Well, the InterWeb let me down on my search for a scan of the back cover of horn-rock band Chase‘s eponymous first album. But the cover of their second LP, entitled Ennea, has a pretty clear view of the guy I thought looked totally cool, and who I thought — maybe, just maybe, if I kept my fingers crossed — I might grow up to resemble.
I’m not going to tell you which horn-rocker it was; I’ll leave it to you guys to guess. I’ll also take this opportunity to ask all of you: was there any particular popular music personality you thought you might, with a bit of luck, grow up to resemble — or perhaps even be?
I look forward to your responses.
HVB
p.s.: as you’re pondering this question, feel free to enjoy some of Chase’s (cough) fine, fine horn-rock at http://www.chaserevisited.com/music.html. As an impressionable nine year-old, I remember being particularly taken with “Get It On” from the first album.
p.p.s.: hey, I was only NINE!
I just found this, with a tiny album cover shot of the band I had in mind. Are these the same guys?
http://www.tilldawn.net/MP3/chase.html
This album was a staple of $1 bins and the collections of friendly, nerdy audiophiles of the ’70s, no?
OK, yes, I just clicked your link. This is the band I had in mind…
My question stands: What is the second-finest horn rock album of them all, and as much as it pains me to say it, why isn’t it something by Chicago? Why aren’t they simply considered King Shit on Poop Hill? The hell with Blood, Sweat & Tears’ first album!
As for your desired Look, I could see you aiming for the second guy from the right. Dig those sleeves!
I think it’s the fourth guy from the right.
Oats, Mod, you are both WRONG on your guesses. And answer the question, if you please! Who did you most desire to grow up to become when you were but a wee child?
Don’t tell me it’s the balding guy with the headband!
I’m thinking about who I wanted to be when I grew up to be a man. I’m pretty sure it was some combination of the moustachioed Lennon of Sgt. Pepper’s but with elements of George’s hair from that period and Ringo’s raincoat from the rooftop performance of Let It Be.
Bill Chase is favorite fodder for marching band shows, particularly trumpet-minded band directors. Drum and bugle corps have been mining his catalogue for years and they seem to set the standard for what the high school bands do. My own alma mater did a Bill Chase a couple of years ago.
Speaking of horny bands, we can’t forget about Tower of Power. They sort of branch beyond pop/rock, but they did make some essential soul/funk/horn music in the 70s. I’ll offer up their self-titled album as a good example.
As far as the “look” goes, the third guy from the left looks pretty cool. Me? I wanted to look like Paul McCartney! Hey…He’s the “Cute Beatle.”
TB
My next guess: the second guy from the left.
It’s a little embarrassing now, but about 10-15 years ago, I wanted to look like Elvis Costello. I was even okay with his Brutal Youth-era look.
Well, Brutal Youth is better than the Mighty Like A Turd-era. And yes. Thanks to RTH, I will work Mighty Like A Turd into any discussion.
TB
DINGDINGDINGDINGDING!
Oats wins the hearty handshake. Yes, the guy with the bangs and the handlebar moustache was my wanna-be. I already had bangs — the moustache was just a matter of time, surely.
(Postscript: it turns out I am actually incapable of growing any kind of beard, moustache or ‘burns, so the joke’s on me.)
Also, Oats, your Costello confession means a lot to me. I bet it made you feel better, too.
As for Tower Of Power — man, those guys wrote some great pop/funk music. In general, for me, the intersection of “white” music with massive horn sections = cheese; the intersection of massive horn sections with “black” music = frequently good stuff.
Dead center, maroon shirt and ‘stache.
As for me, probably George Harrison from the gate fold of the red and blue albums.
I knew I didn’t have a shot at looking like the picture of Jimmy Page in the original Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll (on stage, both hands palm up pointing at his low slung Les Paul), but that picture played a huge role in me picking up a guitar.
That guy?!? He would have been my second to last guess (the first being the pudgy third from the right guy).
Too late for a pick. I absolutely would have hoped for a Lennon look, and for many years my late 70s-early 80s nearsighted self craved in vain those round wire frames that might have been readily available from the British National Health Service. Alas I was neutered by those seventies oblong styles. That, and my nose isn’t that big.
I too, can grow nothing resembling organized facial hair, so those ginormous burns are beyond me.
Hey, Mockcarr — of all townspeople, I would think *you* have a strong opinion about horn-rock. What might that opinion be?
God, I hated Chase. I don’t like the trumpet in general, though as long as it’s part of a horn section I’m usually ok with it. But a band with four trumpets? No, please.
As far as great horny rock bands, I’ll take the Kinks when they were backed with The Mike Cotton Sound. I never thought Tower of Power had the material to match their sound, but when Little Feat used the Tower of Power Horns to back them up it was the best of both worlds.
The Jim Price/Bobby Keyes/Jim Horn section that I think was an offshoot of the Mad Dogs & Englishmen band played with everybody for a while there in the 70s. The Memphis Horns that grew out of the Stax house band also became a free-floating horn section for hire.
As far as who I wanted to look like when I grew up, it was probably Jerry Garcia. This is an example of wanting the opposite of what your genes have given you. As a painfully skinny kid who couldn’t even grow sideburns, I thought Garcia’s zaftig physique and uncontrollable hirsuteness was the ultimate. I was finally able to grow a beard in my 40s, but I’m still working on chunking out.
HVB, I’ve never met you and to my knowledge don’t know what you look like, but with one look at the band photo without reading any of the comments, I knew – instinctively, I knew – bangs-and-handlebar-stache guy was who you wanted to look like!
Great minds think alike Mr. Moderator. I would have pegged hrrundivbakshi for the guy with the puffy sleeves too!
Kinda embarrassing to admit but when was a boy I recall being fascinated with the guy who wore the eye patch in Dr. Hook.
I went for the hair over the eye long hair pompadour of John Cougar Melencamp. From the day I saw the Jack & Diane video to the day I sported the PERFECT JCM haircut (it took three years and many mother-son arguments). I’m surprised my left eye works at all after a good two years of hair covering the left side of my face until I finally tucked it behind my ear for a more 60’s look
Not a musician but when I was 9 I totally wanted to be like the black G.I. Joe.
http://www.afact.com/gijoe/photo_gallery/black_adventurer.jpg
I wanted to be Neil Young; now all I can hope for would be passing as Frank “Poncho” Sampedro.
Han Solo or Gene Simmons(with make up)
I once heard a song by “Chase” in Quad! Oh yeah, a crazy trumpet line ping-ponging from speaker to speaker all around the room.
Speaking of Blood Sweat and Tears, I just saw this surprising nugget of trivia on wikipedia: “(Alex Chilton)was offered the role of lead vocalist for Blood, Sweat & Tears, but turned the offer down as “too commercial”.”
Apropos of not much, I’m going to see Big Star tonight and I’m psyched!
Where are they playing? I have a friend from North Jersey who’s going. I assumed it was up that way. You making a road trip?
Yeah. They’re playing at the Masonic Temple in Brooklyn.