Emitt Rhodes's music failure- what happened?

A very odd man.

 

Granted, I know next to nothing about Emitt from 1973 and on, but this is the first I have heard about mental illness. That is unfortunate.

 

I love Emitt too.

 

Which other members?

 

Indeed! What a story!

 

Can someone elaborate on why he was "odd" or his mental health issues?

 

I'm not at home right now. I'll take a look and post when I get home.

 

The compilation in the OP video "Recordings 1969-1973" is a good one. Just get that with Merry Go Round's LP and "Rainbow Ends" if you want the "comeback" album and you are set.

 

Thanks!

 

Probably my favorite song by him. Got screwed by the record company, same old story that happened to many artists.

 

I'm not 100% sure but IIRC he lived in his mom's house for a good long while, and she took care of him for years and years.
And he was suing his own adult kids later in his life for some strange reasons.
And supposedly he had a really short temper, and was very moody.
Just some of what I have head over the years.
None that I would swear to. Just what I have read.

There is a documentary out there somewhere about Emitt. But I think his estate now owns it. So it only turns up sporadically, if at all.

Search on SHF for more. Lots of Emitt threads here.

 

Similar singing voices. I'd rather listen to ER than any of Paul's solo work though.

 

There’s nothing wrong with this :



I think it’s wonderful.

 

I love a lot of the music Emitt made.

 

Yours is better worded than mine, and more apropos, as well!

 

I agree. "Fresh As A Daisy" was a superb single. That LP does not have one duff track on it, wall to wall goodness. His best LP solo.

 

I sort of agree with you about the comeback album. I do enjoy it and it was great to finally hear Emitt again. But man, just about every lyric is some of the most bitter I've ever heard on a recording. The last time I played it I found it quite wearing. Poor guy, I know he went through a lot, but it seems he could not let anything go either.

 

A hugely talented guy, he was even in a group before The Merry-Go-Round, but let's just leave it at that was not a good experience at all. I know the Merry-Go-Round appeared on tv in L.A., probably nationally too? Live, Listen Listen (definite Sgt. Pepper's vibe) and Early In The Morning all seemed hit single material to me.

A&M put out some of the left-overs just as his first solo LP was dropping from Dunhill, that may've hurt somewhat. The ABC/Dunhill stuff is all worth having but it seemed to be a poisonous company for him and others (like P.F. Sloane). Again, have to leave it at that, I've been clued in by what you would call hear-say, some of which I find hard to really buy, especially about that early Palace Guard business, but sadly hoo nose.

Yeah, he was genuinely bitter in many respects later in life, not without cause, also not without a touch of dark humor.

 

You can chose to view Rainbow Ends as wearing, but for me, he speak his mind and while it’s musically almost the other side of the coin compared with his debut record, lyrically it’s the same themes. Note that on the debut he also speaks of dissapointments, letdowns and that he is hurt. The big difference on Rainbow Ends is that he is now a matured man with a lower voice. The melodies are still there, strong as ever. The debut may be ‘happier’ in sound, but for me, Rainbow Ends is nearly just as strong. I can feel every word he is singing. That said, and this is my opinion formed from the interviews over the years, I don’t find him a very likeable person. Indeed he had issues. And his language-use is baffeling. Almost like a Jekyll/Hyde persona, compared to his fabulous songs.

 

I must say I find ‘She’s Such A Beauty’ a bit sencond-rate. Otherwise, it’s a great record. However, my overall favourite remains ‘Mirror’.

 

Sure, the first album presented heartbreak and disappointment, but that was standard fare in pop music at the time. Not every song addressed these issues either. On the final album, the music is often beautiful, but the lyrics sound like a bitter, bitter old man. I hear very little maturity or acceptance in them, which is very sad. The songs probably are an expression of who he was by that time. RIP Emitt.

 

This interview turns very dark quickly. It sounds like he went through some really bad stuff in his early days in the industry. He was such a bright kid. Very sad.

 

I remember hearing that interview. About ten years previously, The Big Takeover had an interview that was pretty much just as heartbreaking. He seems to be a little more detailed in this one.

 

That interview starts to get bumpy when half sisters comes up, and then it's really fully going to hit the ditch when Palace Guard and the Hullabaloo club gets focused on. Uh oh... warning Will Robinson, danger. Someone should've told this interviewer to start in the present and then, maybe, maaaybe, gone backwards. "Real life sucks buddy."

 

A few years after basically fading away, he was helping to produce stuff like this: