Can we talk about Rare Earth?

DustedDonDustedDon 830 Posts
edited August 2012 in Strut Central
These records fill bins with white boy fonk, I love "Born to Wander" and "Get Ready".

What are their best LPs? I've always liked "Ecology"....

Also, anyone knowledgable on the Rare Earth label? I feel like most stuff under the label is pretty common, any unknown RE heat?
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  • strataspherestratasphere Blastin' the Nasty 1,035 Posts
    Ma has a few tracks on it. Dreams And Answers on Verve is probably their best and rarest with early production from Dennis Coffey and Mike Theodore. on Ecology.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I remember visiting a friend in Lake Forest Chicago during summer vacation in college.
    Her father and I went for a drive. He was trying to bond with me. He asked if i like Rare Earth.
    At that point I only knew them from their breaks and knew nuffin about their catalog.
    Years later a realized it was kinda cool he dropped a White Funk Band on me. Being an older white dude trying to appeal to me.

    Fast forward to about '04. My boss took me snowboarding upstate and i put on a Rare Earth comp and he was like " we like the same music."

    Just blah blahin....

    Underrated Blue-Eyed Soul vocalists despite their Funk accomplishments.

  • Anto99Anto99 244 Posts
    I don't know...CAN we talk about Rare Earth? You tell me. And then once I respond, tell me how I should have. Cool?

  • Anto99Anto99 244 Posts
    I think The Power Of Zeus is on the same label..not 100 percent sure though

  • DustedDon said:


    Also, anyone knowledgable on the Rare Earth label? I feel like most stuff under the label is pretty common, any unknown RE heat?
    I'm assuming you're familiar with these already, but Power of Zeus, Toe Fat, and the Pretty Things - S. F. Sorrow album are a few of the more obscure RE records. Power of Zeus and S. F. Sorrow are suppose to be classics, haven't check either of the Toe Fat albums yet.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    bobtheorange said:
    DustedDon said:


    Also, anyone knowledgable on the Rare Earth label? I feel like most stuff under the label is pretty common, any unknown RE heat?
    I'm assuming you're familiar with these already, but Power of Zeus, Toe Fat, and the Pretty Things - S. F. Sorrow album are a few of the more obscure RE records. Power of Zeus and S. F. Sorrow are suppose to be classics, haven't check either of the Toe Fat albums yet.

    S.F. Sorrow is one of those albums that turns up on "Desert Island Discs" lists, as a lost classic of 1960's UK rock.

    The LPs I have on the Rare Earth label are for the most part spotty, and that includes the band they were named after. I'd say the most consistent album of theirs I've heard is the hitless Willie Remembers. Otherwise, I'd stick with a best-of on those guys.

    Power Of Zeus, Stoney & Meatloaf, and the first Sunday Funnies have their moments. Was a huge fan of the Funnies'"Walk Thru The Path Of Freedom" until I heard an earlier, 45-only version of the same song on the Hideout label. The original on Hideout is much edgier and better than the version on the Rare Earth LP. You can hear the single on Youtube.

    Detroit had an incredibly fertile rock scene in the late 60s and early 70s, but the Rare Earth label was skimming the bottom of the barrel.


  • bobtheorange said:
    DustedDon said:


    Also, anyone knowledgable on the Rare Earth label? I feel like most stuff under the label is pretty common, any unknown RE heat?

    I'm assuming you're familiar with these already, but Power of Zeus, Toe Fat, and the Pretty Things - S. F. Sorrow album are a few of the more obscure RE records. Power of Zeus and S. F. Sorrow are suppose to be classics, haven't check either of the Toe Fat albums yet.

    i didnt realize Prettys Thing was on RE.

  • tripledouble said:
    Never seen this one! Is it good?




    Pretty good album on Rare Earth records. Has at least one funky cut.

    BTW if anyone has a copy of Dreams/Answers and would be down to sell or possibly trade, please PM. thanks

  • ~

  • cool song, sort of depressing... i have no idea who this guy is but im glad i have the 45....



    this is decent...


  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    DustedDon said:
    cool song, sort of depressing... i have no idea who this guy is but im glad i have the 45....




    Wes Henderson was one of the guitar players with Motown artists Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, along with Tommy Chong.

    What is "In Bed" about?

  • "in bed we laugh, in bed we cry, we're born in bed, in bed we die"........

  • p_gunnp_gunn 2,284 Posts
    pickwick33 said:
    bobtheorange said:
    DustedDon said:



    The LPs I have on the Rare Earth label are for the most part spotty, and that includes the band they were named after. I'd say the most consistent album of theirs I've heard is the hitless Willie Remembers. Otherwise, I'd stick with a best-of on those guys.


    yeah, like i wish the Messengers' version of "nowhere to run" was on 45 so i could get rid of the LP...

