The Hudson Brothers
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1964-67) as the My Sirs - Kent Fillmore -- vocals, guitar - Bill Hudson -- vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
- Brett Hudson - vocals, bass, percussion
line up 2 (1964-67) as The New Yorkers - Kent Fillmore -- vocals, guitar - Bill Hudson -- vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
- Brett Hudson - vocals, bass, percussion
line up 3 (1968-70) NEW - Bob Haworth -- vocals, guitar (replaced Kent Fillmore) - Bill Hudson -- vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
- Brett Hudson - vocals, bass, percussion
line up 3 (1970-71) as Everyday Hudson - Bill Hudson -- vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
- Brett Hudson - vocals, bass, percussion
backing musicians (1974) - B.J. Cole -- steel guitar - Clive Franks -- keyboards - Jimmy Hall -- keyboards - Davey
Johnston -- mandolin
backing musicians (1974) - Craig Krampf -- drums, percussion - Mike Parker (RIP 2011) -- keyboards - Barry Pullman -- synthesizers - Phil Reed -- guitar
backing musicians (1975) - Randall J. Foole -- percussion, backing vocals - Peter Lyon -- guitar - Michael Parker -- organ, keyboards - Barry Pullman -- organ, synthesizers - Tom Scott -- sax
backing musicians (1980) - John D'Andrea -- sax - The Black Figure -- bass, backing vocals - Steve Dudas -- guitar, accordion - Randy Foote -- percussion, backing vocals - Mark Hart -- keyboards - Michael Lloyd -- keyboards - Bill Payne -- keyboards - Bill Thomas -- drums - Tom Scott - sax
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- The Boneyard Brothers (Mark Hudson) - Everyday Hudson - The MySirs - The New Yorkers
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Genre: pop Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Hollywood Situation Company: NBLP 7004 Catalog: Casablanca Year: 1974 Country/State: Portland, Oregon Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 2 Catalog ID: 2724 Price: $10.00
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Another example of overnight sensations - not ...
Born and raised Portland, Oregon brothers Bill, Brett, and Mark Mark Hudson had been professional musicians since the mid-'60s. Starting out as The My Sirs (along with singer/guitarist Kent Fillmore), in 1966 the quartet won a local battle-of-the-bands contest. The resulting publicity saw them making inroads playing dances, parties, store openings (including at least one K-Mart), and local clubs, They also recorded a split single for the small Santana label. The flip side 'City Girls' was recorded The Fury Four:
- 1965's 'Things Are Changing' b/w 'City Girl' (Santana catalog number 6602 / 6603)
The single caught the attention of Chrysler's marketing group which saw an opportunity to market their cars to a younger generation of consumers. Seeing their single as an opportunity to appeal to a younger generation off consumers, the resulting deal saw the group re-branded as The New Yorkers (as in Chrysler New Yorker). In their capacity as brand ambassadors, between school (they were still in High School), they toured Chrysler dealerships playing at various Chrysler sponsored events.
Still in their teens, they were signed by Scepter, the label released their national debut in 1967:
- 1967's 'When I'm Gone' b/w 'You're Not My Girl' (Scepter catalog number SCE 12190)
That was quickly followed by a pair of follow-on 45s:
- 1967's 'Seeds of Spring' b/w 'Mr. Kirby' (Scepter catalog number SCE 12199) - 1967's 'Again' b/w 'Show Me the Way To Love' (Scepter catalog number SCE 12207)
In a typical example of music business processes, the group discovered their manager had embezzled most of their earnings. Frustrated, the went home to Portland and basically dropped out of busic for the next year.
In 1968 they decided to give it another shot, replacing Fillmore with Bob Haworth. Over the next two years they released a string of four singles for various labels (including Jerry Dennon's Jerden Records) under a couple of different nameplates:
- 1968's 'Ice Cream World' b/w 'Adrienne' (Jerden catalog number 906) - 1969's 'Land of Ur' b/w 'Michael Clover' (Jerden catalog number 908) - 1969's 'I Guess the Lord Must be In New York City' b/w 'Do Wah Diddy' (Decca catalog number 32569)
For some reason Decca marketing decided a name change was the key to a breakthrough. Redubbed Everyday Hudson and now down to a trio, the brothers recorded another single; toured the East Coast; and when Decca gave up on the band, they headed back to Portland.
- 1970's 'Laugh, Funny Funny' b/w 'Love Is The Word' (Decca catalog number 732634)
For what it's worth, a couple of the New Yorker discographies reflect a 1969 single on Warner Brothers 'Lonely' b/w 'There'll Come a Time'. The single exists, but if you listen to two songs, with a lead female singer and a soul sound, they sure don't appear to be The Hudsons.
More than happy to capitalize on the group's CBS summer replacement television show, Neil Bogart's Casablanca Records signed them to a contract. Originally only interested in a single, after hearing 'Hollywood Situation' Bogart decided to finance an album, the result being 1974's 'Hollywood Situation". While Casabanca saw a marketing opportunity, the trio's television links proved a benefit and a curse. On the positive side, the show, and a CBS Saturday morning kids show (The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show), guaranteed wide exposure to a young generation with spending money. At the other end of the spectrum, it ensured they had zero credibility with anyone over 16. At also set them up as a target for critics who were merciless, comparing them to The Monkees and other minimal-talent studio entities. That criticism overlooked the fact The Hudsons wrote most of their material and were capable musicians. At their best like the title track, the single 'So You Are a Star', and 'Three of Us', these guys were stunning. Comparisons to McCartney and McCartney influenced bands like Badfinger, Emmit Rhodes, and The Raspberries were all apt. The biggest problem was the album was recorded in a rush. That's obvious by the inclusion of two tracks from the television show - the extended spoken word skit 'The Adventures of Chucky Margolis' (which made little sense without the visuals), and the 'Razzle Dazzle' theme song. Shame they were given a little more time to turn in a complete album.
Sadly the critics won the day and with their television series being cancelled after one season, the album could do no better than # 176 on the US charts.
Be aware the track sequence shown on the back cover doesn't match the actual running order. The proper order is reflected below.
"Hollywood
Situation" track listing: 1.) Hollywood Situation (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:49 rating: **** stars 'Hollywood Situation' was the tune that captured Casablanca's attention and was originally planned as their leadoff single. For anyone who thought these guys were nothing more than a television joke, the title track will come as a major shock. Power pop ? Commercial rock ? Who cares about the musical label ? Opening up with one of the catchiest guitar riffs I've heard in a long time and the nifty refrain,the tune melded a first-rate rock melody with a set of funny lyrics that took dead aim at their reputations. The song was just that friggin' good !!! 2.) So You Are a Star (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 3:45 rating: **** stars Sweet, Badfinger/Emitt Rhodes-styled pop ballad. Nice showcase for the brothers' sweet harmony vocals. Supposedly inspired by Bill's future wife Goldie Hawn, the song was actually written before the two ever met. The track was tapped as a single:
- 1974's 'So You Are a Star' b/w 'Ma Ma Ma Baby' (Casablanca catalog number NB 801) # 21 pop
The video and sound quality aren't great, but YouTube has a clip of the brothers lip synching the tune on their television show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXmc7dk73PA 3.) Ma Ma Ma Baby (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:30 rating: **** stars Complete with fuzz guitar, 'Ma Ma Ma Baby' found the brothers trying to toughen up their sound, while retaining a radio friendly baseline. A bit calculated, but still quite enjoyable than their harmonies were first-rate. 4.) Strike Up the Boys In the Band (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:55 rating: *** stars Harmless, autobiographical rocker with some nice keyboards from the late Mike Parker. 5.) Coochie Coochie Coo (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:53 Another Badfinger-styled rocker ... Even better than 'So You Are a Star', it was tapped as a promo 45 in the States and a stock release elsewhere:
- 1975's 'Coochie Coochie Coo' b/w 'Me and My Guitar' (Casablanca catalog number NB 816) # 108 pop
Wonderful, slightly English sounding pop tune with excellent harmonies and tasty Phil Reed lead guitar - always liked the backward tape section. 2.) The Adventures of Chucky Margolis (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:33 rating; * star Not a song, rather dialog from a skit on their television show. Bong jokes ? Wow, '70s television was apparently a little more open in terms of material, the material hasn't aged all that well. The laugh track was appalling. Courtesy of YouTube you can judge for yourself Courtesy of YouTube you can judge for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAeflCEBwHo To their credit, the brothers apparently fought hard to have the skit eliminated from the album, but clearly lost the battle. 3.) Three of Us (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:45 rating; **** stars Another autobiographical, but a lovely look back on their past. Eric Carmen and the Raspberries would have killed to have penned something as good. 4.) Song for Stephanie (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 6:45 rating; **** stars Sweet ballad showcasing some of their best guitar work. 5.) Cry, Cry, Cry (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 3:02 rating; **** stars 'Cry, Cry, Cry' was my pick for the album's standout tune. A luscious pop melody with a refrain that screamed top-40 exposure 6.) Razzle Dazzle (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 1:35 rating; ** stars The "theme" from their Saturday morning kids show on CBS - this was nothing more than the title track repeated over and over and over and over with Barry Pullman adding various Moog blips and burps in the background...
