Zuider Zee
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1970-74) - John Bonar -- bass, backing vocals - Kim Foreman -- keyboards, backing vocals - Richard Orange -- vocals, guitar - Gary Simon Bertrand (aka Simon the Pieman) -- drums, percussion
line up 2 (1974-76) - John Bonar -- bass, backing vocals NEW - Robert Hall (RIP) -- drums, backing vocals (replaced Gary Simon Bertrand) - Kim Foreman -- keyboards, backing vocals - Richard Orange -- vocals, guitar
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- The Dry Grins - Orange and the Eggmen - Richard Orange and the Zee - The Rogues - Thomas Edisun's Electric Light Bulb Band - Zee
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Genre: rock Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Zuider Zee Company: Columbia Catalog: PC-33816 Year: 1976 Country/State: Lafayette, Louisiana Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4263 Price: $60.00 Cost: $1.00
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During their six year existence, Zuider Zee (bassist John Bonar, drummer Gary Simon Bernard (replaced by the late Robert Hall), keyboardist Kim Foreman and singer/guitarist Richard Orange) stood as one of Memphis' more talented (if lesser known) contributions to mid-'70s power-pop. Their lack of recognition wasn't a result of any absence of talent, rather seems to have been a reflection of the fact their affection for British pop and rock was at odds with contemporary tastes and what most of their Memphis competitors were playing. A more mainstream name might have helped. Zuider Zee was hopelessly obscure to the American buying public and DJs struggled with how to pronounce the name. Finally, poor management and their inability to find a label that shared their vision of pop perfection certainly didn't help things. Regardless, simply on the basis of one obscure mid-'70s album, Zuider Zee stands as a band that deserves far greater recognition than given. Little known during their '70s heyday (though I remember them getting a pretty good review in a Rolling Stone article), today they're complete obscure.
LP back cover: Bonar - Hall - Foreman - Orange
The quartet's self-titled 1975 debut teamed them with manager Leland Russell in the production role. With Orange responsible for the majority of the eleven tracks, material such as 'Listen To the Words', 'Thank You' and 'Magic Fingers' featured a truly engaging set of UK-flavored power-pop. Imagine the best of Badfinger's Pete Ham, or perhaps 10 C.C.'s Eric Stewart doing their best Paul McCartney impressions and you'll get a feel for the musical landscape. While "Zuider Zee" may not have been the year's most original album, the set had more than it's share of pleasures, including the Rickenbacher-propelled rocker 'Zeebra', 'You're Not Thinking' and the slightly ominous Haunter of Darkness''. Normally a Paul McCartney comparison serves as a creative kiss of death, but Orange was among the few guys who could actually pull it off (Emitt Rhodes also readily coming to mind). Orange had a great voice which was particularly appealing on songs like the rocker 'Rubber Men' when he employed his raspy edge (imagine McCartney's vocal on 'Helter Skelter'). Skeptical of that description? Close your eyes and check out Orange's truly uncanny McCartney-like deliveries on the rockers 'She-Swing' and 'The Breaks' (the latter sounding like something from "Band On the Run"). Band ballads like 'The Last Song of Its Kind' were certainly pretty and had top-40 potential, but didn't do as much for me. Still, a package full of great melodies and excellent guitar made this a pleasure for anyone who enjoyed Badfinger, The Raspberries, or Emitt Rhodes.
From a marketing perspective having spent a fortune recording the LP Columbia's promotional and marketing scheme was curious. Credit Columbia's art department with coming up wit one of the year's most unimaginative covers. Inexplicably Columbia didn't even bother tapping the album for a single. Tour support was lukewarm at best, the band opening for a staggering array of acts ranging from Caravan to The Tubes. Coupled with a pseudo-glam image that may have been a tad fey for many mid-1970s American audiences and in an era of punk aggression and disco madness the album vanished without a trace.
