Gale Garnett
Listen/Download – Gale Garnett – You’re Doing Me No Good
Greetings all.
Welcome to a new week here at Iron Leg.
The tune I bring you today is by a singer that anyone with even a passing acquaintance with oldies radio should know.
Gale Garnett had a sizable hit in 1964 with ‘We’ll Sing In the Sunshine”, which won her the Best Folk Recording Grammy in 1965 (the fact that it is clearly not a folk recording aside, since this was during the years when acts like Bent Fabric were winning Best Rock’n’Roll Recording).
Garnett – who had what now seems like an impossibly husky voice – was born in New Zealand but grew up in Canada.
She was an actress as well as a singer, and though she never really had a hit after ‘We’ll Sing In the Sunshine’, she recorded several albums through the 60s, some of the later ones with her band the Gentle Reign.
Today’s selection is from her improbably titled 1967 LP ‘Gale Garnett Sings About Flying & Rainbows & Love & Other Groovy Things’.
Though the title suggests light and wispy psyche pop, what you get (for the most part) is a kind of revved up folk rock with touches of west coast pop.
‘You’re Doing Me No Good’ has the sound of a record that might have been recorded a few years earlier, with Beau Brummel-y touches that seem to put the word “folk” in folk rock in bold face.
The rest of the album rolls in a similar vibe, and like ‘You’re Doing Me No Good’ sounds more 1965 than 1967.
The band on the record is composed of LA studio heads, including Tommy Tedesco, Earl Palmer and even Van Dyke Parks on piano.
Interestingly, while I was researching this post I discovered something I should have known already, that being that Garnett appeared in the animated film ‘Mad Monster Party’ as the speaking and singing voice of the character ‘Francesca’.
I haven’t been able to put my hands on any of Garnett’s later recording, but when I do, you’ll hear about it.
Peace
Larry
PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.
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Oh man – wait until you hear GG & Gentle Reigns pysch-folk-raga MONSTER song “Breaking Through!”
Geez, Larry, yer always doing this! I had the “We’ll Sing in The Sunshine’ LP at one time…was her second hit ‘Lovin’ Place’ on that ? I don’t recall. Had the Gentle Reign one, too…but THIS one you feature a cut off of, I never even saw anywhere! With a title like that, how could I have missed it? Is the cover as ‘groovy’ as the title? I’d love to hear the whole thing as THIS song is more than okay. Thanks as usual, Larry. We should-a been brothers or neighbors or band mates…well, better late than never. How’s the weather down at the shore?