  • ElectrodeElectrode Los Angeles 3,080 Posts


    "Strange Days" is a good cut

  • strataspherestratasphere Blastin' the Nasty 1,035 Posts
    This one's pretty good.
    Attached files

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    tripledouble said:

    this is the only pre-1982 rare earth record i've never seen ever.

  • Anto99Anto99 244 Posts
    Never seen this one either

  • Options
    The 45's I have of them are styrene.

    :whymustIcry:

  • upskibooupskiboo 2,396 Posts
    grabbed 3 rare earths i had not seen before at flea last weekend, unfortunately did not seem to be all that..


  • strataspherestratasphere Blastin' the Nasty 1,035 Posts
    upskiboo said:
    grabbed 3 rare earths i had not seen before at flea last weekend, unfortunately did not seem to be all that..


    If you're into breaks, the Rustix Bedlam lp has a decent drum break.

  • upskibooupskiboo 2,396 Posts
    stratasphere said:
    upskiboo said:
    grabbed 3 rare earths i had not seen before at flea last weekend, unfortunately did not seem to be all that..


    If you're into breaks, the Rustix Bedlam lp has a decent drum break.

    yeah rustix seemed to be the better of those three, dont recall a drumbreak though, but if its on there somewhere i'll hopefully find it haha

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    The fact that S.F. Sorrow is on Rare Earth should easily legitimize the label's greatness IMO.

  • strataspherestratasphere Blastin' the Nasty 1,035 Posts
    This was the Rustix lp I was referring to.
    Attached files

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    The_Hook_Up said:
    The fact that S.F. Sorrow is on Rare Earth should easily legitimize the label's greatness IMO.

    Not necessarily. They'd have to have 12 or 13 S.F. Sorrows before they could redeem themselves.

    I love Parliament, but that doesn't change the fact that Casablanca Records put out some corny shit.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    ako said:
    tripledouble said:

    this is the only pre-1982 rare earth record i've never seen ever.

    The last album on Rare Earth Records was in 1976. And the last album from the Rare Earth band was in 1978, so they were long gone by '82.

    And, straight from the WTF Files:



    ...evidently released only in France.

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    pickwick33 said:
    The_Hook_Up said:
    The fact that S.F. Sorrow is on Rare Earth should easily legitimize the label's greatness IMO.

    Not necessarily. They'd have to have 12 or 13 S.F. Sorrows before they could redeem themselves.

    I love Parliament, but that doesn't change the fact that Casablanca Records put out some corny shit.

    I have to respectfully disagree. I think the greatness of one amazingly great album casts a longer "good" shadow than a 100 lame albums' "bad" shadow. S.F. Sorrow is that good IMO. In regards to Casablanca, I feel the same way..."Mothership Connection", "Kiss Alive!" and "I Feel Love" alone make the label...those are icons that even all the other limp dreck Casablanca out put can't sully.

  • Options
    Stoney And Meatloaf - lady be mine

    ...confirms this label as holy grail

    Kick shnare kick,kick shnaaaarre!

  • upskibooupskiboo 2,396 Posts
    The_Hook_Up said:
    pickwick33 said:
    The_Hook_Up said:
    The fact that S.F. Sorrow is on Rare Earth should easily legitimize the label's greatness IMO.

    Not necessarily. They'd have to have 12 or 13 S.F. Sorrows before they could redeem themselves.

    I love Parliament, but that doesn't change the fact that Casablanca Records put out some corny shit.

    I have to respectfully disagree. I think the greatness of one amazingly great album casts a longer "good" shadow than a 100 lame albums' "bad" shadow. S.F. Sorrow is that good IMO. In regards to Casablanca, I feel the same way..."Mothership Connection", "Kiss Alive!" and "I Feel Love" alone make the label...those are icons that even all the other limp dreck Casablanca out put can't sully.

    so they released a bunch of UK albums, changed the cover artwork for some of them, like the sf sorrow, which yeah btw is awesome, pulled a french emi recently, cant say that i would prefer the US press alternate cover lps though, RE for some reason kept the parachute cover, another good pretty things harvest orig album, guess RE should get some credit for releasing these to the US public, but with the differnt label, different covers, all sorta takes away from the orig UK issues imo..
    and btw, regarding the bedlam lp we talked about with the break, im pretty sure the US RE again has a changed cover, orig has a hand or fist rising up through asphalt, anyway recall that album having a drumbreak!

  • upskibooupskiboo 2,396 Posts
    the only RE album that i can think of which im still looking for, a white whale for me is... POZ!!!!!!!! :(
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