Bones
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969-72) - Casey Cunningham -- drums, percussion - Danny Faragher -- keyboards, horns, vocals - Jimmy Faragher -- bass, sax vocals - Greg Tornquist -- guitar, vocals
line up 2 (1972-73) - Casey Cunningham -- drums, percussion - Danny Faragher -- keyboards, horns, vocals - Jimmy Faragher -- bass, sax vocals NEW - Patrick McClure -- guitar - Greg Tornquist -- guitar, vocals
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- The C Minors - Danny Faragher (solo efforts) - The Faragher Brothers - The Intercoms - L.A. Jazz Choir - Peppermint Trolley (Casey cunningham - Danny Faragher - Jimmy Faragher - Greg Tornquist)
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Genre: pop Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Bones Company: Signpost Catalog: SP
8402 Country/State: Redlands, California Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 104 Price: $20.00
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Bones is an interesting example of a group trying to adapt to changing public tastes with minimal success.
Brothers Danny (keyboards) and Jimmy (bass) Faragher started their professional musical careers as members of The Mark Five. By 1966 they'd shifted their attention to the lucrative field of power pop. Working with guitarist Casey Cunningham and drummer Greg Tornquist, as The Peppermint Trolley Company they released a couple of singles and an album for ACTA Records (catalog number A-38007).
None generated much attention or sales and by 1969 the group's power pop phase was history. Playing under the name Bones, they'd ditched the striped pants and ruffle shirts in favor of denim and cowboy boots, moving to a more conventional pop-rock repertoire. The band struggled to make a living over the next three years; playing college frat parties, clubs, including serving as house band at L.A.'s Gazzarri and spending blocks of time rehearsing. By 1971 they'd begun to attract attention of major labels, eventually signing with Richard Perry's management company. Perry helped the band sign with Artie Mogul's Atlantic affiliated Signpost label and he produced their cleverly-titled 1972 debut "Bones", While the cover photo gave you the impression these guys had morphed into a country-rock outfit, with Jimmy Faragher responsible for the majority of the material, the album exhibited a very commercial pop-rock edge. Exemplified by tracks like 'Oh Darlin'', 'Prisoner of Love' and 'Have Your Fun' Faragher's material was full of catchy, radio-friendly melodies, bright vocals and sweet harmony vocals. Having a pair of capable singers in Danny and Jimmy certainly didn't hurt the proceedings. For the record, Danny's voice was better on the harder rocking numbers ('L.A. Isabella'), while Jimmy had the edge on the more pop-oriented selections ('He Said'). The one thing lacking was a breakout performance - there was no performance that jumped down your throat as a must-hear effort. That wasn't meant as a slam since this was one of those rare albums that got better the more you heard it. So who could you compare these guys to ? It's a bit of a stretch, but imagine The Hudson Brothers had they ditched the comedy shtick and decided they wanted to be a real rock band ...
MCA promo photo for their sophomore album
"Bones" track listing: 1.) Good Luck (Jimmy Faragher) - 2:41 rating: **** stars Showcasing Jimmy on lead vocals, 'Good Luck' was probably the closest the album came to a country-rocker. Built on the insidiously catchy title track refrain and a surprisingly effective harmonica arrangement, this one should have generated some radio airplay for the band. It was tapped as the lead off single, but without any promotional support, did little commercially.
- 1972's 'Good Luck' b/w 'Door To Door Love' (Signpost catalog number SP 70005)
2.) Oh Darlin' (Jimmy Faragher) - 3:49 rating: *** stars 'Oh Darlin'' displayed the band's obvious affection for '50s doo-wop, but in a good way. A totally sweet and beguiling tune, this was the kind of song your grandma could listen to without fear of being taken over by a demonic possession. I usually dislike horns on a pop song, but this was one of the exceptions. 3.) The Bust Song (Jimmy Faragher) - 3:36 rating: **** stars A breezy rocker, 'The Bust Song' had everything going for it - catchy melody; sterling vocals and a happenin' lyric. It should have been the 'A" side release on their single. 4.) Door To Door Love (Jimmy Faragher) - 3:53 rating: **** stars The band's stab at blues-rock, 'Door To Door Love' was the collection's heaviest tune. With a slinky rhythm pattern and Danny's best vocal performance (Joe Cocker would have killed to get his voice sounding like this), it made for one of my favorite songs. 5.) Prisoner of Love (Jimmy Faragher) - 3:34 rating: **** stars Glistening power pop, 'Prisoner of Love' had top-40 written all over it. 100 times better than 'Roberta' in terms of commercial appeal and my pick for the album's standout performance.
(side
2) Just my opinion, but I've always thought these guys were at their best when they upped the rock quotient and 'L.A. Isabella' was a perfect example. 2.) He Said (Jimmy Faragher) - 3:19 rating: ** stars The album's most conventional ballad, 'He Said' had a distinctive country-rock edge. With a very pretty melody and an unexpectedly subtle arrangement from producer Perry, this was another song that would have sounded good on mid-1970s radio. 3.) Roberta (Huey Piano Smith - J. Vincent) - 3:58 rating: *** stars The album's lone non-original, I fully understand why Signpost picked 'Roberta' as a single. That doesn't mean I agree with their decision. A '50s-flavored rockabilly-tinged number, this was the kind of tribute that Happy Days fans went crazy for. Mind you, the song wasn't half bad with Danny turning in some pounding keyboards and their performance was upbeat and enthusiastic. The problem was there were so many superior songs on the album ...
- 1972's 'Roberta' b/w 'The Bust Song' (Signpost catalog number SP 70008) 4.) Have Your Fun (Jimmy Faragher) - 2:36 rating: *** stars With a mild Caribbean lilt, 'Have Your Fun' was a throwaway slice of fun. Bet this one was fun to hear in a concert arena. 5.) Bustin' My Heart (Danny Faragher) - 2;25 rating: ** stars A stark ballad (just Danny and keyboard), 'Bustin' My Heart' sounded like a rough demo. The track sounds very out of place surrounded by the more polished performances. 6.) Take a Little Bit (Jimmy Faragher) - 3:11 rating: **** stars Easily the album's standout performance, 'Take a Little Bit' found that sweet spot between rock and pop moves. Great song with a fantastic lead vocal from Jimmy.
After Bones fell apart the Faraghers recorded some materials as "The Faragher Brothers".
Danny has an extensive website at: http://www.dannyfaragher.com/
The site includes an extensive write-up on Bones: http://www.dannyfaragher.com/bones.html
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The
band stayed together long enough to release a 1973 follow-on for MCA "Waitin'
Here" (MCA catalog number MCA-357). Not that I've
put a great deal of effort into it, but I've yet to
find a copy.