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The Merry-Go-Round - The Merry-Go-Round (1969)

Track listing:
  1. A Clown Is No Good 2:24
  2. Early In The Morning 2:07
  3. Gonna Fight The War 2:04
  4. Gonna Leave You Alone 2:21
  5. Had To Run Around 3:42
  6. Listen Listen 2:35
  7. Live 2:36
  8. Low Down 3:00
  9. Saturday Night 2:02
  10. She Laughed Loud 2:44
  11. Time Will Show The Wiser 2:30
  12. We're In Love 2:30
  13. Where Have You Been All My Lif 2:19
  14. You're A Very Lovely Woman 2:53

Notes

Like the Left Banke, the Merry-Go-Round were teen pop/rock prodigies who combined British Invasion pop melodies with Baroque pop studio polish. The L.A. group, dominated by singer/songwriter Emmitt Rhodes, had a couple huge local hits — "Live" and "You're a Very Lovely Woman" — but achieved little national success before disbanding in 1969. A Paul McCartney sound-alike and lookalike, Rhodes was blatantly influenced by McCartney's Magical Mystery Tour-era compositions, as one listen to "Pardon Me" (a ringer for "Fool on the Hill") will attest. Rhodes achieved modest commercial and critical recognition with his solo recordings in the early '70s.

Emmit Rhodes (Lead Vocals):

Gary Kato (Guitar):

Bill Rinehart (Bass):

Joel Larson (Drums):

The foursome released several singles including "Live" and "She's A Very Lovely Woman" before releasing their only album in 1969. There were obvious similarities to the Beatles but the band was distinctly American.