LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

They were extraordinary: They wrote everything, they played like motherf*ckers, they were just colossal and wonderful." -- David Bowie, Rolling Stone, 1999 An all-girl rock band? Sure, what's the big deal? Well, prior to Fanny, it was a big deal. With few exceptions, "girl groups" didn't write their own material and play their own instruments. Signing to Reprise Records in 1969, Fanny became the first all-female group to record a full-length album for a major label. Sisters June and Jean Millington began rocking in Sacramento, California in the early '60s. In 1968, after years of touring the West Coast in the all-female The Svelts, the Millingtons assembled a new band, Wild Honey, and took to the stage with original songs and folk and Motown covers. A 1969 gig at The Troubadour club in Los Angeles brought Wild Honey to the attention of producer Richard Perry, who persuaded Warner's Mo Ostin to sign the band sight unseen. With Perry at the console and soon-to-be-permanent member Nickey Barclay on keyboards, the band now named Fanny recorded its eponymous debut in L.A. Released in December of 1970, the album combined textured, Beatle-esque pop with sweaty soul, beefy riffs, and proto-Riot Grrrl swagger. If women weren't supposed to rock with this level of chops and intensity, apparently nobody told Fanny. Their name might not be a household word, but if you want to know something of Fanny's influence, just ask The Runaways, The Go-Go's, or Hole. But don't listen to Fanny because they're a great female band. Listen to them because they're a great band. Amazingly, Fanny's groundbreaking albums have never been released on CD. With Rhino Handmade's release of First Time In A Long Time: The Reprise Recordings, this hugely important band is finally getting its digital due. First In A Long Time is a four-CD boxed set containing Fanny's entire 1970-73 Reprise output, plus much more. The studio albums Fanny (1970), Charity Ball (1971), Fanny Hill (1972), and the Todd Rundgren-produced Mother's Pride (1973) have been remastered from original master tapes and are included in their entirety. Also included are exclusive songs from the highly sought-after Canadian version of Fanny, which was pressed from the wrong masters and issued in an initial run of a few thousand copies. Additional bonus tracks include Wild Honey demos from 1969, Reprise promo spots, informal "Kitchen Tapes" recordings, live tracks from 1972-73, and many outtakes and alternate versions. A special 52-page book includes an exclusive 2002 interview with June and Jean Millington and Alice de Buhr, plus rare photos and tributes by David Bowie, Bonnie Raitt, Jill Sobule, and others.
TRACK LISTING COME AND HOLD ME (2:46) I JUST REALIZED (4:00) CANDLELIGHTER MAN (3:35) CONVERSATION WITH A COP (3:09) BADGE (3:01) CHANGING HORSES (3:48) BITTER WINE (3:17) TAKE A MESSAGE TO THE CAPTAIN (3:31) IT TAKES A LOT OF GOOD LOVIN' (4:25) SHADE ME (4:39) SEVEN ROADS (First Version) (4:19) CHARITY BALL (First Version) (2:52) PLACE IN THE COUNTRY (First Version) (3:32) CHANGES (2:16) ONE STEP AT A TIME (3:03) NOWHERE TO RUN (3:20) SEVEN ROADS (Second Version) (3:48) LADY'S CHOICE (2:48) NEW DAY (3:43) I FIND MYSELF (4:04) QUEEN ARETHA (4:20) FLAME TREE (2:20) FANNY REPRISE RECORDS PROMO ONE (0:23) FANNY REPRISE RECORDS PROMO TWO (0:23) FANNY REPRISE RECORDS PROMO THREE (0:32) CHARITY BALL (Second Version) (2:29) WHAT KIND OF LOVER (2:58) CAT FEVER (3:23) A PERSON LIKE YOU (2:58) SPECIAL CARE (4:23) WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? (1:43) SOUL CHILD (3:51) YOU'RE THE ONE (4:10) THINKING OF YOU (3:25) PLACE IN THE COUNTRY (Second Version) (3:08) A LITTLE WHILE LATER (5:40) CHARITY BALL (Single Version) (2:29) TRUE BLUE (1:03) CANDLELIGHTER MAN (2:54) SUMMER SONG (4:07) TOMORROW (2:15) ROCK BOTTOM BLUES (Backing Track) (3:08) AIN'T THAT PECULIAR (4:05) KNOCK ON MY DOOR (3:19) BLIND ALLEY (4:35) YOU'VE GOT A HOME (3:47) WONDERFUL FEELING (3:18) BORROWED TIME (3:26) HEY BULLDOG (3:58) THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN (4:10) ROCK BOTTOM BLUES (3:08) SOUND AND THE FURY (3:04) THE FIRST TIME (4:57) ROCK BOTTOM BLUES (Original Vocal) (3:14) WONDERFUL FEELING (Single Version) (3:16) YOUNG AND DUMB (3:33) HEY BULLDOG (4:41) SUMMER SONG (4:44) IT TAKES A LOT OF GOOD LOVIN' (3:51) BADGE (3:31) YOUNG AND DUMB (4:57) LAST NIGHT I HAD A DREAM (4:54) AIN'T THAT PECULIAR (4:35) BORROWED TIME (3:30) PLACE IN THE COUNTRY (3:38) KNOCK ON MY DOOR (5:05) CHARITY BALL (5:46) LONESOME PINE (4:43) BESIDE MYSELF (4:05) I'LL NEVER BE THE SAME (4:08) ALL MINE (4:25) OLD MILWAUKEE (3:12) LONG ROAD HOME (3:29) BACK IN MY ARMS AGAIN (3:43) NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN (2:27) LAST NIGHT I HAD A DREAM (3:55) LONG ROAD HOME (2:55) OLD HAT (4:14) SOLID GOLD (2:55) IS IT REALLY YOU? (5:23) ALL MINE (3:24) SUMMER SONG (3:11) POLECAT BLUES (3:14) BESIDE MYSELF (3:54) REGULAR GUY (2:25) I NEED YOU NEED ME (4:55) FEELINGS (1:58) I'M SATISFIED (3:08) FANNY REPRISE RECORDS PROMO FOUR (1:03) 'TILL THEN (0:22)