LOST TREASURES
BIFF ROSE
“The Thorn in Mrs. Rose’s Side”
By Peter Marston
[linebreak style=”25.png”]
My first exposure to Biff Rose was as a comic and personality on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in the late ’60s. He was kind of a goofball, sort of a cross between Gilligan and Timothy Leary. He played funny songs in a loose ragtime style, told funny stories in a thick Louisiana accent and giggled and grinned on the couch with Carson. At about the same time, my sister brought home a copy of God Bless Tiny Tim and I couldn’t help notice that Rose was the co-author of the great “Fill Your Heart” (later covered by David Bowie on his Hunky Dory album). Many years later, I found a copy of his debut album (on Bill Cosby’s Tetragrammation Records) in a dollar bin and discovered not a goofball, but a major songwriting talent, right up there with Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson.
Rose was born in New Orleans and began his professional career as a banjo player in a folk group. Later he moved to New York City and worked an act combining comedy and banjo. But when the television industry relocated to Los Angeles, so did Rose. He ultimately found work writing for Mort Sahl and George Carlin, while also working as a comic in local nightclubs. By now, Rose had switched from banjo to piano and began to incorporate proper (and original) songs into his act. The songs were humorous, sentimental and biting—often all at the same time. It wasn’t long until he had turned almost exclusively to songwriting and recording, releasing The Thorn in Mrs. Rose’s Side in 1968.
As suggested above, Rose’s music bears some similarity to that of Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson. All three were influenced by vaudeville, Tin Pan Alley and musical theater. All three also share a knack for writing songs that are wry but also touching and often nostalgic. The arrangements on The Thorn in Mrs. Rose’s Side all follow the same basic formula: Rose’s piano and sometimes warbling, sometimes straining vocals drive the song, augmented with a simple rhythm section and soaring string and, occasionally, brass sections. Indeed, the recording process dictated this approach as Rose was recorded performing the songs live―but solo―and the additional instruments added later. The opening track, “Mama’s Boy,” is perhaps the closest to Newman’s work—jaunty, deadpan, dotted with piano fills—and one of the highlights of the album. Another highlight is Rose’s version of “Fill Your Heart,” which is decidedly more off-hand and playful than either Tiny Tim’s or Bowie’s version. While Tiny Tim and Bowie work the romantic angle, Rose’s version plays as a pure hippy anthem. (The song’s lyrics were written by Paul Williams, who would later go on to write many hits with Roger Nichols. Rose was, in fact, Williams’ first collaborator.) “Molly,” which would be covered later by John Denver on the Take Me to Tomorrow album, is a wistful, narrative love song that is very close to a musical theater number. It alternates vaudeville verses with more plaintive choruses, to charming effect. “The Stars” is the most serious piece of music on the album (and features the most ambitious orchestration), not unlike the contemporary work of Van Dyke Parks. “It’s Happening” is an upbeat commercial for happiness and cosmic awakening—it displays pure optimism and is another standout. “What’s Gnawing at Me,” though, is perhaps the best song on the album, expressing Rose’s existential quest in a melancholic, but still hopeful—and above all, beautiful—pop song.
Two singles were released from The Thorn in Mrs. Rose’s Side: “What’s Gnawing at Me” b/w “Molly” and “Buzz the Fuzz” b/w “Gentle People.” Neither single charted, but Biff wasn’t really aiming at the charts and in short order he released a follow-up, Children of Light in 1969 (also on Tetragrammation). A third, self-titled album appeared on Buddah in 1970—an album of decidedly more serious and introspective material―but after that, Rose’s releases became dominated by novelty material with song titles like “Food Stamp Casserole” and “Music Filled My Burp.”
As noted above, I found my copy of The Thorn in Mrs. Rose’s Side in a dollar bin at a local record store. You may not be so lucky, so consider Water’s 2006 reissue CD, featuring both The Thorn in Mrs. Rose’s Side and the follow-up Children of Light. That CD is currently out-of-print but somewhat easier to find then the original LP. Those looking to explore a broader swath of Rose’s career might be interested in RPM’s career retrospective Fill Your Heart with Biff Rose, currently in print and including four songs from The Thorn in Mrs. Rose’s Side. Any way you can get a listen, though, you’ll be glad you did!
[linebreak style=”25.png”]
================
Pop Pioneer and “Lost Treasures” writer, Peter Marston is the leader of long-running power pop band, Shplang, whose most recent album, “My Big Three Wheeler” has been described as “the Beatles meet Zappa in pop-psych Sumo match.” Peter has a new project in 2015 under the name MARSTON. They will have a track on the upcoming “Power Pop Planet – Volume 5” compilation due in February, 2015.
You check it out at this link: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/shplang
================
LINKS:
WIKIPEDIA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biff_Rose
(stream the album here) BANDCAMP: http://biffrose.bandcamp.com/album/the-thorn-in-mrs-roses-side
AMG Review: http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-thorn-in-mrs-roses-side-mw0001880481
Cool Article: http://thephoenix.com/boston/music/111827-boy-with-the-thorn-in-his-side/
VIDEOS:
ANGEL:
FILL YOUR HEART:
