batch of fun for the initiated.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CAYOgIHv4KY/TyPp-CMVq3I/AAAAAAAAAjE/dHxOfgFYK5M/s1600/Tapdancin'+Bats.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J_ZVAyWR0N0/TyPqAEYA9lI/AAAAAAAAAjM/y39g-Bs6cS8/s1600/Tapdancin'+Bats_Anniversary+Edition.jpg

[ceddy10165]

Chronologically, I should have posted this before "Tapdancin' Bats."

NRBQ
Live at the Wax Museum
Edisun ED-16 CD, 2003
Recorded live on December 9, 1982 at The Wax Museum in Washington, DC.

1 Java [Friday, Schack, Toussaint] 1:58
2 Well Oh Well 2:41
3 Made to Love [Everly] 2:39
4 Tragic Magic [Adams] 1:38
5 My Girl [Robinson, White] 2:55
6 Wacky Tobacky [Adams, Spring] 3:07
7 Don't She Look Good [Spampinato] 2:50
8 Daddy-"O" [Santos] 2:23
9 Things We Like to Do [Bagdasarian] 2:29
10 That's Neat That's Nice [Adams] 3:11
11 The Christmas Song [Tormé-Wells] 3:09
12 Did You Ever Have to Make UpYour Mind? [Sebastian] 1:59
13 Lovin' You [Sebastian 2:30
14 Never Take the Place of You [Anderson] 3:35
15 You Didn't Have to Be So Nice [Boone, Sebastian] 2:28
16 Do You Believe in Magic [Sebastian] 2:36
17 Shake, Rattle and Roll [Calhoun] 3:36
18 Darlin' Be Home Soon [Sebastian] 4:29

[B]Lineup:
Terry Adams: clavinet, piano, vocals, trumpet
Joey Spampinato: bass guitar, vocals
Al Anderson: guitar, vocals
Tom Ardolino: drums
The Whole Wheat Horns:
Donn Adams: trombone
Keith Spring: tenor saxophone
John Sebastian: autoharp, guitar, harmonica, vocals (on tracks 12-18)

allmusic.com Review by Lindsay Planer:
If ever a band existed that was meant to be heard in a live concert setting, it is without question the New Rhythm and Blues Quartet (aka NRBQ) . The archival vault release Live at the Wax Museum (2003) exemplifies that statement, featuring the classic incarnation with Terry Adams (clavinet/piano/vocals/trumpet), Joey Spampinato (bass/vocals), "Big" Al Anderson (guitar/vocals), Tom Ardolino (drums), and the Whole Wheat Horns section of Donn Adams (trombone) and Keith Spring (tenor sax). While there is really no such thing as a typical NRBQ show since the band never plays the same set twice, this CD represents what could easily be considered as the band doing what it does best. And that, of course, is animating its inimitable blend of roots rock, jazz, and pop originals, as well as a healthy sampling of exquisitely chosen covers tunes. Excerpted from a 1982 show at the Wax Museum, the band is joined by John B. Sebastian, who leads them through the classic Lovin' Spoonful hits "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind," "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," "Do You Believe in Magic," and a very intimate "Darlin' Be Home Soon." The main set is peppered with the band's own special blend of musical magic, kicking off with a rousing good-time cover of the Al Hirt hit "Java" and weaving through originals such as the ragged but right "Wacky Tobacky" and "That's Neat, That's Nice." NRBQ also hits upon the demented ditties "Things We Like to Do," which was lifted, from of all places, the Chipmunks' soundtrack to their short-lived TV program The Alvin Show. There are the decidedly more serious sides, as well, including the pop bliss of Anderson's "Never Take the Place of You," and, arguably the highlight, "Tragic Magic" -- a rarely performed Adams' instrumental. This is a no-brainer for longtime enthusiasts and a great place for the curious to delve into the musical madness that is NRBQ.

http://www.nrbq.com/store/cd_waxmuseum.html
http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-the-wax-museum-r658089
http://www.discogs.com/NRBQ-Live-At-The-Wax-Museum/release/2785806

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xTlIOTOgXOw/TyWZymOJ8XI/AAAAAAAAAjU/GHFkFLR50yg/s1600/NRBQ_Live+at+the+Wax+Museum.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VGrBzMCPHjI/TyWZ0PB4WiI/AAAAAAAAAjc/EdCEM6wxTV4/s1600/NRBQ_Live+at+the+Wax+Museum_import.jpg

[jhw59]

I saw many great shows at the Wax Museum but not this one, unfortunately. A great cd with a terrific set list.

[Chief BB]

Really enjoying this thread. I guess if you're going chronologically, you'd have to put the Q/Skeeter LP in there--think it was recorded in '81, but released in '85. And Christmas Wish. And Lou and Q. And . . . Trying to piece their twisty discog. together in chron. order is a Herculean task.

Anyone know the recording details on "In Person" 45 (dates, locations)?
Or the fan club cassette "Thanks for the Memories"--only heard a couple songs on Bob Brainen's show and somehow it's eluded my collection.

[ceddy10165]

Really enjoying this thread. I guess if you're going chronologically, you'd have to put the Q/Skeeter LP in there--think it was recorded in '81, but released in '85. And Christmas Wish. And Lou and Q. And . . . Trying to piece their twisty discog. together in chron. order is a Herculean task.

Anyone know the recording details on "In Person" 45 (dates, locations)?
Or the fan club cassette "Thanks for the Memories"--only heard a couple songs on Bob Brainen's show and somehow it's eluded my collection.

glad you're enjoying it. yes, it's a twisty path, i'm doing my best, and as you know, I'm bound to make some mistakes. These 2 are up next:

1985 She Sings, They Play
1986 Lou and the Q (which I don't have and have never heard)

Any info on "In Person" and "Thanks for the Memories" are appreciated - I don't have and have never heard these either.

[edbert]

There was also a VHS compilation called "The NRBQ Hour". I picked these up at the Q's merch table. They were all from around that time, 1983/84ish. In Person just had 4 tunes but Thanks For The Memories was a full-length, cassette-only album. It was the first and probably the best album they put out in the hodgepodge style of "Honest Dollar"/"Froggie's Faves" etc.

I'm not a big fan of the hodgepodge style when it comes to live material because of how the audience is faded-out after every track... that kills my Q buzz every time. I'd make an exception if they put out a pure collection of Magic Box stuff, which Terry has talked about doing, or any collection of studio outtakes.

[arob71]

Any info on "In Person" and "Thanks for the Memories" are appreciated - I don't have and have never heard these either.

I'm also interested in learning more about these. I haven't heard them either, and the prospect of tracking them down is pretty slim, I'm guessing.

[Chief BB]

NRBQ In Person was a Red Rooster 45 EP of 4 songs: Released in 1982 it was live 1980 recordings subtitled, a la Neil Diamond, "One Hot August Night!":

Do You Feel It?; Alone Again (Naturally); Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone; Time and Place

I was just wondering if the experts knew where and when those recordings were made.

I was able to pick it up on ebay, along with Bax on Wax, within the last two years for under $20.

Don't even know what other songs are on the cassette tape "Thanks for the Memories" aside from ones Bob Brainen played on his WFMU show. Never seen nor heard of the Q VHS tape, but am definitely curious.

[dubiousraves]

I don't think Live at the Wax Museum is one of the band's best moments -- until, that is, John Sebastian comes out. He galvanizes the band and they turn in fantastic takes on the classic Lovin' Spoonful stuff.

[Bebe]

At the time, Al wasn't writing a lot of songs. As pointed out previously, this is ironic, since he went on to become a very prolific and successful songwriter. I think they re-did "Get Rhythm" to give Al another song to sing and to also add another rocker to "Grooves In Orbit". As noted elsewhere, Bearsville honcho Albert Grossman was unhappy with the inclusion of "Daddy-o", so adding "Get Rhythm" may also have been done to keep albert happy, in that it was potentially more radio-friendly than "Daddy-o".

Not that it surprises me, but I never heard that Grossman wasn't happy about "Daddy-O," just that he hated "12 Bar Blues," thought it was a dumb song, and wanted it removed from the album. Terry explained that of all the songs they performed, "12 Bar Blues" got the best response, and that it was written by a friend, Jack Butwell, who was terminally ill, and they'd told him it was going to be on the album. Terry refused to let Bearsville remove the song, and Grossman said, fine, we're dropping all promotion for the album. I was working at a record store at the time, and we tried to order the "Rain At The Drive-In" 45, and BEARSVILLE WOULDN'T EVEN SHIP THE SINGLE! That's why the stock copy with the instrumental "Smackeroo" as the b-side is so hard to find. Not only that, they had signed a seven year contract, and Bearsville wouldn't let them release any new material under their own name until the contract expired. They could have just released them, but Grossman chose to be petty and vindictive. That's why archival stuff like Tapdancin' Bats and Lou And The Q got released when it did, they were in a holding pattern. They could still release the two live albums, and could record as a backing band for other artists, which may have been one reason for the album with Skeeter Davis (plus, they all loved Skeeter, of course). Sadly, Jack Butwell passed away before Grooves came out, and never got to hear the record. The next studio record of new material was Wild Weekend, released seven years later, in 1989.

