Whatever happened to Rare Earth?

The All Music guide has a bit about Rare Eart at http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=But5uak5k5m3z

Seems that they broke up in 1978.

btw, I hope you've since seen to this serious gap in your musical education

 

A friend of mine saw them perform here in the Detroit area about 10 years ago, at a local bar. He said they were excellent, much better (more energetic, I guess) than he expected...he didn't know how many original members were left, but I assume Peter Rivera was one of them.

Speaking of Peter Rivera, he has a website, www.peterrivera.com, plus it looks like he performs with a band of "all-stars", which you can check out at www.classroc.com

 

Try:

http://www.peterrivera.com/index.html

 

I have a transfer of the rare Q4 reel (Japanese)=>DTS of Get Ready, quadrophonic. Absolutely a must-hear. That was a great reel.

I believe there is a bit of Rare Earth that appeared on various Motown compilations, uncompressed, and there's the 2-CD set compilation that MIGHT ooze some pure sonics, but I'm not sure.

 

I've got an lp of their album Ma but have never listened to it. I snagged it from a friend's family collection because the cover was great. I'll give it a spin.

 

Steve:

I have never heard your (sans fake audience version) of "Get Ready"...That's gotta' be good since I always disliked that fake audience!

As for your question about the Greatest Hits comps. Compressed or non-compressed I'm NOT sure but what I am sure of is that with YOUR knowledge I need only mention who did the sound and you will probably know...

"Earth Tones: The Essential Rare Earth" 1994 Motown #31453-0357-2 was Digitally Remastered by Bill Inglot & Dan Hersch (All LP versions on this!)

The Best of Rare Earth (The Millennium Collection) 2001 Motown #012 159 603-2 was Digitally Remastered by Suha Gur (All LP versions on this!)

My personal favorite collection is a rare 2 on 1 CD of "Get Ready"/"Ecology"
1986 Motown # MCD08033MD Mastered by John Matousek & Robert Robitaille (For some reason this CD has all LP cuts EXCEPT "I Know I'm Losing You" which is the original 45 edit, which I really enjoy!) The "Get Ready" album is, in my opinion, their best and most fun album to listen to today! Their non-hit originals, "Magic Key" and "In Bed" are great overlooked gems that sadly NEVER turn up on any Greatest Hits comps! I would look for THIS CD for starters!

I also have in my collection their CD called "MA" 1994 Motown #31453-0279-2 Digitally Mastered by Inglot & Hersch. I never had this album and I was just interested in hearing something else by Rare Earth when I found this sealed for $10 dollars a few years ago at a Chicago music store! I wasn't impressed with it, dispite being Produced by Norman Whitfield!

Hope this helps you!?!

Chris C

 

That's OK Steve. Up until 1995 I thought Elton John was singing "hold me closer Tony Danza"

 

I'm going to have to dig around the CD collection a bit and see what I have for Rare Earth 45 edits, which are the ones I prefer, though if you want the stereo 45 mix of "Get Ready" it's easy enough to find: buried amidst that endless Lp version some of you dig so much(gives me the yawns). 'Course on TOGA ROCK II somebody(too late to keep him nameless!) left out the audience sounds, so when I wanted to burn that one for a CD, well....no dice. Sounds great, though, but I just can't listen to it unless it has the overdub--still a singles buyer first, I got so used to it--and the friggin' thing took forever to hit the national top ten--that it's ingrained in the membrane, to quote some hip-hop outfit whose name I can't remember this early in the a.m.

There doesn't seem to be a definitive Rare Earth singles comp, though I do think Grant mentioned VERY BEST OF RARE EARTH a while back, but it seems to be OOP, dammit. I have a feeling I can really use that one, and I'm not alone, obviously; at the least, the erstwhile starter of this thread could use a copy too, apparently. Rare Earth always had a raffish kind of charm, but they make me laugh more than anything, because those attempts at Motown classics were definitely garage-band stuff; hell, they were Motown's resident white boy bar band for a few years. I once quoted Dave Marsh somewhere as saying about just the signing of the group to the label(I think they first recorded for Verve, believe it or not), "Where was Berry Gordy--out to lunch?" Well, no, probably in L.A., making plans for that big movie mogul career that never quite took off.
My sister thinks Rare Earth's early stuff is fantastic, despite my best efforts to dissuade her...

Oh well...we all have our guilty pleasures, and Rare Earth is guilty as charged. Norman Whitfield, too, come to think of it. Great producer/writer; Motown 1968-73 would have been dead in the water without him.

ED

 

Ed, The Very Best of Rare Earth (Suha Gur 20bit remaster) is a surprisingly good recording, IMO; I didn't know that this title was OOP though; I picked mine up a year or so ago from a used CD bin for $7.98.

BTW, Steve, et al., there is an excellent DVD (well, some of it is excellent anyway) under the title "The Living Legends of Rock 'n Roll, Live from Itchycoo Park" that includes a Rare Earth performance from a couple of years back. One of the remarkable things about this video is that it includes rare live performances of bands like Steppenwolf with John Kay and Rare Earth with a stunningly clear widescreen anamorphic presentation. This DVD is a real gem, IMO; the only drawback is that several of the bands have few original members performing in them and in these instances it doesn't do justice to memories of the originals. On a positive note though, while I'm not absolutely sure, I think Peter Hoorelbeke [aka Peter Rivera] is still "fronting" the band behind the drum kit and in excellent voice! Note: The performance is tight and he sounds right, but if it's him, the dude sure hasn't aged as much as I would've thought for a classic rocker from the early 70's!



Cat

 

The "20 Hard To Find Motown Classics" include 4 hits by Rare Earth in Volumes I and II.

Sound uncompressed to me. They are very early CDs so likely to be straight transfers from compilation tapes.

 

Not to take credit away from anyone, but were the Motown Session guys used on the Rare Earth sessions? I heard "Get Ready" a couple months back and I could have sworn it was James Jamerson on bass.

 

It is. I have Vol II with "Celebrate". That's exactly the CD I meant.

 

Hello Sckott.

Do you know if Volume IV is available with the original cover style, not the one that looks like a single?

Thanks in advance.

 

Re: Re: Whatever happened to Rare Earth?

Actually he have been singing just that

Just kidding Reg

Peace

Norm

 

I doubt it. I haven't seen one in years.

Confirmed: "Earth Tones" The Essential Rare Earth, UNi 31453-0357-2 does sound really good, but is maximized and compressed in places. "Get Ready" sounds a tad bright, but takes a beating on the UV.