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Cherry Red [Release date : 23.08.24]
Signed by Reprise Records (owned by Frank Sinatra) in 1970, all girl group, Fanny, recorded and released 4 albums between then and 1974.
Formed by sisters June and Jean Millington, on guitar and bass, with Nickey Barclay on keys, and Alice DeBuhr on drums, they knew it would be an uphill struggle for any band, but a girl band …
Truth is, there’s been no female rock band to touch them since. The Runaways, Vixen and others who came later got close, but no cigar. According to Allmusic: “Fanny was one of the best and most underappreciated American rock bands of the ’70s.”
Photographed by Candice Bergen and David Bailey for their album covers, Fanny cut a cool sound, nodding to the sixties pop explosion just exited, and the leaner hard rock sound of the seventies.
They had a reputation for maintaining an unwavering focus on expanding their songwriting and recording craft. The Millingtons and DeBuhr were all on the same wavelength. Each new album was a progression on the one before.
On their self titled debut, together with Producer/ manager, Richard Perry they explore clean living funky sounds, salted with post summer of love pop sensibilities. ‘I Just Realised’ and ‘Take A Message’ standout, with a cover of Cream’s ‘Badge’ raising a few eyebrows, not just for being there. There’s a familiarity to their own songs, but the band’s confident delivery and Perry’s production pacing overcome that.
Follow up Charity Ball saw the band step up to another level. The songwriting is sharper, the delivery harder hitting, and every single track is as lean as it needs to be.
Third album, Fanny Hill shows off the band’s music in a more sophisticated form now, with melodies, bass lines and chord progressions tightly controlled. They’re clearly on a roll.
Fourth album Mothers Pride (produced by Todd Rundgren) has the band excavating a rich seam of hard rock, with their pop influenced past disappearing in the rear view mirror.
‘I Need You Need Me’ and ‘Summer Song’ are fine additions to the band’s fast growing cannon, amplifying their unspoken claim to be included in lists of the best rock bands of the seventies.
This exhaustive box set includes multiple bonus tracks – single edits, b-sides and live stuff as well as the original albums, plus liner notes written by the Millington sisters and Alice DeBuhr.
As comprehensive a boxset as comprehensive gets. ****
ps The label claimed that the band name had no sexual connotation, but instead denoted a female spirit.
That made me laugh too. Even Gilbert & Sullivan were using that titilating trick in their 19th century comic operas.
Review by Brian McGowan
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