As for Big Al, I've heard him say that he didn't really start writing a lot until he quit drinking in the early '90's. Once he stopped drinking, the songs just started pouring out of him and the money came rolling in...

[rstamberg]

NRBQ In Person was a Red Rooster 45 EP of 4 songs: Released in 1982 it was live 1980 recordings subtitled, a la Neil Diamond, "One Hot August Night!":

Do You Feel It?; Alone Again (Naturally); Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone; Time and Place

I was just wondering if the experts knew where and when those recordings were made.

I was able to pick it up on ebay, along with Bax on Wax, within the last two years for under $20.

Don't even know what other songs are on the cassette tape "Thanks for the Memories" aside from ones Bob Brainen played on his WFMU show. Never seen nor heard of the Q VHS tape, but am definitely curious.

I don't have the IN PERSON e.p. but I've got two copies of the official VHS tape and, of course, the great cassette. I should burn it to CD one of these days. Great magic box songs are included.

[John DeAngelis]

[B]Not that it surprises me, but I never heard that Grossman wasn't happy about "Daddy-O," just that he hated "12 Bar Blues," .

My understanding is that Grossman hated "Daddy-o" and an important person at Warner Brothers/Reprise hated "!2-Bar Blues."

[Bebe]

My understanding is that Grossman hated "Daddy-o" and an important person at Warner Brothers/Reprise hated "!2-Bar Blues."

That's probably right. I think the way it was told to me was that "they" hated "12 Bar Blues." I'd like to imagine that the important person is now flipping burgers somewhere.

[John DeAngelis]

That's probably right. I think the way it was told to me was that "they" hated "12 Bar Blues." I'd like to imagine that the important person is now flipping burgers somewhere.

He's doing quite well, actually.

[Bebe]

Yeah, but it's a nice fantasy.

[rstamberg]

I never heard of this, and I wonder how exactly would it have been enforced? How would you agree on what "out there" is? And the part about being allowed 2 "out there" songs doesn't ring true to me, because "Wild Weekend" is pretty commercial from start to finish. That said, I'm sure that Virgin told the band that if they were going to sign the band and spend a good amount of money on recording and promo budgets, they wanted an album that would be radio-friendly and the band, at that point in their career, understood that.

The quote came from Al Anderson to me, personally, at the end of 1985. But, in fact, NRBQ were nearly signed to Island Records, according to Al at the time. The mention of two "silly" or "out there" songs (I can't remember his exact phrase) was his. He also said, "I'm gonna quit those guys soon." He visited the publishing company I used to work for and a co-worker brought Al to meet me, knowing I was a fan. Al seemed pretty grumpy that day.

BTW, the new NRBQ live album, WE TRAVEL THE SPACEWAYS, which I received yesterday and am playing right now, is spectacular. And Tom's on it.

[Bebe]

I remember hearing (can't remember where) that the Q recorded around twenty-five songs for Wild Weekend, and agreed to let Virgin decide which ones would go on the record. If that's true, it would have allowed the Virgin people to make the subjective call as to what was too "out there." I figure they probably meant that they didn't want any "Welcome To Orlando" kinda stuff. We can probably all agree that was pretty out there. Typical NRBQ story with Virgin, the person who championed them to the label (Nancy Jeffries, I believe) left Virgin after the album came out, and they were left without anyone there who understood them and dropped shortly thereafter.

[bRETT]

I remember hearing (can't remember where) that the Q recorded around twenty-five songs for Wild Weekend, and agreed to let Virgin decide which ones would go on the record. If that's true, it would have allowed the Virgin people to make the subjective call as to what was too "out there." I figure they probably meant that they didn't want any "Welcome To Orlando" kinda stuff. We can probably all agree that was pretty out there. Typical NRBQ story with Virgin, the person who championed them to the label (Nancy Jeffries, I believe) left Virgin after the album came out, and they were left without anyone there who understood them and dropped shortly thereafter.

Problem with Wild Weekend is that there were zero "out there" songs on it...It just didn't feel like an NRBQ album without one. (Also, it was nearly all material that the band hadn't played live, so there was a certain coldness about it). Many great songs though, and I've heard the Spampoinato Bros. do "Like a Lotomotive," which I never heard the Q play.

By the way...The version of "Alone Again Naturally" on the In Person EP is the single funniest thing NRBQ have ever done. There's amusical joke in the middle that is just brilliant.