Golden Grass

TEMPTATION EYES-land:

THE SONGS

TEMPTATION EYES - Written by Harvey Price and Dan Walsh; Produced by Steve Barri; Horns Arranged by Jimmie Haskell; Lead Vocal: Rob Grill --- Rob Grill has named this as his "all-time favorite Grass Roots song". A number of reviewers have listed it as one of the all-time best singles in the rock era. It's also the favorite of its writers, Dan Walsh and Harvey Price (the latter of whom shall heretofore be known as "Michael" Price, because that is what he goes by and that is what he prefers), from all of their considerable and stellar output.
"Temptation Eyes" has been covered by the Blake Babies, Ron Dante (of the Archies and the Cuff Links), and a number of other artists. It was also the title song for a budget compilation of Grass Roots hits on MCA. This, along with "Come On and Say It", is the furthest into pure rock territory that the Roots ever ventured on a single. It also contains one of the most mis-quoted lines in pop music history - most everyone thinks that the words on the chorus are "lookin' through my-my-my soul", but the actual line is "lookin' through my mind, my soul". (2006 Update: It turns out the line actually is "through my my my soul"! Our source on this couldn't be any more reliable -- it's Dan Walsh, the co-writer of the song! Mr. Walsh explains: "what happened apparently was, the man who was hired to do the lead sheet on the song must have either thought he heard "my mind my soul" or felt it had to be because in his opinion "my my my" didn't make any sense which of course is faulty thinking, as love songs many times just have simple expressions of emotion and we wrote "my my my" just cause it "felt" right. Although I must say that "my mind my soul" certainly looks on the face of it to be the more logical line but in fact we never thought of it and I'm glad because of the success of the song and "mind" doesn't "sing" quite as well as "my" --- still, it's rather strange that mind would end up on the lead sheet as I'm sure [the music publisher] Trousdale sent him both a tape and lyric sheet when he was hired so there should not have been that problem in the first place." Thanks for the info, Dan!)
This is one of Rob's finest vocal performances, showing strength across a considerable range and just vibrating with pure youthful desire. I believe he also performs the harmony vocals on the verse as well, although it sounds like it could be Dennis Provisor, but who knows? (2006 Update: Michael Price, the other co-writer of the song, knows: as he recalls, the harmonies on the verse were actually performed by producer Steve Barri! Since Barri was an original member of the group, I guess it's all-in-the-family and still legitimately the Grass Roots singing. Thanks for the info, Mike! What a fascinating surprise!) As noted on the Singles Discography page, the single version that was played on the radio and that everyone bought is different from the album version in that, on the single, Rob is multi-tracked on the chorus to make it sound like the group is singing. That version has never appeared on any album or compilation. Jimmie Haskell's horn arrangement is searingly hot, and the bass line is imaginative and infectious, particularly on a distinctive lick at the end of each chorus. Not to shatter anyone's illusions, but I believe the bass was played by super-sessioneer Joe Osborne, and the drums by the ubiquitous and super-talented Hal Blaine. A fine record by any standards.
BABY HOLD ON - Written by Harvey Price and Dan Walsh; Produced by Steve Barri; Horns and Strings Arranged by Jimmie Haskell; Lead Vocal: Rob Grill --- Okay, I lied. I'm going to call Mr. Price "Harvey" one last time, for sentimental reasons. This is the first Grass Roots record I ever bought, and it remains my personal favorite to this day. It was also my introduction to my favorite songwriting team of all time, Price and Walsh, and the writers of this song will always be known as Harvey Price and Dan Walsh to me.
This song admittedly owes a lot to "The Letter", a Wayne Carson Thompson song that was the first huge hit for the Box Tops and was the #1 song of 1967. I believe that the chord progression on the chorus is identical, and both songs have the lyrical theme of desperately rushing home to the singer's "baby" from far away. (2006 Update: According to the song's co-writer, Michael Price, this song does not owe a lot to "The Letter" by the Box Tops.) Anyway, the verse on "Baby Hold On" is totally original and unique, with an elegant minor key chord progression evoking all the sadness and wistfulness of the lyric, and accented beautifully by Jimmie Haskell's superior orchestral arrangement. The horn part of the intro is cleverly brought back for a unifying feel at the end of the song on the fade of the chorus. Rob is at his Rob-biest on the husky lead vocal, and the group-singing on the chorus is among their best harmonizing ever. This song should have been a much bigger hit than the #32 at which it peaked, but it remains a great discovery, or re-discovery, for anyone buying a collection of Grass Roots hits.
MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS - Written by Lou Josie; Produced by Steve Barri; Horns Arranged by Jimmie Haskell; Lead Vocals: Rob Grill and Warren Entner --- Unquestionably the Grass Roots' most popular song, and the one most identified with them. It was released during the period in which they had changed their name to "The Grassroots", and that's how it appears on the single. Originally recorded by the Evergreen Blues, it was written by that group's producer, Lou Josie (who was not, as has been reported elsewhere, a member of the Evergreen Blues). The Grass Roots changed very little on their version, including an almost identical horn arrangement. But the original record was great, too - why mess with a good thing? This song marked a dramatic departure from the Roots' roots in the folk-rock sound, and was the foundation for the style of most of their future releases. It included an element never heard before on a Grass Roots single - HORNS! And the sound was based more on Motown soul than on the rock records of that period. At least, that's what the critics and historians everywhere say, so for once I'm going to bow to their judgement and shut up. Rob sings lead on the verse, and Warren sings lead on the chorus and the "little gold ring" bridge. The harmonies are real and not studio-overdubbed, with Rob, Warren and Creed providing the enchanting vocal blend. I believe this may be the first pop record to use "nah nahs" on it, which became a staple of many pop records in the late sixties and early 70's, but I could be wrong on that, and feel free to correct me if I am. This also contains a subtly different, but almost universally misquoted, lyric: though the title of the song is "Midnight Confessions", in the plural, it is never sung that way in the song - the line is actually "In my midnight confession." Listen carefully and you'll see that I'm right. A great and highly influential record, this one truly deserves the "Golden Grass" moniker because it was, in fact, a Gold Record.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEEDED YOU - Written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri; Produced by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri; Lead Vocal: P.F. Sloan(original album version), Bill Fulton(original single version), Rob Grill (Let's Live For Today album,Golden Grass album, Their Sixteen Greatest Hits album, The ABC Collection album)--- The Grass Roots' first hit is still the favorite for many fans of this group. There is much confusion regarding the identity of the players and singers on this song, due to the fact that three lead vocalists did versions of it. The original recording, which appears on the first Grass Roots album, "Where Were You When I Needed You", was sung by the song's co-writer and co-producer, P.F. Sloan. This was printed as a radio-station-only single and received much play around California, and drummed up some interest in a group that, for all intents and purposes, didn't exist. "The Grass Roots" was a name intended to be used for the studio recordings of songwriting/production team P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. They never intended to tour as a band, so when interest was expressed, they decided to find a band to tour as the Grass Roots. They chose a local band called the Bedouins, which included lead singer Bill Fulton and drummer Joel Larson. Sloan, who never felt his voice was quite commercial enough for pop radio, heard in Fulton a voice similar to his own but with more "pop" appeal. The Bedouins agreed to take on the Grass Roots name, and Bill Fulton recorded a new lead vocal over the existing studio tracks for the song. It was that version that was released as the Dunhill single that became the Grass Roots' first Top 40 hit, but anyone who bought the album was getting the Sloan version. With dissension in the group regarding the direction of the music and Sloan and Barri's intention to continue using studio musicians instead of the actual band members, the Bedouins decided not to become the Grass Roots after all, and departed for San Francisco to seek their musical fortunes. The only member who didn't go with them was Joel Larson. With the need still existing for a real band, Sloan and Barri put together guitarists Creed Bratton and Warren Entner, who were already working in a band together, with singer and bass player Rob Grill, whom Sloan had met at a party in L.A., and drummer Rick Coonce, who had played in several L.A. bands, including for a time the Thirteenth Floor, the band that Entner and Bratton were in. If you're still with me, congratulations. I myself got lost about three sentences ago. For continuity purposes, and to help sell the next Grass Roots album Let's Live For Today, and because Grill had the dream voice that P.F. Sloan had really been seeking, a third version of this song was recorded with Rob Grill's lead vocal and added harmonies by Entner and Bratton. Grill's version appeared on all of the subsequent LP and cassette compilations of Grass Roots hits. The version on Rhino's Anthology contains the original P.F. Sloan vocal, as does the one on The Millenium Collection, and the version on Their All Time Greatest Hits contains Bill Fulton's vocal. There, that was easy enough, right? This song has been covered several times, most notably by the Bangles. It's theme is timeless: the anger of a person whose lover abandoned them at a time of crucial need, tempered with sadness and a lingering love for the person even though they left. Now the one who abandoned them wants to come back, but, "baby, it's too late." The harpsichord solo is distinctive and classic, and while the influence of Bob Dylan is strongly evident here, this song is a true original and a very strong and lasting composition. Grill did a new, slower version on his 1980 solo album, Uprooted. For this one track he returned to Western Recording Studios where he had recorded his original vocal for it in 1966. This later, balladic version is much more mournful than strident, and Grill reports that he cried all the way through his performance. You can feel it.

LOVIN' THINGS - Written by Art Schroeck and Jet Loring; Produced by Steve Barri; Horns Arranged by Jimmie Haskell; Lead Vocal: Rob Grill--- My question has always been: how did that fit that many horns in one studio??? A brief but related sidetrack - British producer/songwriter Tony Hatch, who was responsible for almost all of Petula Clark's hits, liked to do his studio recordings "live" - that is, with the orchestra and band and vocalists performing all at the same time in real time, with as little overdubs as possible. So when he was doing the sessions for the single "Downtown", his first big hit with Clark, he found that he couldn't fit all of the singers and musicians into the recording studio they were at. So, in a history-making innovation, Hatch rented another recording studio for the musicians that couldn't fit into the first studio and connected the two studios via closed-circuit television so that he could conduct and record all of the musicians and singers at one time in one huge real-time performance! Truly ambitious, and a truly great record that was deservedly number one all over the world! One of the things that I've always loved about Tony Hatch-produced records - when there were horns, there were HORNS!!!!!
Well, "Lovin' Things" has HORNS!!!!! Perhaps the "horniest" record the Grass Roots ever made. The backstory on this song begins with a trip to England by Warren Entner with his girlfriend back in 1969. There he heard on the radio the breakthrough hit by the group Marmalade (who have alternately been dubbed "The Marmalade" and "Marmalade" on various records with no consistency and no final "resolution" ever achieved), "Lovin' Things". It was a Top 10 hit in the U.K. at the time, and Warren thought it would be a perfect song for the Grass Roots to record. How right he was! Although the Roots' version of the song undeservedly missed the Top 40, it was a mid-charter heard by many people in the U.S. at the time of its release, sold plenty of copies, became the title song of their next LP, and remains one of their most charming and appealing records. They still perform it in concert. The Grass Roots' version changed some of the lyrics and eliminated one verse from the Marmalade version. Otherwise, the two records are fairly similar, although, while I am a Marmalade fan, I feel the Grass Roots version is superior (surprise, surprise!) It has the usual beautiful vocal harmonies that Rob, Warren and Creed had by this time perfected. But more importantly, I consider this the first record where Rob Grill began to really develop and show the distinctive vocal style that would become his own personal trademark, a sound that was his and his alone. While all the previous Grass Roots singles had showcased his hauntingly beautiful natural voice, especially outstanding on this single's predecessor "Bella Linda", it was on "Lovin' Things" that he did more than "just" sing beautifully. On this record, he added a stylistic twist that distinguished him as a unique singer forever.
And how does one describe the unique vocal style of Rob Grill? Well, that's something I've avoided trying to do the whole time I've had this web site, because... I can't! Can you? Just listen to this record, or "Two Divided By Love" or "Glory Bound", or the LP cut "Up On the Roof" from The Grass Roots album on Haven, where Grill indulges his stylistic idiosyncracies so fully that it's almost absurd (but great!), and you can hear it and know it instantly. But can you describe it? Part of it is the pronunciation of certain words, but that's not really a style thing per se - I've interviewed him - he really does talk like that! There's sort of an Elvis Presley "mumbly" aspect to it - Grill has acknowledged Presley as a major influence. It's sort of a dusky, husky, emotionally intense and vulnerable, sorrowful sound, but on-the-edge trembling with excitement - oh, I give up! That's the best I can do. Anyway, "Lovin' Things" was the first single to showcase this. Interestingly, this particular style only emerges most clearly in Grill's lower register - the clear-as-a-bell tenor heard on "Temptation Eyes" shows the style clearly only on the lowest notes of the verse. Still, those unique pronunciations are there, and the uniqueness of this singer shines through beautifully across the higher register of the chorus on that song. Anyway, uh, I love "Lovin' Things". Great, super-catchy melody, great arrangement, a prominent and eminently interestingly bass guitar line that works almost as an echo of and companion to the lead vocal, deeply heartfelt vocal performance, and great HORNS!!!! A note: this has one of the oddly-fastest fades on any single ever.

