Gun Hill Road (aka Gunhill Road)
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1971-73) - Steven Goldrich -- keyboards, backing vocals - Glenn Leopold -- vocals, guitar, keyboards - Gil Roman -- bass, guitar, backing vocals
supporting musicians: (1971) - Tom Wynder -- drums, percussion
line up 1 (1973-76) - Steven Goldrich -- keyboards, backing vocals - Glenn Leopold -- vocals, guitar, keyboards NEW - Paul Reisch -- bass, backing vocals, guitar (replaced Gil Roman)
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- Gunhill Road
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Genre: pop Rating: 2 stars ** Title: First Stop Company: Mercury Catalog:
SR 61341 Country/State: Mount Vernon, New York Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $20.00
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While this band has never made much of an impact on me, they've been performing and recording since the early 1970s so they must have something going for them. I've got two of their five albums (never seen, or heard the last three), so perhaps one day I'll figure it out.
Always wondered why the first album was credited to "Gun Hill Road" while the second was marketed as "Gunhill Road". It's also odd that performing under the name "Gunhill Road', the trio's 1972 sophomore LP is quite common. Their 1971 debut isn't exactly rare, or in demand, but it's much harder to locate a copy in decent shape. When I stumbled across a copy at a local flea market I grabbed it.
This
Mount Vernon, New York trio came together in 1969. Fronted by
singer/multi-instrumentalist Glenn Leopold, the band was rounded out by
keyboard player Steven Goldrich and bassist Gil Roman. The trio's
initial break came when they attracted the of Paul Colby who hired them to
play at his New York club The Bitter End. SIgning on as their manager,
Colby's support helped them
"First
Stop" track listing: 1.) 42nd Street (Glen Leopold) - 3:15 Imagine a young Billy Joel having listened to too much America and you'll get a feel for the heavily orchestrated storyteller-styled ballad '42nd Street'. Musically the song showcased their blended vocals while cramming a lot of lyrics into three minutes. I didn't find anything here particularly appealing, though Mercury tapped the song as a promotional 45. A slightly revamped version of the song appeared on their second album.
- 1971's '42ns Street' b/w 'I Have a Friend' (Mercury catalog number 73232)
2.) My Lady Loves the Day (Glen Leopold) - 3:48 rating: *** stars The keyboard powered ballad 'My Lady Loves the Day' showcased Leopold's dry voice. Pretty melody (once again there were lots of lyrics), though Tony Daville's heavy instrumentation didn't do the song any benefits. 3.) Man of Trade (Glen Leopold) - 3:00 rating: ** stars 'Man of Trade' found Leopold "toughening" up his sound. The lyrics seemingly tell the story of a petty criminal with his hands in drug dealing and prostitution. Imagine an earnest, second-tier Paul Simon tune ... Lots of heavy strings and expect to hear the title repeated time after time after time ... 4.) I Have a Friend (Glen Leopold) - 2:00 rating: *** stars The simplistic, bouncy song structure was simultaneously attractive and appalling in that hearing 'I Have a Friend' I couldn't help but feel I could write something as sophisticated. The lyric "I have a friend, she trips every day ..." made me laugh. I will admit their harmonies were sweet. 5.) New York Morning (Glen Leopold) - 3:01 rating: *** stars Another up-tempo tune, breaking up sucks ... Guess it's just as crappy in New York City. 6.) Cargoes (Glen Leopold) - 3:45 rating: ** stars New York version of Al Stewart giving you a quick lesson in immigration ... This wasn't one that was going to get you out on the dance floor.
(side
2) The acoustic guitar opening was pretty, but from there on 'Daybreak' lacked anything to distinguish it from the thousands of other acoustic ballads you've heard. 2.) Thoughtcatcher (Glen Leopold) - 3:00 rating: *** stars Complete with Tom Wynder on drums, 'Thoughtcatcher' at least sported a full band arrangement. The collection's most rock oriented performance, the trio even managed to display a touch of energy on this one. 3.) Baked Bean Band (Glen Leopold) - 5:02 rating: * star I find old timey songs to be a source of unending irritation and 'Baked Bean Band' is no exception. It's not cute. It's not funny. 4.) I Will Never Face the World Again (Glen Leopold) - 3:04 rating: *** stars Another piano and harpsichord powered ballad, 'I Will Never Face the World Again' had one thing going for it - the Beach Boys-styled harmonies. The rest of this heavily orchestrated ballad was forgettable. 5.) Gun Hill Road (Glen Leopold) - 2:57 rating: *** stars The title track was another tune that benefitted from a full band arrangement. In this case the tune sounded a bit like a decent Cowsills performance. Kudos to Roman for the melodic bass line.
For anyone interested, the band have a FaceBook page at: http://tinyurl.com/GunhillRoad
The also have a web presence at: Gunhill Road | The Band | Official Website (gunhillroadmusic.com)
© Scott R. Blackerby July 2024
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gain
additional exposure opening for a wide array of touring acts ranging from
Ace Trucking Company, to Kris
Kristofferson and even Bette Midler. Those performances brought
them to the attention of Mercury Records where they made their recording
debut with 1971's Joy Leer produced "First Step."
With Leopold responsible for penning all eleven tracks, this is one of those
albums that's just never made much of an
impact on me. I've listened to it several times; put it aside and come
back again to give it another shot, only to remain disappointed. At
least to my ears musically the album bore the influences of a bunch of
different acts - young Billy Joel, early America, Al Stewart As
you'd expect from a bunch of serious young guys, the lyrics and music were
frequently earnest, seemingly commenting on social and personal issues
('42nd Street and 'Manof Trade'). Perhaps that was part of my problem
with the album. With the exception of 'Thoughtcatcher' they just
didn't sound like they were having much fun. And while I like a short
history lesson as much as anyone, getting
hit by immigration insights on a track like 'Cargoes' wasn't exactly the
high point of my day. Elsewhere I guess tracks like 'Baked
Bean Band' were intended to be funny and
maybe they were in a live setting. Not here. Add in Tony
Daville's heavy orchestration and there wasn't anything exceptional across
these grooves. Mercury certainly had no idea what to do with the
trio and when the album fizzled, the label wasted no time dropping them from
it's recording roster.