"Zuider Zee" track listing: 1.) Listen To the Words (Richard Orange) - 2:27 rating: **** stars The
opening rocker 'Listen To the Words' was a perfect example of Zuider Zee's
charms. On this one Orange sounded like he was singing with a nasty
sinus infection, but his dry, slightly ragged delivery grew on you and the
man crafted such insidiously catchy songs ... This one would
have been a killer single. 'Rubber
Man' saw Orange and company upping the rock quotient of their musical
recipe. Kicked along by a stunning wah wah guitar solo, the results
were pretty awesome. There's
a whole cottage industry of artists who've mined Paul McCartney-styled pop
as a musical career. Judging by the stark ballad 'The Last Song of Its
Kind', there were certainly worse inspirations. This one would not
have sounded out of place on McCartney's "Ram", or Wings'
"Wild Life" though it was a touch too sentimental for my
tastes. The
McCartney comparison was even more apparent on the poppy 'Zeebra' where
Orange seeming went out of his way to roughen his vocal delivery to match
the formers singing style. I actually liked the jammy second half of
the song just as much. The
power-pop tune 'You're Not Thinking' was the kind of song that Eric Carmen
and the Raspberries could only dream of writing. The taunt rocker 'Haunter of Darkness' was one of my favorite performances. Kicked along by Kim Foreman's bubbly synthesizers and keyboards, it was one of the few tracks that seemingly allowed the band to showcase their own musical personalities. I'm not criticizing their affection for McCartney-styled pop, but it was nice to hear they were capable of far more. This one should have been a single.
(side 2) 1.) She-Swing (Richard Orange) - 2:33 rating: *** stars A
mash-up seemingly combining McCartney's love for English musical hall and
pocket rockers, the Macca comparison was simply unavoidable on 'She
Swing'. Again, if you were going to be influenced by someone, you
could have picked a worse inspiration. 'Thank
You' was a three minute lesson in how to craft a near perfect slice of power
pop. Infectious melody; killer vocals; awesome guitar, cute lyrics ...
geez, Orange even managed to insert a pedal steel guitar solo. Foreman's
synthesizer washes gave the rocker 'The Breaks' a momentary Styx flavor, but
then Orange trotted out another McCartney styled vocal.
Interesting clash of styles. Maybe
it was just my ears, but the ballad 'Magic Fingers' didn't sound like Orange
on opening lead vocals, though he was clearly featured on the chorus.
That musical change-up wasn't anything major and actually resulted in
another personal favorite. And no, I don't know if the song was about
self pleasure, or some special woman. 'All That Is' opened up with some oddball sci-fi sound effects, cruising along a mildly progressive path before suddenly exploding into another glistening pop tune. Judging by the elaborate orchestration, it sounded like Columbia had put the bulk of it's production advance into this one. As the album's longest tune, this one gave the band members a chance to stretch out, in the process showcasing Orange's overlooked guitar chops.
The final career death knell came in December 1976 when bassist Bonar interrupted a group of thieves trying to steal the band's van. Beaten and stabbed, he was lucky to survive the attack. The band effectively collapsed when the other members refused to continue touring with a replacement while Bonar underwent extensive physical therapy.
'Supernatural' b/w 'Long Distance Love' (DJM catalog number DJS-10914). Pressed on orange vinyl, the single never saw an American release.
I've never seen, nor heard it, but there's also a 1989 UK 45 'One Wrong Move' b/w 'So Full of Tears' (EMI catalog number YAP 1).
Orange has an interesting if somewhat cluttered website at: http://www.richardorange.com/
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Bertrand, Foreman and Orange originally came together
in Lafayette, Louisiana, cutting their first record as members of Thomas
Edisun's Electric Light Bulb Band. By 1969 they'd picked up a mentor
in the form of manager
in Leland Russell, along with a new name. Relocating to Memphis, the
band added bassist John Bonar to the line-up and started playing local schools and clubs, though most of their touring
energies were spent in the Midwest. A 1973 showcase for Elektra
failed to score a contract, but within a year they'd recruited a new drummer
(Robert Hall) and signed with Columbia.
Orange, Hall, and Foreman
eventually hit the road under the name "Richard Orange and the
Zee" and then "Zee". When road revenues dried up Orange refocused his efforts on
song writing. In 1978 he wrote and produced a single for Pay Taylor 'Fold Out
Girl' b/w 'Disco City' (Bretone catalog number FR 051 A / B). That was
followed by a string of song placements, the best known being Cyndi Lauper
who scored a pop hit with her cover of 'Hole In My Heart'. He
eventually moved to England and released a solo 45: