LOST TREASURES
by Peter Marston
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BARNABY BYE
“Barnaby Bye”
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Barnaby Bye seemed to have everything going for it: catchy Beatle-esque songs; carefully crafted baroque-pop arrangements; lush, layered harmonies; the legendary Amhet Ertegun at the producer’s desk; and, not the least of it, the undeniably photogenic Alessi twins, Billy and Bobby, as front men. How their debut album, Room to Grow, ended up the topic of a Lost Treasures post is, frankly, puzzling.
In 1970, Billy and Bobby Alessi were working in the Broadway cast of Hair, when former Blues Magoos guitarist Peppy Castro joined the show. Friendships were formed and a little more than a year later, the three were joined by drummer Jack Scarangella for a showcase at Kenny’s Castaways in New York City. The buzz was good and the crowd included number of record execs, including Ertegun, Clive Davis and others. Ertegun made the winning bid, and Barnaby Bye was signed to Atlantic Records and sent off to the recording studio—with one minor personnel change. Scarangella was out and Mike Riciardella—from the Illusion—took his place behind the drum kit.
The material on Room to Grow is uniformly excellent. The opening track, “The Day Came On,” begins with a straight-four piano part that recalls late 60s Nilsson and features simple but charming vocal counterpoint and an almost comic synthesizer solo. “I Feel for You” is a beautifully written ballad that builds from a simple electric piano and vocal introduction to a full-on rock arrangement in the fade-out. “She Was Pleased” offers a country rock feel reminiscent of the early Brinsley Schwartz, but with the production sheen of CSN (it’s actually closest to Ric Ocasek’s pre-Cars band Milkwood). “I Think I’m Gonna Like It” is one of the heavier numbers and evokes Jeff Lynne’s transition from the Move to ELO. “Laneya” is a Beach Boys pastiche—more Sunflower than Pet Sounds. One of the best-received tracks at the time of release, “Jessie Girl,” is a McCartney-esque character song about the passing of an elderly woman that somehow manages to be both more upbeat and maudlin than “Eleanor Rigby.” (Co-author credit on both “Laneya” and “Jessie Girl” is given to Castro’s ex-wife, Mary Kelly.) The album closes with a cover of the Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home” that includes a dense synthesizer interlude and those lush, layered harmonies.
Despite all its virtues, Room to Grow failed to generate the type of success—in record sales or airplay—that everyone involved expected. The band released a follow-up LP, Touch, in 1974, but then entered into a long hiatus, during which the Alessi Brothers scored two hit singles on their own: “Oh, Lori” (charting in the UK in 1977) and “Put Away Your love” (charting in the US in 1982). Barnaby Bye reformed in the mid-2000s and released their third and most recent album, Thrice Upon a Time in 2008. Thus, the story continues. . . .
Room to Grow was reissued on Wounded Bird in 2010 and can be easily found at the usual outlets. Mp3 versions are also available on iTunes and amazon. One of the strongest and most consistent pop/rock albums of the early 70s, Room to Grow is one that shouldn’t be missed!
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Pop Pioneer and “Lost Treasures” writer, Peter Marston is the leader of long-running power pop band, Shplang, whose most recent album, “My Big Three Wheeler” has been described as “the Beatles meet Zappa in pop-psych Sumo match.” You check it out at this link: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/shplang
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“Happy Was The Day We Met”
Interview with Barnaby Bye – Part 1
