This song was originally by Argent, a hard rock band formed by former members of the Zombies. I like Three Dog Night's version. It's catchy, and Danny Hutton's raspy growl suits the lyrics well.
The visuals are quite the time capsule. Full-fledged videos were still rare at this time, especially in America. So you get largely live performances, but with this weird blue screen acid trips going on in the background. .It's a relief when the band isn't washed away by it.
2 comments:
Three Dog Night was a pop group whose best known song was 'Mama Told Me Not to Come' - written by one of our favorites, Randy Newman.. another song featuring Hutton's raspy voice (much like R.N.'s). That's really about all I know about the group, but you're right about the technical shortcomings of this early video.
Jer asked me to include a link he'd have a hard time telling you how to find. It's from the Chinese Labor Bulletin: Blue-collar workers narrate their own lives through popular online videos.
Ah yes, I remember their version of "Mama Told Me Not to Come." The original as well. Randy's version was a bit quieter, certainly. I'd say choosing a solid Randy Newman song to cover is a mark of good taste. And the technical shortcomings are part of the charm in this case.
That's an interesting article from the Chinese Labor Bulletin. I'd be hard pressed to name any videos I'd seen along those lines. Different culture, I guess.
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