Emitt Rhodes's music failure- what happened?

The saddest part about those interviews and Rainbow Ends is that one of the biggest appeals to his early work is his youthful vigor and exeruberance. You can't help but feel the energy. Then he just becomes.... that bitter and dark and seemingly lonely and resentful man. Sad stuff.

 

Also, I get that the homophobia is rampant and its probably due to being abused or witnessing abuse as a kid, so I can understand that. But its shocking how he sounds like a big man child numerous times. "I wouldn't bend over in front of him" "I like girls" "he dressed like a girl". Thats just so juvenile from a man in his 60s and incredibly disappointing.

 

It’s more complicated. He was signed to a brutal deal requiring him to generate two albums a year plus additional material beyond that. He didn’t own the rights to his songs and what he was paid was a pittance of what they were worth. He also didn’t get the support of his label in a meaningful way. He also suffered from diabetes which was not diagnosed correctly at first. I personally feel all of his albums are terrific including his last album “Rainbow Ends”. I was hoping that someone would go through his archives. I’m sure there are demos he has there that deserve to be heard.

 

Unfortunately we only get to see two sides of Emitt. Young and prosperous writing songs on par with Harry Nilsson and Paul McCartney. Then there's old Emitt where life had taken some hits at him. We don't know much of that life between being a kid with a lot of ideas and what he became.

 

Indeed, it’s a very narrow window we have to view him through.

 

I've been seeing Emitt Rhodes' name pop up quite a bit lately on forums and discussion groups.

Get ready for Emitt Rhodes to join the fabled belated "greatest artists of all time" list along with Nick Drake, Big Star and all the others who didn't quite make it the first time around, but now suddenly discovered by a new generation hunting for musical buried treasure to claim as their own.

 

This seems a rather cynical comment. By my count, there’s been over 50 threads on this site over the years dedicated to Rhodes or the Merry-Go-Round.

 

Just some comments flowing from yours, not taking issue with anything.
Yeah, I think the contract he signed with Eddie Shaw was exploitive; I doubt very much he consulted with a lawyer beforehand. I wonder if such an unreasonable contract would have survived a court challenge?

I’ve often wondered what the enumerated particulars of the contract were re album content? I mean, did it say he had to write all/certain percentage of the material? Was he obliged to play all the instruments? Could he have had Joel or somebody else give him a hand? Could he have possibly added some covers to stretch out his own material?
I can think of no worse fate for a perfectionist than to be locked into an impossible contract that, by definition, put his artistic sensibilities in jeopardy. Whether he insisted on going it alone, or was required to as stipulated by terms of the contract, or whether he could’ve used outside help to speed up the process...I guess it’s all moot now. No sense in my second-guessing him. In truth, no one, with the possible exception of Elton John, could churn out records that quickly. And Elton had help.

 

Cynicism is a good thing. And he's right. People have an incessant need to put people on pedestals, wherein they begin making hyper-claims. Claims people can never live-up to, and the work is incapable of supporting. I discovered Terry Reid about 10 years ago, and I love his music, but there's a reason he became a footnote -- he never came close to delivering on the promise of his first two albums. Emitt Rhodes never delivered on the promise of his first album, irrespective of the claims made about his music . . .

 

Cynicism is not at all helpful when it’s combined with strawman arguments, generalizations, and condescending tones.

 

You can dismantle those things with a good counter-argument . . .

 

Consider yourself dismantled.

 

That’s just it, you see. I’ve seen nothing but unfocused accusations and snarky generalizations about fans who enjoy Rhodes’ music. These are not arguments, they are opinions. And this talk about pedestals...come on, now.

 

What I said, is not an opinion, it's an observation. An observation that provides a context people don't like. If you can explain the difference between an opinion and an argument, I'm all ears . . .

 

I have Emitt as a person filed somewhere between Danny Kirwan and Gene Clark. Somehow when he keeps making those homophobic slurs it's less offensive than about him, shocking definitely, but then, what happened to make this guy like this? Ultimately we'll never fully know, just a very dark outline of some kind looms there in his past besides the Palace Guard stuff (which may've been the tip of the berg he was able to mention). He may've had some partly undiagnosed 'personality disorder' maybe even exacerbated by some substance or other. The music can be joyous and beautiful; that redeems much!

Was Fairport Convention covering Emitt's Time Will Show The Wiser circa late 1967 the first time another artist recorded his work? I'm assuming they were aware of it via Joe Boyd.

 

Big Star and Emitt Rhodes have a similar story it seems. I hate Chris Bell threw in the towel as well and died so young.

 

Surely it's a raison d'etre for this forum is to help members discover neglected performers. That's a massive positive, I reckon. So many great musicians got lost by the wayside over the years and it's always a wonderful feeling to stumble across their music through a thread, here.

 

Why are we arguing about music in the first place? It is a subjective thing. There is no argument as to why someone should like something or shouldn't like something, that makes no sense. Liking or not liking music isn't a fact, so it can't be argued.

 

My proof-reading has been appalling today. Please scratch that "is! between "forum" and "to" !

 

From the ironic use of emojis to this tiresome retreat into semantics, I’m getting the sense you are more enamoured with the idea of arguing about arguing—for the sake of perpetuating an argument (the substance of which eludes me)—rather than, you know, discussing music in a way that is of interest to me. For that reason, I have no desire to continue this conversation.

 

Mine too. Very Macca.

 

He also only did a handful of shows promoting his records in the early 70's. Kind of like Nick Drake his live solo shows drop off after about a year; I remember reading reviews of a show he did at Lincoln Center in NY noting his erratic behavior on stage.

 

Oh that’s a top tune, isn’t it? The guitar has a wicked Glass Oniony sting, plus the bass is right up front. The Ringo fills are appreciated, too.

 

I have enjoyed all of Emmitt's music for many years and still do. I think it's a fair argument to make as he became more disillusioned, stressed, whatever, his music became less enjoyable - I like Rainbow's End but there is a bit of sour after taste. I think most of the songs are good enough that the record works for me and it's possible if I didn't know as much about him as I do, the bitterness wouldn't resonate as much.

His real life issues have nothing to do with the quality of the music on one hand but his story is so shrouded in music industry drama, dirt, broken dreams etc that when you hear him in interviews, his personality.... there is a child like caustic and arrested state. I'm still a fan but there's a part of me that wishes I knew nothing about him.

Having seen/read several interviews and saw the doc - he just does not come off well at all, ever - I think one of the main issues is he doesn't have any charismatic trait that overshadows his dark bitterness. He's not funny, no twinkle in his eye... just awkward and angry like he hasn't left his house much in the last 30 years.

Would be very interesting to see, if a magic wand were at hand, what kind of life he would have had if he chose another career.

 

I think the canonization you are referring to actually already happened about 20 years ago. Maybe you are just noticing it now due to his recent passing.