Looking Glass | |
---|---|
Origin | New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States |
Genres | Pop rock, soft rock, country rock, Jersey Shore sound |
Years active | 1969–1974, 2003–present |
Members | Elliot Lurie Jeff Lehman Craig Williams Eric Mackey Colton Truman |
Past members | Lawrence Gonsky Pieter Sweval (deceased) Jeff Grob Brendan Harkin Michael Lee Smith Richie Ranno Chuck Connolly Joe Vicere. Nigel Gibbons |
Looking Glass is an American pop rock band formed in New Jersey that were active during the early 1970s. They are known for their chart-topping 1972 hit song "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)", which reached No. 1 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 charts, remaining in the top position for one week. They were part of the Jersey Shore sound.
The group was formed in 1969, at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The original version of the band broke up after college, with original members Elliot Lurie and Larry Gonsky recruiting two new members to form the classic Looking Glass lineup: [1]
The group had the #1 hit single for the week of August 26, 1972, with "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)", written by Lurie; [2] and also a Top 40 hit "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne" (1973), subsequently recorded by Josie Cotton. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" was released in the US in June 1972. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week and remained on the chart for 16 weeks. [2] This disc, their only million seller, was certified gold by the RIAA on August 9, 1972. [2]
Guitarist Brendan Harkin joined Looking Glass in early 1974, and Lurie left soon afterward to pursue a solo career, replaced by Michael Lee Smith, a singer from Georgia. Later that same year, the group changed its name to Fallen Angels. After Richie Ranno joined as second guitarist in September 1975, keyboardist Gonsky departed, and by late 1975, Fallen Angels's name had changed once again to Starz. Lurie appeared as a solo artist with "Your Love Song," an entry on Billboard's "Easy Listening" chart in 1974.
Sweval died on January 23, 1990, [3] having succumbed to AIDS. [4] [5]
New York radio station WPLJ-FM reunited Looking Glass, along with several others acts as part of a "70s Reunion Concert" on March 24, 1995. It was held at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. Among the acts who took the stage at the sold-out concert were original lead singer Elliot Lurie and members of Looking Glass, Three Dog Night, Rupert Holmes, Andrew Gold, Alan O'Day, Ian Lloyd (lead singer of Stories), Sonny Geraci (lead singer of the Outsiders and Climax), and Robert John.
In 2003, Lurie reconstituted the group with new musicians.[ citation needed ]
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US [6] | AUS [7] | ||
1972 | Looking Glass | 113 | 56 |
1973 | Subway Serenade | — | — |
Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [6] | US Cash Box | US Adult [8] | AUS [7] | CAN | UK | |||
1972 | "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" | 1 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 55 [A] | |
"Golden Rainbow" | — | 75 | 37 | — | — | — | ||
1973 | "Rainbow Man" | — | 94 | — | — | — | — | |
"Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne" [10] | 33 | 31 | 16 | 75 | 21 | — | ||
1974 | "Sweet Somethin'" [11] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Scherrie Ann Payne is an American singer. Payne is best known as a member and the final lead singer of the R&B/Soul vocal group the Supremes from 1973 until 1977. Payne is the younger sister of singer Freda Payne. Payne continues to perform, both as a solo act and as a part of the "Former Ladies of the Supremes" (FLOS).
Elliot Lurie is an American musician who was the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the band Looking Glass from 1969 to 1974. He wrote and sang lead on their 1972 #1 hit single "Brandy " and their 1973 Top 40 single "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne".
Starz is an American hard rock and power pop band from New Jersey. Despite a lack of major commercial success, the band has a lasting cult following and has been cited as a major influence by bands such as Mötley Crüe, Poison, Bon Jovi, and Twisted Sister.
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"The Boy Is Mine" is a duet by American singers Brandy and Monica. It was written by LaShawn Daniels, Japhe Tejeda, Fred Jerkins III, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and Brandy, while production was helmed by Jerkins and Dallas Austin. It was released as the lead single from both singers' second albums from 1998, Never Say Never by Brandy and the album of the same name by Monica. Inspired by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney's 1982 duet "The Girl Is Mine", the lyrics of the mid-tempo R&B track revolve around two women fighting over a man.
"Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" is a 1967 song recorded by the Supremes for the Motown label.
"Brandy", later called "Mandy", is a song written by Scott English and Richard Kerr. It was originally recorded by English in 1971 and reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.
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"Baby I'm Yours" is a song written by Van McCoy which was a hit in 1965 for Barbara Lewis, the original recording artist.
"Love the One You're With" is a song by American folk rock musician Stephen Stills. It was released as the lead single from his debut self-titled studio album in November 1970. The song, inspired by a remark Stills heard from musician Billy Preston, became his biggest hit single, peaking at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1971. David Crosby and Graham Nash, Stills's fellow members of Crosby, Stills & Nash, provide background vocals on the song. Also providing the backups are Rita Coolidge, her sister Priscilla Jones, and John Sebastian. They all sing the "Do Dos" that come before the instrumental portion and the outro. The song was also recorded by the Isley Brothers, The Meters, Bucks Fizz, Luther Vandross, Bob Seger and Richard Clapton, among others.
"Summer Breeze" is a 1972 song by American soft rock duo Seals and Crofts. It is the title track of their fourth studio album, and was released as the album's lead single in August 1972. The song reached No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. In 2013, it was ranked No. 13 in Rolling Stone′s "Best Summer Songs of All Time". The song also became a hit for the Isley Brothers in 1974.
"Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" is a 1972 song by American pop rock band Looking Glass from their debut album, Looking Glass. It was written by Looking Glass lead guitarist and co-vocalist Elliot Lurie.
"Alone Again (Naturally)" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. Recorded in 1971, it became a worldwide hit. The song did not originally appear on his 1972 studio album Back to Front, but has been included in reissues (often replacing "Clair").
"Right Here (Departed)" is a song by American recording artist Brandy Norwood. It was written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and The Writing Camp members Evan "Kidd" Bogart, Victoria Horn, Erika Nuri, and David "DQ" Quiñones and produced by Jerkins for her fifth studio album, Human (2008). Not recorded until late into the production of the album, it set much of the tone for the final Human track listing as it was the first out of several new songs Norwood and Jerkins recorded together following his absence on her previous album Afrodisiac (2004). Its lyrics chronicle a woman's talks about mutual support with loved ones.
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Looking Glass is the self-titled debut album released by the band Looking Glass in 1972.
Subway Serenade was the second and final album released by the band Looking Glass. It contained their second charting single, "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne". Following the departure of vocalist Elliot Lurie to pursue a solo career, the band would release one final single called "Highway to Hollywood" under the slightly altered name of "Lookinglass" in 1974 before drastically reforming their lineup and style into the heavy metal/power pop group Starz.
Alone Again (Naturally) is the thirtieth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in September 1972 by Columbia Records and mainly consisting of songs originated by other artists. For its release in the UK, the album was titled The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face), and three of the songs were replaced with the 7-inch single tracks "Who Was It?" and "Marmalade, Molasses & Honey" and a recording that was not released on vinyl in the U.S., "If You're Gonna Break Another Heart".
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"Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne" is a 1973 song written and composed by Elliot Lurie and recorded by Lurie's band, Looking Glass. It was the first track on their second and final album, Subway Serenade. The title has also been spelled "Jimmy Loves Mary-Ann".