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Agrati, Don

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Homegrown

                 



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Format: LP     Want this on CD also?

Condition: VG+ COVER / VG+ LP (cover/media)    More Info
Label: Elektra EKS 75057
Country: Us
Released: 1973
Genre: pop
Quantity: 2 in stock
Seller Ref:   4776

grading comment: promo copy
Yes, I'll admit that I bought this album knowing full well that it was the work of   'Robbie Douglas' of Mickey Mouse Club 'Mouseketeer and My Three Sons' fame (check out the sly nod to the television program on the album cover - look in the weeds).   I also knew that as Don Grady he'd been a member of The Palace Guard and The Yellow Balloon who'd recorded a surprisingly enjoyable collection of mid-1960s pop.   So what !!!   I also happened to know that this is a surprisingly good album.   Good luck finding your own original copy.
Taking advantage of his television success and all-American good looks, under his stage name, starting in the mid-'60s Grady/Agrati recorded a string of modestly entertaining, if poor selling singles:

   credited to Don Grady
- 1964's 'I Think You're Thru' b/w 'A Broken Heart Knows Better' (Capitol catalog number 5181)
- 1965's 'One Good Turn Deserves Another' b/w 'It's Better This Way' (Capitol catalog number 5362)
- 1966's 'Children Of St. Monica' b/w 'Good Man To Have Around The House' (Canterbury catalog C-501)
- 1966's 'Let It Happen' b/w 'Out' (Challenge catalog number 59328)
- 1967's 'Impressions With Syvonne' b/w 'Leaving It Up To You' (Canterbury catalog C-507)
   credited to Don Grady and the Palace Guard
- 'Little People' b/w 'Summertime Games' (Orange Empire catalog number OE 9166-7)
Released in 1973, the aptly titled "Homegrown" came close to being a true one man show.   Apparently recorded at home using 'Keith Olsen's homemade 8 track' Agrati wrote all eleven tracks, produced, mixed, sang and handled most of the instrumentation.   Propelled by his likeable voice which occasionally reminded me a bit of Paul McCartney, or Emitt Rhodes (who's always reminded me of McCartney), the album was exceptionally varied, effortlessly bouncing from genre to genre.   Not meant as a criticism, but it almost sounded like Agrati was trying to test himself to see if he could deal with different genres and styles.   The album kicked off with a killer cut in the jazzy 'Bloodstream' (complete with some tasty scat singing and a horn solo that would have made Miles Davis proud).   Elsewhere Agrati took stabs at McCartney-syled vaudeville revival ('One Man Woman'), '60s pop-psych ('Heather Ann'), sensitive singer/songwriter ('Story'), and hard rock (the Steve Winwood and Traffic-styled 'Hollywood Song').   Tracks like 'Love, Come My Way' and 'Sunny Day' were actually quite commercial, though nowhere near as interesting.   His musical forays even include a brief chamber music interlude (the curiously titled 'Rocky Mountain Bear Hunt').   
- Yeah, the opening scat section was a bit disconcerting, but when it got going 'Bloodstream' was a surprisingly cool jazzy number - imagine Steely Dan without the mean and ominous edge.   It was tapped as the album's secoond single.    rating: **** stars
- A breezy pop-tinged ballad, 'Love, Come My Way' suffered from a touch of Paul McCartney sentimentality ...   actually this one was commercial, but saccahrine.    Pass.    rating: ** stars
- 'Who knows where the title came from, but Rocky Mountain Bear Hunt' was a chamber music styled instrumental.    Quite pretty, if an odd thing to have included on the album.    rating: *** stars
- Blending sunshine pop with a psych edge, 'Heather Ann' has a very mid-'60s feel and was one of the standout performances.    Very radio-friendly and commercial.   rating: *** stars
- Returning to singer/songwriter mode, 'Story' sounded a bit like a second tier Gilbert O'Sullivan song, or perhaps an equally bad early Billy Joel outing.    That said, the lyric seemed to be autobiographical - maybe I'm reading too much into it, but perhaps a reflection on his My Three Sons days ...   rating: ** stars
- I'll readily admit that some folks find vaudeville charming, but stuff like 'One Man Woman' leaves me at a complete loss.   Even Paul McCartney couldn't pull something like this one off.   Naturally Elektra deci

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Bad Cat Records

Bad Cat Records (Virginia, United States)

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