Bill Deal & The Rhondels The Best Of Bill Deal And The Rhondels (LP)

Bill Deal & The Rhondels

Rare is the band or solo artist that can defy the prevalent musical trends and still achieve commercial acclaim. Thu axiom especially held true during the Aquarian Age, when the conformist allegiance toward, technic, wizardry on the part of record consumers was hyped by the industry under the misnomer of Innovation. One band that was fortunete enough to accrue several hit singles and critical acknowledgement under those conditions was Bill Deal And The Rhondels, who (somewhat unintentionally) enjoyed a healthy run on the singles charts between 1968 and 1970. It wasn't that the band was consciously trying to buck the system. It was just that their brand of horn•laden rhythm and blues owed more in spirit to lohn Fred And The Playboy Band and Bob Kuban And The In-Men (who covered Bob And Earl, "Harlem Shuffle" on their debut album, as did Deal's band) than to the meanderings of such contemporaries as Ten Years After and the Soft Machine. It was that horn section (comprised of trumpeters Ken Dawson, Mike Kerwin and left Pollard and trombonist Ronny Rosenbaum) that gave the east coast octet their distinctly musical persona.

They eventually came to the attention of MGM, subsidiary Heritage label, which was masterminded by ferry Ross, who later became a successful recording artist with the lorry Ross Symposium on his own Colossus label. With Ross as producer and keyboardist Deal as arranger, Bill Deal And The Rhondels emerged with their debut single in late November, 1968. Composed by Maurice Williams (whose credits include lead vocals and authorship of "Little Darlin'" with the Gladiolas and the ell covered "Stay" with the Zodiacs), "May I" features a blistering trumpet attack on par with that found in Bob Kuban And The In Mon's "The Cheater'" echoed handsomely by strong lead guitar from Bob Fisher, replete with stunning vocal harmonies (I, vocals were generally shared by Deal and drummer Ammon Tharp) and a solid, steady undercurrent from bassist Don Ouiensenburry. The song, infectious rhythm and blues groove (with reggae leanings) and impassioned delivery were sufficient to help it crack the singles charts in February, 1969, where it eventually peaked at number 39.

Buoyed by the response to "May I.,' the group returned to the studio to cut a like•minded follow up, with Ross again serving as producer and Deal as arranger. "I've Been Hull" was previously released by the Sensational Epics on Cameo 450 in late 1966 and pro, to be readily adaptable to Bill Deal And The Rhondels upbeat format. The gamble paid off with el second hit, as "I've Been Hurt" climaxed at number 35 in May, 1969.

"I've Been Hurt" was also responsible in part for introducing a new dimension to the band, via its flip side. "I've Got My Needs" was coauthored by Ritchie Adams, who had crossed paths with lorry Boss upon numerous occasions (Adams had been a solo recording artist at Heritage, parent MGM label in 1966, at which lime he rerecorded "You Were Mine" a song he had a major hit with in 1959 as the lead vocalist of the Fireflies). Sounding much like an unlikely hybrid of Tommy James And The Shondells and Melo, "I've Got My Hoods" was rendered with sufficient aplomb and rancor to give the band credence amongst enthusiasts of garage band music. Ross and Adams would later collaborate on a Bill Deal And The Rhondels b•side, the bubblegum•flavored and highly charismatic, "Ate You Ready For This".

The band's trademark horn arrangements and spirited delivery were oftimes associated with beach music, a variation on the rhythm and blues format popularized by the O'Kaysions, Lenny O'Henry, the Swingin' Medallions and others of similar intent. As such, it was inevitable that Bill Deal And The Rhondels would turn to the beach music catalog for cover purposes. 'What Kind Of Fool Do You Think I Am" initially surfaced by the Tams on ABC Paramount 10502 in late 1963 and was ideally suited to Deal, style. The astute move gave the band then biggest hit ever, reaching the twenty thud spot on the singles listings in September, 1969. In the midst of this chart success, the band managed to release a debut album, "Vintage Rock" (Heritage HTS35003). Unfortunately, the closing months of 1969 were no lime to be upbeat and accessible in popular music. It was the era of Woodstock, Altamont and sellindulgent guitar solos, which meant that bands Eke Bill Deal And The Rhondels were confined A hit single oriented AM radio stations, which at that time were rapidly
falling out of favor with the highly conformist rock audience. As a result, the true.to.form (though no less interesting) "Swingin' Tight" appeared in November, 1969 to comparative indifferenc• and died a quick death on the charts, as did the ironically titled "Moth, Succeeds Like Success" In March, 1970.

Bill Deal And The Rhondels made their final attempt at singles success with Heritage in mid•1970 by covering the Beatles"'Hey Bulldog" though their Jimmy Smith meets Peter Gunn approach to the piece was not quite in sync with the dictates of the record buying public and it quickly lapsed into obscurity. Meanwhile, Jerry Ross had established an impressive track record over the previous year as producer of such top selling artists as Marty (Shannon) Wilde, the Shocking Blue  and the Tee Set and as such lost interest in the faltering fortunes of Bill Deal And The Rhondels. A hastily assembled "Bost Or album soon followed the band's departure from the Heritage label, combining their singles with unlikely covers of Bee Gees and Doors hits.

Undaunted, Bill Deal And The Rhondels went label shopping, finally settling in 1972 with Buddah, the label that would give new leases on 1de throughout the 19701 to such pioneering greats as Herman, Hermits, the ..boats and Lou Christie. With Bill Deal taking over as producer, the band chose for their Buddah debut Carole King's 1971 mega hit, "It's Too Late"  To inject life into the piece, they strapped d of its singer/songwriter limitations and gave it a solid shot of rhythm and blues in the "May I" vein. That record consumers failed to recognize this aesthetic upgrading speaks disparagingly for the mentality of the times. Buddah gave the band one final chance later in 1972 with "Everybody's Got Somethin' To Hide" which again espoused the band, horn dominated rhythm and blues leanings. The song was co authored and co produced by Austin Roberts, who enjoyed moderate acclaim as a vocalist with the singles "Something's Wrong With Me" and "Rocky" Sadly, this Jima outing also mot with dismal sales, causing the band to be dropped Irom the label and effectively terminating their recording career.

As purveyors of highly optimistic music in a somewhat dismal musical era, It to not surprising that Bill Deal And The Rhondels would remain seemingly impervious to these setbacks. The band continued to perform for the duration of the 19705 and into the 1980s in clubs throughout Virginia, No. Carolina and South Carolina. And despite a low personality profile, Bill Deal And The Rhondels made significant inroads within their chosen idiom and left a lasting influence on rock and roll. Their brassy sound generated a prototype for ensuing efforts by Chase, Chicago and Blood, Sweat And Tears. The title of their "Vintage Rock" album provided Actin station programmers and fans alike with a new descriptive term for rock and roll's pioneer recordings, one that is much less demeaning than the cruel and misleading "oldies but goodies" And their trio of top forty hits continue in he, rotation on numerous radio stations to this day. If nothing succeeds like success, then Bill Deal And The Rhonda'is have surely earned their niche amongst rock and roll's all•time greats. Mike McDowell Blitz Kiwi.e