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Genre: pop Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Ba Fa Company: Rocket/MCA Catalog: PIG 2169 Year: 1975 Country/State: Portland, Oregon Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: no poster insert Available: 1 Catalog ID: 1259 Price: $10.00
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Produced by Elton John writing partner Bernie Taupin, 1975's "Ba Fa" found the Hudson Brothers doubling down on their brand of English-influenced pop. Unfortunately they were running out of time, falling victim to ever changing popular tastes which were about to leave conventional pop in their collective rear view mirrors. Exemplified by this album, these guys were good. Yes, exemplified by tracks like 'Spinning the Wheel (with the Girl You Love)' and 'oh Gabriel' they wore their Fab Four inspirations on their sleeves (but so did lots of other bands). Throw in nods to The Beach Boys ('Rendezvous' and part of ' Bernie was a Friend of Ours '), and even a little Elton John ('Apple Pie Hero'), and you had a wonderful set of radio-friendly pop-rock. The sad fact is these guys never had a chance. Signing by CBS to do "The Hudson Brothers Show" followed by the Saturday morning kiddies series "The Razzle Dazzle Comedy Hour" may have endeared them to a generation of American children, but to anyone outside of that young demographic, they were dirt. It simply didn't matter how cute they were. It didn't matter how good their songs were. It didn't matter how messed up their personal lives may have been. If you were sixteen or older, these guys were simply un-cool. Yes, you may have listened to the songs in private, but there was no way you were going to ever admit that to your friends. Shame since "Ba Fa" was so much better than most of the "hits" dominating 1975 airwaves.
"Totally
Out of Control" track listing: 1.) Spinning the Wheel (with the Girl You Love) (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 3:41 Beatlesque, but in a second generation fashion - which was not necessarily a bad thing. To my ears 'Spinning the Wheel (with the Girl You Love)' has always sounded like a Badfinger, The Raspberries, or Emitt Rhodes tune. Highly commercial and top-40 ready, it was hard not to like this glistening should've-been-a-massive-hit. Michael Parker's end-of-song freak-out organ solo was an album highlight. rating: **** stars 2.) Hard On Me (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 3:09 Atypical hard rocker that you probably didn't want a ten year old to listen to ... well today the lyrics are very PG. Nice to hear them toughen up their sound a bit. rating: **** stars 3.) Oh Gabriel (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 4:08 With a distinctive English edge, 'Oh Gabriel' was another tune with a McCartney/Badfinger edge. One of the prettiest songs the brothers ever wrote, though Bob Alcivar's lush Sgt-Pepper-ish arrangement kind of took over the second half of the song. rating: **** stars 4.) Smooth Talker (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 3:02 Slinky rocker that should have been released as a single. rating: **** stars 5.) My Career (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 3:43 Nice autobiographical ballad that would have been even better without the heavy orchestration. rating: *** stars 6.) Lonely School Year (Bernie Taupin - Michael Parker) - 3:16 Written by producer Taupin, 'Lonely School Year' was a near perfect pop song seemingly written with the group's 10 - 15 year old audience plainly in mind. One of the best examples of the trio's wonder harmony vocals. Rocket tapped this as the album's second single. rating: **** stars
I remember hearing this rocker and thinking it had been written by Taupin. The tune just had a mid-'70s Elton John vibe; hard to put your finger on it, but the jump beat just sounded like an Elton John tune. Guess the influence/inspiration came from working with Taupin. Anyhow, anyone who didn't think the brothers could actually rock out might want to check this one out. rating: **** stars 2.) Playmate (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 4:42 I always smile when I hear the ballad 'Playmate'. With a trembling, gasping vocal, this heavily orchestrated ballad was a near perfect nod to Robin Gibb. In fact the Hudsons came very close to out-Bee Gee-ing the Bee Gees on this one. rating: **** stars 3.) Rendezvous (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson - Bruce Johnston)- 3:30 Probably not a surprise, but co-written with Beach Boys associate Bruce Johnston, 'Rendezvous' sounded a lot like a Beach Boys tune. Mindless top-40 pop (they most sing the title 50 times), with the brothers even nailing The Beach Boys-styled vocals. Rocket tapped it as the lead-off single. rating: *** stars 4.) With Somebody Else (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 4:10 'With Somebody Else' was another Badfinger-styled ballad. Since I'm a big fan of