Forget All About It

The black vinyl edition is the rare one!

When we were kids with no money, we would often swap records when we got tired of them. I got this one from a buddy who threw it in with another album so he could get a Chicago album from me. I forget what the other record was, but this one blew my little 13 year old mind. The bright red vinyl was pretty cool too! Wish I still had it, like a lot of other things that are gone.

Can I even put into words how much I love the music contained on this incredible second album by The Nazz, entitled "Nazz Nazz"? From the phased whoosh that begins the startling power pop sugar rush of the opening track "Forget All About It" to the fading notes of the last tune, the epic "A Beautiful Song", this is a stone cold masterwork of musical genius. Born in the tipping point year of 1969 under difficult circumstances, the music is unmistakably of its time, and yet somehow manages to sound like it's from the future; just as much today as then.

Even though the third Nazz album, which followed this one, contained little more than debris from a band falling apart, the 3 albums together form a concise trilogy as a band history and deserve much better archival treatment. I do wish that some enterprising record company would do a solid remixing and remastering job on all 3 albums by The Nazz. Perhaps Todd Rundgren himself would be up to it? Now that would be definitive! A well done boxed set would also be awesome and appreciated. Oh, and please do reissue the vinyl too, thanks.

Pop on the headphones and enjoy this amazing opening track, "Forget All About It"! No Auto-tune or ProTools were available then, just talent and skill. And, the album gets better from here!

This must have been a fun concert!

Inspired by a variety of British Invasion groups, from the omnipresent Beatles to cult favorites The Move, guitarist Todd Rundgren and Woody's Truck Stop bassist Carson Van Osten formed The Nazz in 1967, taking their name from a Yardbirds song. They were soon joined by drummer Thom Mooney and lead vocalist and keyboardist Robert Antoni, better known as Stewkey. There had been many groups that drew inspiration from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, but none had been so self-consciously reverent as The Nazz. Their first single, "Open My Eyes," twisted the riff from The Who's "I Can't Explain," and much of their music felt like homages to Brit-Rock icons from The Kinks to Cream, thereby setting a precedent that was followed by scores of American Pop bands from The Raspberries to Material Issue, and beyond.

Their second single, "Hello It's Me", managed to reach #71 on the charts, and the record, along with the band's self-production, attracted some good notices. Taking this as a cue, The Nazz headed off to England to cut their second album, but became embroiled in work visa problems. Undaunted, they returned to America and began work on an ambitious double album with the working title of "Fungo Bat". By the time it was released in April 1969, it had been trimmed to a single album and retitled "Nazz Nazz". Although the project's scale was diminished, the music remained diverse, going from psychedelic rockers to pop ballads and even a protest song about police brutality, thinly disguised as a novelty/fantasy tune.

It's one thing to love this, or any music. It's certainly another to attempt to play it in tribute. But when The Gladhands decided to cover "Forget All About It" on their criminally neglected 1997 album "La Di Da", the influence of both The Nazz and Todd Rundgren were already well in place. So much so, that the song was a natural fit with the rest of the album's music, although they wisely chose to not open "La Di Da" with it.

Go buy this CD right now! You can thank me later.

Gladhands formed in 1992 in Omaha, Nebraska, a few months after transplanted east coaster, Doug Edmunds, met Omaha native, Jeff Carlson, during his first week in town. That first meeting took place (of course) across a record store counter; Jeff being the amiable store clerk and Doug the eager job applicant. The two bonded over shared musical interests and traded demo tapes shortly thereafter. By the start of the new year, the two were actively rehearsing in Doug's basement.

Eventually, the two relocated to Edmunds' adopted home of Chapel Hill, NC in January 1994, determined to capitalize on their early momentum in a town well-known for its support of original music. After a false start or two, the band solidified with the addition of bassist Pat McGraw. In late 1995, they recorded four songs, which in addition to several tracks cut previously in Omaha by Jeff and Doug, would end up on the band’s debut CD with Big Deal, the ironically titled "From Here To Obscurity".

It was not until the band’s sophomore effort, "La Di Da", that Gladhands truly hit their stride. The album marked a high point in both songwriting and production and garnered rave reviews in Billboard, Guitar Player, Magnet and many other national and regional press outlets. College and modern rock radio added the record to their playlists while the band toured throughout the US in support of the record and started to build a dedicated following.

Gladhands in 2009 at the Charlotte Pop Fest

By fall of 1998, Gladhands had begun recording the follow-up to "La Di Da", eager to build on its success. But due to financing and restructuring issues with their label, Big Deal, the ensuing album, "Wow & Flutter", would never see the light of day in the US. In March of 1999, the record came out in Japan on JVC Victor, and early promo copies received further positive press stateside. But, the band became increasingly frustrated by ongoing label issues and the lost momentum, eventually calling it a day in late 1999.

There's one main reason why records like this one are so great. It's because the band isn't presenting themselves as any sort of celebrity, nor their work as a 'product'. This recording was very obviously written, recorded and presented with the idea of it being, first and foremost, quality audio entertainment; something you listen to because it's fun, original, engaging and entertaining to hear. The music and production capture your heart and your head. I think that's extremely cool and rare in these auto-tuned times.

Here's the Gladhands' recording of "Forget All About It". I promise you won't! If I ever heard a cover band pull this song off live, this well, I would completely lose it.

"La Di Da" is a fantastic album, and is available used at Amazon for as cheap as 1 red cent!! Spend the 3 bucks on shipping and it's still a hot bargain. The other recordings by Gladhands are still considered collectible and are a tad more pricey, but do pick up "La-Di-Da". It gets better with each listen.

The availability of music from The Nazz on CD or vinyl is a bit patchy at the moment. Your best bet would be to luck into a used copy in decent condition that's reasonably priced. Even the "Open Our Eyes" anthology is over 10 years old and a pricey collectible. But while it's fairly complete, the songs are not in the playing order that was on the original albums, which doesn't make any sense. It's as if someone put all 3 albums in a CD player, hit the shuffle button and mastered the result. We CAN do better. Are you listening, Todd? Seriously...