Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from the years 1965-1968 and was a major influence on punk rock. Rhino Records reissued an expanded version of the set in 1998, with 118 tracks in total. I’m profiling and rating each of these 118 tracks, working backwards.
Track 46/118: Laugh, Laugh by The Beau Brummels
Release Date: 1964
From: San Francisco, California
Aphoristic Rating: 9/10
LAUGH, LAUGH – The Beau Brummels [2:48]
(Ron Elliott)
Personnel/SAL VALENTINO: vocals * RON ELLIOTT: lead guitar, vocals * DECLAN MULLIGAN: guitar, harmonica, vocals * RON MEAGHER: bass * JOHN PETERSEN: drums
A COUGAR Production
Recorded in San Francisco, CA
Autumn single #8 (12/64); Pop #15
The Beau Brummels were formed around vocalist Sal Valentino. They were Anglophiles in their early career, influenced by The Beatles and The Zombies, and taking their name from a well-known English dandy. Beau Brummell is also referenced by Billy Joel in his 1980 #1 hit ‘It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me’.
How about a pair of pink sidewinders,
And a bright orange pair of pants?
You could really be a Beau Brummel baby
If you just give it half a chance.
‘Laugh, Laugh’ was released in late 1964, putting the band ahead of the game in the rapid evolution of popular music in the 1960s. They were one of the first major San Francisco bands to release a record – ‘Laugh, Laugh’ came out before Jefferson Airplane even formed. There’s also a tinge of folk-rock to ‘Laugh, Laugh’, released before The Byrds’ electrification of ‘Mr Tambourine Man’.
‘Laugh, Laugh’ was produced by Sylvester Stewart, who went on to success as Sly Stone. It’s a very strong Nugget – a sophisticated song written by lead guitarist Ron Elliott. The harmonica is a nice touch – the notes are minimal, but it has a lonesome timbre. The band enjoyed critical acclaim for albums like 1967’s Triangle (featured in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die) and 1968’s Bradley’s Barn. Their first single, ‘Laugh, Laugh’ remains their best-known song, reaching #15 on Billboard and appearing on The Flintstones.
The Beau Brummels drifted apart in the late 1960s – bassist Ron Meagher was drafted to Vietnam, leaving Elliott and Valentino as the only members. The group have periodically reformed, releasing The Beau Brummels in 1975 and Continuum in 2013.
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Although I don’t remember this episode, I do remember watching The Flintstones as a kid. You’ve taken me back to my childhood.
It was still playing in the 1980s, when I was a kid. Although maybe Nz is just backwards.
I think your characterization of “sophisticated” hit the nail on the head. This is a really nicely written and produced song. The Beau Brummels were also pretty capable harmony vocalists.
Yeah, a talented young songwriter there for sure. They are one of the more famous Nuggets bands, but maybe could have done even more.
It’s a good’n. One of those songs I liked but never knew its pedigree. So funny it played on The Flintstones.
I was trying to find a list of songs featured on the original Flintstones, with no success. I think the Beach Boys featured – I hope the surf board wasn’t rock.
I found this at wiki, but no playlist per se.:
The opening- and closing-credits theme during the first two seasons was called “Rise and Shine”, a lively instrumental underscore accompanying Fred on his drive home from work. .[23] Starting in season three, episode three (“Barney the Invisible”), the opening- and closing-credits theme was the familiar vocal “Meet the Flintstones”. This version was recorded with a 22-piece big band conducted by composer Hoyt Curtin and performed by the Randy Van Horne Singers. The melody is derived from part of the ‘B’ section of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 17 Movement 2, composed in 1801/02.[24] The “Meet the Flintstones” opening was later added to the first two seasons for syndication. The musical underscores were credited to Hoyt Curtin for the show’s first five seasons; Ted Nichols took over in 1965 for the final season.[23] Many early episodes used the underscores composed for Top Cat and The Jetsons. Episodes of the last two seasons used the underscore of Jonny Quest for the more adventurous stories.
TOP 5 NUGGET
Oh cool – we largely agree on this one. Shame they couldn’t build on the hit – feels like Ron Elliott could have written some more great songs.
The follow-up hit Just a Little is almost as good
I like this one a lot…I heard this a lot on an oldies channel that I listened to in the 80s.
I can’t imagine the publicity they got when they were in the Flintstones. Back then that was a large audience… That drummer is a hell of a ham.
I’d never heard it before, which is a shame. I have listened to Triangle, which is included on 1001 Albums You Must Hear…
To tell the truth i never heard anything else they did other than the two hits. I’m gonna listen to Triangle to see what it’s all about.