Happening Live!

Happening Live! is the fourth album by the Outsiders. Although represented as being a live album, in actuality crowd noises and song introductions were added to studio recordings.

1 Release Data
2 Story behind the Album
3 Notes on the Tracks
- 3.1 Original LP
- 3.2 CD Bonus Tracks
4 Personnel
- 4.1 Earlier Recordings
- 4.2 New Recordings
5 Track listing
6 References

[edit] Release Data

CD cover.

The album was released in the LP format on Capitol in August 1967 in both monaural and stereophonic editions (catalogue numbers T 2745 and ST 2745, respectively).

Although never released individually as a CD, the band's third and fourth albums were reissued on Liberty Bell as a "two-fer" CD (catalogue number PCD-4366), along with bonus tracks.

[edit] Story behind the Album

When the single "Gotta Leave Us Alone" – which was released in May 1967 – cracked the national charts at #121, Capitol gave the Outsiders studio time to begin work on a fourth album that was to be called Leave Us Alone.^[1] Rather than complete work on that album, however, the band was instead cajoled into putting together a faux "live" album; this was actually a more common practice than might be expected, particularly in the 1960s. Ordinarily, the studio versions of a band's songs are mixed with crowd noise and cheering; and in many cases, the obviously fabricated results are disappointing.

More care was taken in producing this album though, and since well over half of the songs are new, this album is well regarded by 1960s rock aficionados. "Rather than simply adding crowd noise to the existing finished recordings, the producers went back to the multi-tracks of the originals and removed the overdubbed strings, brass, and horns, which allowed listeners to appreciate even better the playing of the group members."^[1]

[edit] Notes on the Tracks

[edit] Original LP

The following information is taken primarily from other Wikipedia articles, including the article on the Outsiders.

As might be expected, this album contains several previous hit songs by the band: "Time Won't Let Me", "Girl in Love", "Help Me Girl" and "Respectable". Sonny Geraci introduces the songs and also provides bandmember introductions before "Respectable", although the bass guitarist is introduced only as "Mugsy", and the lead guitarist is introduced as "Grumpy".

The remaining seven songs are all covers that have not been previously released, and some were undoubtedly intended for the uncompleted fourth studio album, Leave it Alone. This is the third album by the band to feature a song made famous by the Temptations; "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" was a May 1966 hit by the band and the first to feature Norman Whitfield as producer (replacing Smokey Robinson). This song was later covered by the Rolling Stones on their 1974 album It's Only Rock 'n' Roll. "Show Me" is probably the most well-known song by Joe Tex, at least among pop audiences; it was also the title song of his third album, which was released in 1966. "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" was a 1965 hit by Deon Jackson; several different songs with this name have been recorded over the years.

"Michelle" is an album track on the late 1965 Beatles LP Rubber Soul; since it was never released as a single though, U.S. audiences in this time period were probably at least as familiar with the Top 20 hit version that was released by David and Jonathan in 1966. Van Morrison's "Gloria" is quite simply one of the greatest rock anthems of all time. Like "Michelle", "Gloria" has been covered by other artists hundreds of times; and, when Happening Live! was released, the Top 10 garage rock version in 1966 by the Shadows of Knight was likely as well known in the U.S. as the original. Remarkably, the 1964 recording by Morrison's band Them was initially the "B" side of a single that was backed with "Baby, Please Don't Go".

The final song on the album – the band's "encore" at the purported concert – is introduced by Sonny Geraci as "Good Lovin'", and the track listing on the LP identifies it as "Good Lovin'", a Number One hit in April 1966 by the Young Rascals (now known by their later name, the Rascals); even the songwriters of this song are given. However, in his introduction, Geraci went on to identify the song as being by James Brown; the name is actually "Good Good Lovin'". The last song on the first side, however, was released as the fourth single by the Young Rascals in September 1966 and was later included on their second album, Collections.

[edit] CD Bonus Tracks

The first two bonus tracks are both sides of the second single that was released by the new band that Sonny Geraci organized in Los Angeles; the single was first issued under the name the Outsiders but was later credited to Climax. The earlier single released in this manner was included among the bonus tracks on the first of the two Liberty Bell CDs. The next two tracks are from a single released by the Outsiders under Tom King's direction, when he reformed the band in Cleveland; the new lead singer replacing Geraci was Jon Simonell. "Waiting for the End to Come" and "Park Preserve" are other selections by Climax, with the latter song being the flip side of the band's hit single "Precious and Few".

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Earlier Recordings

Tom King, rhythm guitar, tenor saxophone, vocals, arranger
Sonny Geraci, lead vocals
Mert Madsen, bass guitar
Al Austin, lead guitar
Ronnie Harkai, drums
Chet Kelley, songwriter
Mike Geraci, saxophone
Evan Vanguard, horns
Tommy Baker, horns and strings arrangements

[edit] New Recordings

Tom King, rhythm guitar, tenor saxophone, vocals, arranger
Sonny Geraci, lead vocals
Richard D'Amato, bass guitar
Walter Nims, lead guitar
Richie D'Angelo, drums

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Side 1

"Time Won't Let Me" (Tom King/Chet Kelley), 3:12
"Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (Eddie Holland/Norman Whitfield), 2:20
"Show Me" (Joe Tex), 2:40
Introduction of the Outsiders, 1:35
"Respectable" (Isley Brothers), 2:00
"Michelle" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney), 2:34
"Come on Up" (Felix Cavaliere), 2:53

[edit] Side 2

"Help Me Girl" (Scott English/Lawrence Weiss), 2:49
"Girl in Love" (Tom King/Chet Kelley), 3:00
"Gloria" (Van Morrison), 2:58
"Love Makes the World Go 'Round" (D. Jackson), 2:57
"Good Good Lovin'" (James Brown), 3:07

[edit] Bonus Tracks

When released by Liberty Bell, the CD included the tracks on The Outsiders In in the same order as on that LP, followed by the tracks on this album in the same order, then these bonus tracks (29 tracks in all):

Loving You
Think I'm Falling, solo version
Tinker Tailer, feat. Jon Simonell
You're Not So Pretty, feat. Jon Simonell
Waiting For the End to Come
Park Preserve, full-length stereo version

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Eder, Bruce, Outsiders Biography, All Music Guide. Retrieved 2 Feb 2008.