MELODY FOR YOU - Written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri; Produced by Steve Barri; Strings and Horns Arranged by Jimmie Haskell; Lead Vocal: Rob Grill --- The sheer genius in evidence on this record is staggering. What should have happened with this single is: 1) It should have been a Top 20 hit (instead it completely missed the Hot 100, proving that the Grass Roots' misses are often superior to many other's hits) 2) It should have won Jimmie Haskell a Grammy award for Best Orchestral Arrangement Accompanying A Vocal Performance 3) It should have won Steve Barri a Record of the Year Grammy for best producer 4) It should have won the Grass Roots a Grammy for best pop/rock vocals by a group.

But things aren't always as they should be, so we'll have to be grateful that the record was made at all, and is readily available on CD so that its full glory may be appreciated (best CD version: the Import 2-fer of the Let's Live For Today and Feelings albums - now available in the U.S. for the first time thru Amazon.com - rare & worth it! - click here: Let's Live for Today / Feelings ) One of Sloan and Barri's happier and brighter songs, its sentiments of only being able to express one's feelings for their loved one in music precedes Elton John's "Your Song" by two years. This elegant production is the first Grass Roots single to be graced by a full string and horn arrangement by the amazing Jimmie Haskell, and what an arrangement it is: a truly classically-flavored string arrangement that reflects and enhances the song's celebration of melody and music as the ultimate expression of feeling. The production is exquisite and imaginative. A pipe organ plays a lead melody that is separate and complementary to the vocal melody. Sprightly flourishes of xylophone, a la the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb", embellish the bright and orchestral feeling of the record. The bass and drums percolate underneath with energy and vivacity reminding us very solidly that this is still, indeed, a rock record. As for the vocals, this a Rob Grill solo spotlight, with no group vocals at all. And he certainly doesn't need any backing on this stunning performance. He wrests every bit of emotion from the humble lyrics with utter sincerity, and the pure simple beauty of his voice carries the elegant melody to heights beyond its already extraordinary beauty. Vastly underrated, but much appreciated by those very familiar with the group, "Melody For You" stands alone among all the Sloan/Barri material as a unique masterpiece of pop music totally apart from the folk/rock which the team is so well known for.

More to Come...!

See the complete Grass Roots singles discography here Home