Friends and Legends
Encyclopedia
Friends and Legends was the second solo album from Michael Stanley
. The album title refers to the backing musicians accompanying Stanley on the album, which was recorded at Applewood Studios in Golden, Colorado
. The basic band on all tracks was Barnstorm
, composed of Joe Walsh
on lead guitar and synthesizer, Joe Vitale
on drums, flute, synthesizer and backing vocals, and Kenny Passarelli on bass. In addition, three members of Stephen Stills
' Manassas
performed: Paul Harris
on keyboards, Joe Lala
on percussion and Al Perkins
on pedal steel guitar, and the band also included saxophonist David Sanborn
. Among the backing vocalists were Richie Furay
and Dan Fogelberg
. In keeping with the collaborative spirit, J. Geils
assisted with production of the saxophone tracks.
Although the album produced one of Stanley's most popular songs, "Let's Get the Show on the Road", and led to a headline spot for Stanley (backed by Barnstorm) on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
, it made little impact on the charts, partially because Stanley's all-star band was unable to tour behind it. After this, Stanley decided to form his own band, which was named The Michael Stanley Band, so that touring would no longer be a problem.
Michael Stanley
Michael Stanley is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and disc jockey. Both as a solo artist and with the Michael Stanley Band, his brand of heartland rock was popular in Cleveland and around the American Midwest in the 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:Michael Stanley Gee graduated from Rocky...
. The album title refers to the backing musicians accompanying Stanley on the album, which was recorded at Applewood Studios in Golden, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The basic band on all tracks was Barnstorm
Barnstorm (group)
Barnstorm was the group created by Joe Walsh after he left the James Gang. The original members of the group were Walsh , Joe Vitale and Kenny Passarelli ; all of the members contributed vocals and songs, although Walsh was the principal singer and songwriter...
, composed of Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
on lead guitar and synthesizer, Joe Vitale
Joe Vitale (musician)
Joe Vitale is an American musician primarily known as a drummer but also a flautist, keyboardist and singer. He has played with many of the top names in music during a career dating back to the 1970s.-Biography:...
on drums, flute, synthesizer and backing vocals, and Kenny Passarelli on bass. In addition, three members of Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
' Manassas
Manassas (band)
Manassas was an American rock band, formed by Stephen Stills in 1971. The nucleus of the band had already backed Stills on his July 1971 album, Stephen Stills 2, and in May 1972, the double album, Manassas, was released. Down The Road was released in 1973, but in October of that year the band split...
performed: Paul Harris
Paul Harris (musician)
Paul Harris is a keyboards player and session musician.Harris appears on several albums of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s by leading artists such as Stephen Stills, B. B. King, Judy Collins, Al Kooper, ABBA, Eric Andersen, Rick Derringer, Nick Drake, John Sebastian, Joe Walsh, Seals & Crofts and Dan...
on keyboards, Joe Lala
Joe Lala
Joe Lala is an actor and voice actor, notable for his dubbing of Kun Lan of the video-game Killer7.He also played drums and percussion on 32 gold and 28 platinum albums. His credits include Blues Image, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Manassas, The Bee Gees, Whitney Houston, and many...
on percussion and Al Perkins
Al Perkins
Al Perkins is a Texas-born American guitarist. The Gibson guitar company called Perkins "the world's most influential Dobro player", and even began producing an "Al Perkins Signature" Dobro in 2001 - designed and autographed by Perkins....
on pedal steel guitar, and the band also included saxophonist David Sanborn
David Sanborn
David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
. Among the backing vocalists were Richie Furay
Richie Furay
Richie Furay is an American singer, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member who is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin, and Poco with Jim Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner...
and Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
. In keeping with the collaborative spirit, J. Geils
J. Geils
John Geils popularly known as J. Geils, is an American blues-rock lead guitarist, singer and founder of The J. Geils Band; he has also recorded with several jazz musicians. Born in New York, he grew up in Far Hills, New Jersey where he graduated from Bernards High School.Since 1982, Geils has...
assisted with production of the saxophone tracks.
Although the album produced one of Stanley's most popular songs, "Let's Get the Show on the Road", and led to a headline spot for Stanley (backed by Barnstorm) on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert is a television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations...
, it made little impact on the charts, partially because Stanley's all-star band was unable to tour behind it. After this, Stanley decided to form his own band, which was named The Michael Stanley Band, so that touring would no longer be a problem.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Michael Stanley; except where indicated- "Among My Friends Again"
- "Help!Help! (song)"Help!" is a song by The Beatles that served as the title song for both the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was also released as a single, and was number one for three weeks in both the United States and the United Kingdom....
" (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) - "Yours for a Song"
- "Let's Get the Show on the Road"
- "Just Keep Playing Your Radio"
- "Roll On"
- "Bad Habits"
- "Funky Is the Drummer" (Stanley, Walsh, Harris, Vitale, Passarelli, Bigby, Lawson)
- "Poets' Day"
Personnel
- Michael StanleyMichael StanleyMichael Stanley is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and disc jockey. Both as a solo artist and with the Michael Stanley Band, his brand of heartland rock was popular in Cleveland and around the American Midwest in the 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:Michael Stanley Gee graduated from Rocky...
- lead vocals, guitars - Joe WalshJoe WalshJoseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
- lead guitars, synthesizer - Joe VitaleJoe Vitale (musician)Joe Vitale is an American musician primarily known as a drummer but also a flautist, keyboardist and singer. He has played with many of the top names in music during a career dating back to the 1970s.-Biography:...
- drums, flute, synthesizer, backing vocals - Kenny Passarelli - bass
- Paul HarrisPaul Harris (musician)Paul Harris is a keyboards player and session musician.Harris appears on several albums of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s by leading artists such as Stephen Stills, B. B. King, Judy Collins, Al Kooper, ABBA, Eric Andersen, Rick Derringer, Nick Drake, John Sebastian, Joe Walsh, Seals & Crofts and Dan...
- piano, organ, clavinette - Al PerkinsAl PerkinsAl Perkins is a Texas-born American guitarist. The Gibson guitar company called Perkins "the world's most influential Dobro player", and even began producing an "Al Perkins Signature" Dobro in 2001 - designed and autographed by Perkins....
- pedal steel guitar - Joe LalaJoe LalaJoe Lala is an actor and voice actor, notable for his dubbing of Kun Lan of the video-game Killer7.He also played drums and percussion on 32 gold and 28 platinum albums. His credits include Blues Image, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Manassas, The Bee Gees, Whitney Houston, and many...
- congas, timbales, percussion - Jon Bendis - acoustic guitar
- David SanbornDavid SanbornDavid Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
- alto saxophone - Bill SzymczykBill SzymczykBill Szymczyk is an American music producer and technical engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the 1970s, though he retired from the music business by 1990...
- percussion - Tasha Thomas - backing vocals
- Lani Groves - backing vocals
- Carla Hall - backing vocals
- Richie FurayRichie FurayRichie Furay is an American singer, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member who is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin, and Poco with Jim Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner...
- backing vocals - Dan FogelbergDan FogelbergDaniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
- backing vocals