Merrilee Rush (and the Turnabouts)
Band members Related acts
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- Merrilee Rush - keyboards, Vocals (1965-74)
The Turnabouts (1965) - Terry Gregg - bass
- Vern Kjellberg (aka Joey Newman) - lead guitar - Barney Armstrong
- vocals - Karl Peters (RIP 2003) - drums
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- Bandit (Joey Newman) - Don and the Good Times (Joey Newman) - The Liberty Party (Joey Newman) - Stepson (Joey Newman) - Touch (Joey Newman) - Tiny Tony & the Statics (Merrilee Rush, Neil Rush) - The Trolley (Pete Sack)
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Genre: pop Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Angel of the Morning Company: Bell Catalog: 6020 Year: 1968 Country/State: Seattle, Washington Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened) Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2427 Price: $20.00 Cost: $66.00
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Perhaps because 'Angel of the Morning' is one of those oldies station favorites, I have to admit that I'm as surprised as anyone that the parent album is so good. Over the years I've seen dozens of copies of the LP, but never bothered to buy a copy (until I found this one for 50 cents at a yard sale). My mistake.
Born
and raised in Seattle, Washington Merrilee Rush's musical background was as
a classically trained pianist. She was apparently bitten by the rock
and roll bug early. As a 13 ye
1968's "Angel of the Morning" was credited to Rush and the Turnabouts, but with co-producers Chips Moman and Tommy Cogbill effectively sidelining The Turnabouts in favor of local sessions players, for all intents and purposes it was a Rush solo effort (see any band members on the cover sleeve?). Musically the set showcased Rush's attractive voice on what was largely a pop-oriented collection. With the exception of a couple of throwaway efforts (including two from mentor Mark Lindsay), most of pop numbers were pretty good. Sure, the title track was annoying after you've heard it five hundred times, but 'It's Worth It All' and 'Working Girl' (with a non-too-subtle sexual harassment commentary) were worth hearing. That makes you wonder why Bell tapped 'That Kind of Woman' as a follow-up single. Regardless, Rush really shined on harder-edged material like 'Sandcastles', 'Billy Sunshine' (which even sported a modest psych feel) and an early cover of Joe South's 'Hush'. Was this a perfect LP ? Not by a mile, but bottom line, this was one of the more pleasant surprises I've heard this year.
"Angel
of the Water" track listing:
1.) It's Worth It All (Mark James - Wayne Jackson) - 2:35 rating: *** stars Always loved the opening acoustic guitar, even if the rest of the song was a MOR ballad with kind of a Bacharach-David vibe. Nice, but not great and would have been better without the heavy orchestration. 2.) Sandcastles (Chips Moman - Spooner Oldham - Dan Penn) - 2:45 rating: **** stars Given the writing credentials on this one, you'd have pretty high expectations for 'Sandcastles' and the fact of the matter is this pretty ballad was one of the album highlights. Perfect showcase for Rush's frequently overlooked voice. 3,) Billy Sunshine (Chip Taylor - Al Gorgoni) - 3:07 rating: **** stars Another album standout, 'Billy Sunshine ' was one of the album's most contemporary and rock oriented efforts, powered by a tasty, hyperactive Terry Gregg bass line. Geez, Vern Kjellberg even got to play a little lead guitar. Sock it to me Billy ... nice. 4.) Handy (Dan Penn - D. Carter - Spooner Oldham) - 2:14 rating: *** stars I'm not sure why, but 'Handy' has always struck me as sounding like some sort of cleaning product commercial jingle ... Very mid-'60s commercial. Surprising it wasn't a top-40 hit for her. 5.) San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) (John Phillips) - 2:51 rating: ** stars Okay, she was about a year behind popular tastes in terms of the summer-of-love crowd. Musically this one didn't differ much from Scott McKenzie's hit version, though I'll admit her vocal wasn't half bad. 6.) Angel of the Morning (Chip Taylor) - 2:58 rating: *** stars Ironically Evie Sands recorded and released 'Angel of the Morning' a couple of week before Rush did. As fate would have it, Sands' record label (Cameo/Parkway) promptly went bankrupt, effectively killing the single. As for the song, Rush's performance is great, but this one is such a social icon, there simply isn't anything left to say about it ...
- 1968's 'Angel of the Morning' b/w 'Reap What You Sow' (Bell catalog number 705)
(side
2) 'That Kind of Woman' was one of those big, over-orchestrated, hyper-sensitive ballads that was clearly intended to garner radio airplay. The mix has always sounded muddy to me and Rush didn't sound too comfortable in the higher register, giving the song kind of a shrill edge. Still, the "kept-woman" lyric was certainly on the risqué side for 1968, making it interesting that Bell chose it as the second single:.