Badfinger, this one was another favorite. rating: **** stars 5.) Bernie was a Friend of Ours (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 4:11 Maybe just coincidence, but you'd suspect a song with the title '' might have had something to do with producer Taupin. The album's most complex composition, the tune was a pretty keyboard-powered ballad with kind of an English music hall feel complete with Sgt. Pepper-styled psych trumpets popping into the mix, before detouring into Beatlesque medley and Beach Boys directions. rating: *** stars 6.) My Heart Can't Take It (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 1:24 Very stark McCartney-esque ballad - speculation, but perhaps a reflection of brother Bill's break-up with Goldie Hawn ?. rating: *** stars
The singles were:
- 1975's 'Rendezvous' b/w 'Medley' (Rocket catalog number MCA 40417) - 1975's 'Lonely School Year' b/w 'If You really Need Me' (Rocket catalog number PIG 40464)
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Genre: pop Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Totally Out of Control Company: Rocket/MCA Catalog: MCA-460 Year: 1974 Country/State: Portland, Oregon Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear; gimmick sleeve; cut corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5005 Price: $10.00
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While such sentiments may not endear me with many folks, but if the truth be told, 1974's "Totally Out of Control" stands as one of the best Beatles-influenced albums ever released. Anyone into Badfinger or Jeff Lynne era ELO will probably find this stuff irresistible.
One of the first acts to be signed to Elton John's Rocket Records, the collection was produced by long standing Elton John sidekick/collaborator Bernie Taupin. The presence of keyboardist Clive Franks and guitarist Davey Johnstone further underscored the Elton John connection (both were members of his recording and touring band). Recorded in England and France the album sported a thoroughly Anglicized sound and made for a fascinating game of spot-the-Beatles-influence. I won't bother giving you a song-by-song rundown, but some of the highlights include the general feel off 'Lover Come Back To Me' and 'Be a Man', the Lennon-esque rocker 'Killer on the Road', Bill Hudson's George Harrison-styled guitar on 'Dolly Day' and 'If You Really Need Me' and the McCartney-styled vocals on 'Straight Up and Tall'. Personal favorites included the scorching son-of-'Drive My Car' - 'Sunday Driver' and ''. Sure, there's nothing original here, but who cares when the songs and performances are as strong as '' and ''. (Give the album an extra nod for the fascinating Sgt. Pepper-styled cover ... wonder how they got away with the KKK figure!)
One single was pulled from the LP:
- 'If You Really Need Me' b/w the non-LP 'Lonely School Year' (Rocket catalog number PIG-40464)
"Totally
Out of Control" track listing: 1.) Long, Long Day (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson - Francis Brown) - 2:22 2.) Be a Man (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 3:22 3.) Truth of the Matter (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:45 4.) Killer on the Road (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 3:04 5.) Dolly Day (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 3:46 6.) Lover Come Back To Me (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson - Bernie Taupin) - 2:47
2.) If You Really Need Me (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 1:55 3.) Sunday Driver (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:38 4.) Isn't It Lovely (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:22 5.) La La Layna (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:30 6.) Medley: - 7:08
(a)
These Things We Do (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson)
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Genre: pop Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Damn Those Kids Company: Elektra Catalog: 6E 299 Year: 1980 Country/State: Portland, Oregon Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear; white label promo; original lyric inner sleeve Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD 5943 Price: SOLD $10.00
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Continuing The Hudson Brothers' corporate wanderings, 1980's cleverly-titled "Hudson" found them signed to Elektra/Curb. By my count that made for their fifth label in eight years. Pretty impressive and would seem to provide a clue with respect to their inability to generate that long sought after commercial niche ... And now for a quick personal observation - typically when a band decides to abbreviate their name it provides a good indication that things aren't going well creatively, or commercially. Having made that comment note that this time out the album was credited to 'Hudson'. Guess the 'Hudson Brothers' nameplate was simply too cumbersome for the group ...
