I'd like to try something different on the board...

[Swish]

well, maybe not a total departure from the usual critiques we do when someone mentions a band. What I'm proposing to do is to name a different band each week and let everyone make their comments. I'm not going to pick bands that I necessarily like or that are universally loved (I know that no band is loved by everyone, but there are a few on this board that would qualify), but those who are (or were) somewhere in that gray area for some people. I guess the big question is "were they the real deal or imposters?" I'll post my own thoughts after everyone else has finished...if anyone bothers to respond.
So here I go with the first one and it is Three Dog Night.

Thanks in advance,
Swish

[newtrix1]

well, maybe not a total departure from the usual critiques we do when someone mentions a band. What I'm proposing to do is to name a different band each week and let everyone make their comments. I'm not going to pick bands that I necessarily like or that are universally loved (I know that no band is loved by everyone, but there are a few on this board that would qualify), but those who are (or were) somewhere in that gray area for some people. I guess the big question is "were they the real deal or imposters?" I'll post my own thoughts after everyone else has finished...if anyone bothers to respond.
So here I go with the first one and it is Three Dog Night.

Thanks in advance,
Swish

Heres' everything I know about 3 Dog Night (although I'm guessing once I see other comments I'll probably say; "Oh yeah, I knew that ):

1) They're pretty old
2) They were hippies right?
3) "Jehramiah Was A Bullfrog" was a cool party tune.

Well, that's about it.

the end.

[Dave_G]

When I was a child I liked this band a lot, and I'm talking like 1968 and all.

They played the crap out of their hits, especially "One" and of course the bullfrog toon.

Their music now to me is nothing I care for but id I heard a remaster I might like a few toons of theirs I never heard, I'm sure that they had a few good songs.

Dave

[Troy]

I got 3 words for you.

Black and White.

"The world is black.
The world is white.
Together we learn to se the light.
To see-ee the liiiight!"

Did I just give you a nasty earworm?

That was the hit that slew me when I was like 8. I think I'd like to hear it again because it's been about 300 years, but as i recall, it had some nice piano and a massive hook.

Were'nt they like the Monkees? Totally prefab, right?

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Songs I know by TDN...

"Mama Told Me Not to Come" Cool song, my favorite Three Dog Night Song, but I think Randy Newman wrote it.
"Jeremiah was a Bullfrog" (ir is that "Joy to the World"?) An annoying song, either way I may have liked for a week when I was 10
"One"..is the loneliest number that I ever kneeeeew.....
That Black & White Song that Troy mentioned.
...and wasn't there one "Shambala" or something?

Mark

[tentoze]

So here I go with the first one and it is Three Dog Night.

Thanks in advance,
Swish

Well, I have to say that they were contemporary with my (neanderthal) high school daze, and I really can't think of a song they did that I hate. The Randy Newman cover is probably my favorite, and I admit to not knowing who he was at the time. They did very solid covers- radio music, and I still don't dislike the sound, but obviously don't own any or seek it out. They're probably playing Vegas soon- all the other washed-out groups are. Well produced stuff fro the masses, and very competently done.

[Worf101]

Well, they were a strange amalgam of Pop/Rock. They looked like Rockers, sang like the Osmonds... (kiddin) They could chirp and sang, but couldn't write. Didn't write a single hit they had that I know of. My fave of there's is "Eli's Comin'".... why? Because my fave Laura Nyro wrote it.... God rest her soul.... Other than that they were just alright. Integrated band though when that was still not very common... guess it still isn't.

Da Worfster

[Finch Platte]

well, maybe not a total departure from the usual critiques we do when someone mentions a band. What I'm proposing to do is to name a different band each week and let everyone make their comments. I'm not going to pick bands that I necessarily like or that are universally loved (I know that no band is loved by everyone, but there are a few on this board that would qualify), but those who are (or were) somewhere in that gray area for some people. I guess the big question is "were they the real deal or imposters?" I'll post my own thoughts after everyone else has finished...if anyone bothers to respond.
So here I go with the first one and it is Three Dog Night.

Thanks in advance,
Swish

And I don't care if you do. Err, don't. I have a DVD of Three Nog Dight I bought directly after I saw them on PeeBeeEss, and it's very surprisingly good. They've got a crack band (what does that mean??), there's hit after hit after hit, the sound is good, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves (even after playing the songs for the 1,624,983th time), it's in color, virgins are sacrificed, commentary by Cory Dog Night and Danny Dog Night get you in bed with the guys and so on and so 4th. I don't know what it all means, but it's worth picking up, for a measly $20. It's only slightly Vegas, which was a great relief to me, I tells ya. Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Oh, yeah. Did I mention they are backed up by the Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, which, believe it or not, does nothing to ruin the songs! The only thing negative I can say about this DVD is there are a couple of camera tricks done by some pimple-laden teen who just bought a computer and is discovering his free Dell Jefferson Airplane Special Effects bonus disc. Oh, and the guitar player needs liposuction on his hair.

Songlist, you beg? Lookit these hits! Intrue, but credible!

Black & White
Shambala
Liar
Eli's Coming
One
Brickyard Blues
Mama Told Me Not To Cum
Out In The Country
Never Been To Spain
Sault Ste. Marie
Old Fashioned Love Song
Try A Little Tenderness
Family Of Man
Easy To Be Hard (ha!)
Celebrate
Joy To The World
Overture

Sweet stuff. Ahh, if only YECH were here to denigrate this thread. Gotta love it.

fp

[tentoze]

Well, they were a strange amalgam of Pop/Rock. They looked like Rockers, sang like the Osmonds... (kiddin) They could chirp and sang, but couldn't write. Didn't write a single hit they had that I know of. My fave of there's is "Eli's Comin'".... why? Because my fave Laura Nyro wrote it.... God rest her soul.... Other than that they were just alright. Integrated band though when that was still not very common... guess it still isn't.

Da Worfster

Yup, Worf, I agree- the Nyro song was fine, and she IS a genius. But I could throw the discussion off on to another tangent by mentioning one of my favorite gone-by bands, the Chambers Brothers, an integrated band that were the heart and soul of LIVE performance in the day- they SCARED me (in a good way) at the 2nd Atlanta Pop Festival.....................and was fortunate enough a week later to meet and talk with Joe and Willie at an Allman Bros show in Jacksonville- very fond memory of fine folks.

[DarrenH]

I have a 20 track MCA "The Best Of" CD that contains everything I need to know about Three Dog Night. I musta bought that thing 16 years ago. Anyway, the collection contains some damn fine tunes. All the hits. Some of it holds up even today. My favorites, well, I really like Shambala and Out In The Country. Others included Easy To Be Hard and Never Been To Spain.

And then there's One. Most everyone around here should no that tune. Liar, Eli's Coming and Mama Told Me (not to come) aren't bad either.

I dislike Joy To The World though, very much.

Darren

[Hyfi]

I remember when they did the Rockin in the New Year show waaaaaaaay back. Yup the year of the Bullfrog. I was hearing them played by my older brothers around the same time. I liked them then and wouldn't mind if they played them on the radio instead of some of what the do play.

Brings back alot of memories........good post idea Swish

[Hyfi]

Ya can't say you didn't watch The Monkeys show every afternoon before dinner now can ya?

That was alot of fun and just think, people ride those tiny bikes now.

[nobody]

Give me a 45 of Mama Told Me Not To Come and I've got all I need from these guys. That Bullfrog thing is a cute kids song I guess. I can feel my hair grow just listening to them. Kick ass Behind the Music with that singer dude's nasty coke problem though.

[Swish]

that I find respectable now would be Out in the Country and Easy to be Hard I suppose. I really wish they'd never done Joy to the World. I know it was a huge hit with the top 40 crowd, but tt really turned me off and made me forget that they had some decent tunes in their earlier years. These guys were huge when I was in grade school, getting tons of radio play and hit after hit, and some of it was well deserved in my opinion. They were just a tad too light for my tastes after I started growing facial hair, so I drifted toward Hendrix and the Allman Brothers and never looked back.

Swish

[Worf101]

Yup, Worf, I agree- the Nyro song was fine, and she IS a genius. But I could throw the discussion off on to another tangent by mentioning one of my favorite gone-by bands, the Chambers Brothers, an integrated band that were the heart and soul of LIVE performance in the day- they SCARED me (in a good way) at the 2nd Atlanta Pop Festival.....................and was fortunate enough a week later to meet and talk with Joe and Willie at an Allman Bros show in Jacksonville- very fond memory of fine folks.

The Chambers Bros... yeah.. now we're talking some serious "B-Side" stuff here. Early Blackrock band... started out as chirpers (kinda like Parliment) then rocked out. I tried to get my band to do "Time" the young f**kers thought it was "tired". Sigh... Thanks for joggin' my memory and reminding me of a group that kept it real.

Da Worfster

[MindGoneHaywire]

Time Has Come Today is indeed one of the greats...and the Ramones cover is pretty darn good too. But the tune I've listened to more in recent times is 'All Strung Out Over You.' Yow.

[dld]

1969 (I think, maybe 1970), we're partying at a friend's house. His parents are out of town. His dad was a gear head, McIntosh separates, Altec Lansing Voice of the Theater speakers. The album? 3 Dog Night, Live At The Forum. Chest Fever, played at ear splitting volumes, with that prodigious bass the Altecs could reproduce, was and still is, one of the aural highlights of my life. This band played some damn good pop rock. A definite cut above the average AM radio fare, in an era where you could always count on hearing 5 or 6 pretty good songs in an hour of AM airplay.

[Swish]

1969 (I think, maybe 1970), we're partying at a friend's house. His parents are out of town. His dad was a gear head, McIntosh separates, Altec Lansing Voice of the Theater speakers. The album? 3 Dog Night, Live At The Forum. Chest Fever, played at ear splitting volumes, with that prodigious bass the Altecs could reproduce, was and still is, one of the aural highlights of my life. This band played some damn good pop rock. A definite cut above the average AM radio fare, in an era where you could always count on hearing 5 or 6 pretty good songs in an hour of AM airplay.

That was another good one from them, and although I haven't heard it in ages, I can certainly remember the tune in my head. I never had a chance to hear them on a good system either. In those days it was a cheapo stereo or a car casette player or radio. We had so much fun that we never knew or noticed what we were missing. The first decent system I heard was a Wollensak (spelling?) reel to reel playing through the once-famous "dual Advent" speaker system. I have no recollection of the amp or receiver, but the guy played that song "The Backstabbers" by who-the-hell-knows or cares. It really sounded good though, and I imagined one day owning a system that sounded like that. I was probably about 15 or 16 at the time, so we're going back to the very early 70s I guess.

Swish

[DPM]

well, maybe not a total departure from the usual critiques we do when someone mentions a band. What I'm proposing to do is to name a different band each week and let everyone make their comments. I'm not going to pick bands that I necessarily like or that are universally loved (I know that no band is loved by everyone, but there are a few on this board that would qualify), but those who are (or were) somewhere in that gray area for some people. I guess the big question is "were they the real deal or imposters?" I'll post my own thoughts after everyone else has finished...if anyone bothers to respond.
So here I go with the first one and it is Three Dog Night.

Thanks in advance,
Swish

One of the first LPs I owned was Joy To The World: Three Dog Night's Greatest Hits. I liked (and still like) the voices Danny Hutton, Cory Wells and Chuck Negron posessed in their prime. They were a perfect match for each other. It's a shame that Danny and Cory had a falling out with Chuck. Oh well.

Back in 1981 I managed to catch Three Dog Night live during their first reunion tour. They were all in fine voice, and they put on an excellent show. Unfortunately, the only thing to come out of this reunion was a four song EP that didn't quite capture the band's early seventies magic.

As for CDs, Three Dog Night's catalogue is out of print save for various hits packages and a two disk retrospective which I own. This collection has all the hits plus their best album cuts. Of these, Midnight Runaway is my favorite. As far as their hits are concerned, my favorite is One followed by Sure As I'm Sitting Here. Liar is pretty cool too.

Dave M

[Worf101]

I have no recollection of the amp or receiver, but the guy played that song "The Backstabbers" by who-the-hell-knows or cares.
Swish

I care... It was the Ojays... on Philly International... pre disco... The Backstabbers... Gamble and Huff production at it's finest...




Da Worfster

[Swish]

I care... It was the Ojays... on Philly International... pre disco... The Backstabbers... Gamble and Huff production at it's finest...




Da Worfster

I thought it was the Hughes Corporation, the band that did "Rock the Boat", a song that I'd like to forget but can't. The O'Jays had plenty o'hits and I actually liked the Backstabbers, especially after hearing it on that sweet rig. The guy that owned it was the brother-in-law of a good friend He was a Nam vet and had brought some of his equipment back from across the pond, although I don't remember the whole story after all these years. That's what got me interested in hi-fidelity, and the friend played bass and sax and got me interested in playing guitar, so it's all good.

Sorry for the misstep Worfster.

Swish Baby.

[Worf101]

I thought it was the Hughes Corporation, the band that did "Rock the Boat", a song that I'd like to forget but can't. The O'Jays had plenty o'hits and I actually liked the Backstabbers, especially after hearing it on that sweet rig. The guy that owned it was the brother-in-law of a good friend He was a Nam vet and had brought some of his equipment back from across the pond, although I don't remember the whole story after all these years. That's what got me interested in hi-fidelity, and the friend played bass and sax and got me interested in playing guitar, so it's all good.

Sorry for the misstep Worfster.

Swish Baby.

I get plenty of stuff wrong... I'm not one of those music heads with vacuum tubes for brains that know's all the facts (like who played what) but get none of the feel or the love of the music... Some things I know better than others... some I'm clueless.. Like I love some classical pieces and a lot of Jazz stuff but don't know the background... I'd love someone to make me a set of "Greatest Hits of Classical Music" compilation... not just the symphony's by the West Podunk Philharmonic but the best done by the best. I'd pay money for that...

Da Worfster

[ForeverAutumn]

In my young teenie-bopper-pop-music-lovin' days, I was a big Three Dog Night fan.

Down by the waterfront, there used to be an amphitheatre with a revolving stage called The Forum. Bands would come and play there and it was free to see them. I remember that for really popular bands we would go early in the morning and find seats and then sit there for hours and hours until the show started. The whole thing was general admission and if you moved, you could bet that someone would steal your seats. Years ago The Forum was torn down and replaced with The Molson Amphitheatre. A 15,000 seat outdoor venue where you need to mortage your home to buy a concert ticket. But I digress.

For about four consecutive summers, 3DN rolled into town and played at The Forum. I went every summer to see them. They always put on an entertaining show.

I have a best of disk now. But I never listen to it. I bought it for nostalgic reasons, but the music just doesn't do it for me anymore. They played at a nearby casino a couple of summers ago and I could have gone for free, but I really had no inclination to make the one hour drive for the show. It's too bad really. I used to enjoy them so much.