- 1968's 'That Kind of Woman' b/w 'Sunshine & Roses (Bell catalog 738) 2.) Working Girl (Chip Taylor) - 3:12 rating: ** stars The second Chip Taylor composition (aka James Wesley Voight - actor Jon Voight's brother), 'Working Girl' was a touch too sensitive for it's own good. 3.) Observation from Flight 286 (in 3/4 Time) (Mark Lindsay) - 2:22 rating: ** stars The Paul Revere and the Raiders original was very psychedelic. Rush's cover strips away all of those features, turning it into a breezy, waltz-flavored ballad. 4.) Hush (Joe South) - 2:03 rating: **** stars Rush's cover of the Joe South classic was interesting for showcasing the tougher dimensions of her voice. Hard to believe it, but her version was actually almost as good as the better known Deep Purple cover. Another album highlight. 5.) Do Unto Others (Mark Lindsay) - 2:30 rating: **** stars Another one where Rush employees her deeper voice. Always loved the bouncy organ pattern.
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Genre: pop Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Merrillee Rush Company: Liberty Catalog: LN 10166 Year: 1977 Country/State: Seattle, Washington Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD Price: SOLD $10.00
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Given the massive success of 'Angel of the Morning' you would have expected Merrillee Rush to have enjoyed a fairly successful follow-on career. It didn't happen. After the release of 1968's "Angel of the Morning" she struggled on releasing a series of poorly selling singles, but by 1970 her recording career was effectively over. In fact, Rush didn't record a sophomore album until 1977.
Signed by United Artists' Liberty subsidiary, the album found Rush recording a mixture of MOR and country-tinged ballads that were clearly intended to garner
"Merrillee
Rush" track listing:
1.) Save Me (Guy Fletcher - Doug Flett) - Very top-40 with an incidiously catchy hook, 'Save Me' was one of those songs that got better the more you heard it ... Released as a single it went top-50 and probably would have done even better had it not been for the fact Buffalo-based singer Donna McDaniel released her cover of the tune at the same time. As a teenager I can remember hearing this song on Radio Caroline, though it wasn't the Merrillee Rush version - the version I was familiar with was by the UK female band Clout. English singer Clodagh Rodgers also recorded it. rating: *** stars 2.) You 3.) Miami 4.) Easy, Soft and Slow (S. Dorff, H. Herbspritt, G. Harju) - The ballad 'Easy, Soft and Slow' was nice enough, but underscored Rush's brittle side. rating: ** stars 5.) Angel of the Morning Seriously, going back to remake an earlier classic hit is never a good idea and rush's remake of 'Angel of the Morning' was no exception to the rule. rating: ** stars
(side 2) 1.) A Fool In Love 2.) Love Birds 3.) Could It Be Love I Found Tonight (R. Supa) - 4.) Be True To You (Eric Anderson) - 5.) Spare Me a Little of Your Love
United tapped the album for a couple of singles, including one non-LP promo release:
- 1976's Could It Be Love I Found Tonight' b/w 'Be True To You' (United Artists catalog number UA-XW930-Y) - 1977's 'Save Me' b/w 'Easy, Soft and Slow' (United Artists catalog number UA-XW993-Y) - 1977's 'Rainstorm' b/w 'Rainstorm' (United Artists catalog number UA-XW1103)
For anyone interested, Rush has a small web presence at: http://www.merrileerush.com/merrileerush.com/Home.html
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ar old she was a member of
The Aztecs,
followed by stints in Merrilee & Her Men and Tiny Tony & the Statics
(Tony was a 300 pound R&B singer). In 1965 she decided to form her
own band - Merrille Rush and the Turnabouts. In addition to husband
Neil on sax, the original line up consisted of bassist Tony Gregg, former
The Liberty Party guitarist Vern Kjellberg (aka Joey Newman), drummer Karl Peters, and ex-The
Trolley drummer Peter Sac A
1967 spot opening for Paul Revere and the Raiders on several southern dates
put the group into contact with songwriter/producer Chips Moman who was
working with The Raiders on a forthcoming album. Moman took a liking
to Rush's voice (I'm sure it had nothing to do with her stunning good
looks), inviting her record a demo in Memphis. Released as a single
'Angel of the Morning' b/w 'Reap What You Sow' (Bell catalog number 705),
promptly went top-10. As was standard marketing procedure, the
single's unexpected success saw Bell rush the band into the studio to cut a
supporting album. 
