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Spencer Barefoot

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Spencer Barefoot

                 



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Format: LP     Want this on CD also?

Condition: VG+ COVER / VG+ LP (cover/media)    More Info
Label: Magna Glide MGS 323116
Country: Us
Released: 1977
Genre: pop
Quantity: 1 in stock
Seller Ref:   854

I've spent a couple of hours trying to dig out some information on Spencer Barefoot.   I know the guy's name was actual Spencer Tracy and after singing in some mid-'69s New Jersey bands, he attracted the attention of songwriter/producer Kenny Luguna who hired him to provide the lead vocals on a 1969 Laguna-penned   single.   I'm not sure which came first, but the resulting single saw at least two releases, once on Bo Gentry's Life label and a second release on MGM:
- 1969's   'Lord' b/w 'Makin My Way' (Life catalog L-201)
- 1969's 'Lord' b/w 'Makin My Way' (MGM catalog K-14116)
MGM apparently planned to release a Spencer Barefoot LP, even showing it on a release catalog as Spencer Barefoot catalog SE-4707, but shelved the project for some unknown reason.
Laguna's website even explains were the oddball name came from:   "In 1968, our little bubblegum group was so hot, we could get any label to put out our singles. I began to produce them myself, and sell them to labels at a big profit. One Friday, I booked a session for the following Monday, without even a clue of what I might record. So Saturday I am on the beach with my guitar, knowing I needed something great, and feeling like an idiot for putting this kind of pressure on myself. All of a sudden, like a flash from the muses, this amazing song "Lord" comes into my head about a western desperado who got shot trying to steal gold, and begs the Lord to let him live to see his girl one more time before he dies.
That Monday I recorded it, and got Steve   Tracy, a fabulous lead singer of a New Jersey band, to sing it. Now this material had nothing to do with what his band was about, but that's how we did it. We sculpted a record and made any artist fit into our concoction of the day. When Bo Gentry wandered into the studio during the mix, he said, -"This guy sounds like we have to call him Spencer Barefoot." So, for the purposes of our recordings, Steve Tracy became Spencer Barefoot."
Released two years later, Barefoot's second release was a souled-up and slightly forgettable version of 'Hey Jude' backed with a truly radio-friendly ballad 'Days of Our Lives'.
- 1971's 'Hey Jude' b/w 'Days of Our Lives' (Columbia catalog number 4-45389)
Released by the New York-based Magna Glide label, 1977's "Spencer Barefoot" was produced by bubblegum pop masters Jeffrey Kasenetz and Jeff Katz.   Nothing more than speculation on my part, but   tracks such as 'Cynthia Day', 'Jungle Junk', and 'Take a Big Hit On the Jug' didn't exactly sound like mid-'70s material.   That suggests at least part of the album might have consisted of earlier demos that were repackaged for this project.      It gets even stranger given at least a couple off these tracks didn't even sound like Tracy, leaving you to wonder if perhaps Kasenetz and Katz were simply cleaning out their recording vaults in an effort to jump on the mid-'70s tax scam bandwagon.   All that aside, let me say Spencer Barefoot had an impressive voice, sounding a bit like a cross between the late Ritchie Havens and Hootie & the Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker.   Unfortunately, as a non-writer he was dependent on the material brought forth by his producers, which on this album was all over the genre and quality spectrum.
"Spencer Barefoot" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Hold On    (Bill Haberman - Ellison Chase) - 4:00
One of five tunes written by the team of Bill Haberman and Ellison Chase, 'Hold On' was a pretty ballad that showcased Tracy's deep and raspy (by likeable) voice.    Quite commercial in an early-'70s sense.   rating: *** stars
2.) Cynthia Day    (W. Wahonka) - 2:15
Sporting some irritating early synthesizer noises (that occasionally recalled an out-of-tune harpsichord), 'Cynthia Day' sure didn't sound like it was written in 1977; more like 1969.   A pleasant enough pop tune, I think the tune was written by Ed Wahonka, who had previously recorded an an album for the Kasenetz-K

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Tracklist
 
A1Hold On4:00
A2Cynthia Day2:15
A3Jungle Junk2:45
A4Shine On3:35
A5'Round, 'Round4:10
B1Sweetheart3:28
B2Hold On Just a Little Bit Longer2:27
B3Where is the Love4:25
B4Take A Big Hit On The Jug2:30
B5All Right (Are You Gonna Love Me Tonight)4:10


Note
Tracklisting is supplied by a third party and matched by catalogue number. Tracks on the release may differ from what is being sold.
     
Bad Cat Records

Bad Cat Records (Virginia, United States)

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