Given his interesting career, particularly his mid-1960s accomplishments as a writer and producer, at least in theory teaming the group with producer Michael Lloyd should have made for an interesting collaboration. Lloyd's mixture of experimentation and commerciality combined with the Hudsons' love of pop should have made for a really interesting product. Unfortunately, judging by these eleven songs, the hoped for magic didn't happen. For his part Lloyd seemed content to slap a state-of-the-art glossy sheen on the Hudsons' patented mixture of commercial pop ('Annie') and more AOR material ('Low Rider'). For their part the Hudsons seemed increasingly desperate to find a balance between their love of top-40 pop and proving they were more than pretty faces. Unfortunately, they seemed to have largely run out of ideas, with only a handful of the songs making much of an impact. In fact, the best performance was a cover tune - their joyful take on The Beatles 'Anytime at All'.
"Damn
Those Kids" track listing: 1.) Low Rider (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 5:04 Not to be confused with the mid-1970s hit for the band War, 'Low Rider' was a modestly entertaining stab at AOR. Musically the song sounded like a couple of different compositions that had been stapled together giving the end result kind of schizophrenic feel. You also got the feeling the brothers were trying just a bit too much to prove their street credentials. Nice harmony vocals, but it could have been a great track had they figured out how to streamline it. rating: ** stars 2.) Annie (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 4:04 Tapped as the album's first single, 'Annie' served to showcase their penchant for McCartney-styled pop. Highly commercial, this was the song McCartney wannabes like Badfinger, Eric Carmen, and Emmitt Rhodes always wanted to write ... Besides how could you not like a song with such thought provoking lyrics as "Annie you're making me randy ..." ? rating: **** stars 3.) Tell Her No (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 4:45 'Tell Her No' was a pretty, but forgettable power ballad,. The highlight actually came in the form of a nice George Harrison-styled slide guitar solo from Steve Dudas. rating: ** stars 4.) Afraid To Love (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson - Randy Foote) - 3:10 I'm not sure who the female singer was (the liner notes didn't provide a credit), but she managed to shame Mark Hudson into turning in one of his better lead vocals on the ballad 'Afraid To Love'. It was also one of the album's most commercial endeavors, which is probably why Electra tapped it for the second single. rating: *** stars 5.) I'm Tired, You're Fired (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 4:20 In spite of the great title and the interesting lyric, the mid-tempo rocker 'I'm Tired, You're Fired' never kicked into gear. Even the chorus seemed stuck in second gear and Dudas' solo sounded like it was patched together from earlier efforts. rating: ** stars
With thousands of covers of Arthur Crudup's 'That's All Right' already out there, you had to wonder why the Hudsons bothered with this version. The Elvis-tinge and synthesizers didn't really help the performance. rating: ** stars 2.) Sidewalk (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson - Steve Dudas) - 3:34 The first couple of spins the jittery, new wave-ish 'Sidewalk' didn't do a great deal for me. That said. this was one of the few performances that grew on me with time. It wasn't hurt by another nice Steve Dudas lead guitar solo. rating: *** stars 3.) Lonely (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 4:16 Another big ballad, 'Lonely' was clearly written with eye to commercial exposure. Sappy and over-the-top, this one sounded like a bad Eric Carmen outtake. rating: ** stars 4.) Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (Gary DeCarlo) - 3:10 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' is one of those songs that folks love to savage while they secretly have it on their iPod play lists. While there was nothing wrong with their power pop cover version, you had to wonder why anyone would pick it over the Steam original. rating: *** stars 5.) Anytime At All (John Lennon - Paul McCartney) - 2:58 Yeah it was a cover, but their loving version of The Beatles' 'Anytime At All' was my pick for standout performance. One of the few songs on the album where the brothers actually sounded like they were enjoying themselves. rating: **** stars 6.) Joni (Bill Hudson - Mark Hudson - Brett Hudson) - 2:20 Another pretty and fragile ballad, 'Joni' included the album's funniest couplet ... "Joni I want you to blow me ..." rating: *** stars
The album was also tapped for a pair of singles:
- 1980's 'Annie' b/w 'Joni' (Elektra catalog number E-46648) - 1980's 'Afraid To Love' b/w 'Sidewalk' (Elektra catalog number E-47059)
Hardly their creative zenith, but fans will want to pick it up and anyone with a Beatlesque inclanation may want to hear a couple of the songs. Anyone know who the anonymous guest musician credited as 'The Figure In Black' was? Drop me a line if you do.
SRB 2/2010
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