First time Andy Pratt caught the public's eye was with 'Avenging Annie' his 1973 hit single. The song, set partially to the tune of Woody Guthrie's 'Pretty Boy Floyd', was included on his album 'Andy Pratt' and became a timeless FM classic and Pratt's calling card. He never scored another hit like 'Avenging Annie' (Later recorded by Roger Daltre...
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First time Andy Pratt caught the public's eye was with 'Avenging Annie' his 1973 hit single. The song, set partially to the tune of Woody Guthrie's 'Pretty Boy Floyd', was included on his album 'Andy Pratt' and became a timeless FM classic and Pratt's calling card. He never scored another hit like 'Avenging Annie' (Later recorded by Roger Daltrey finding itself on no less than 6 of Daltrey's albums; Mr. Pratt's version became the B side of Bruce Springsteen's 'Blinded By The Light' on a highly collectible CBS promo disc. Bette Midler phoned Andy personally to discuss possibly recording the tune.
Andy next recorded two albums, produced by Arif Mardin, for Atlantic. Each one to critical acclaim and helping to develop his reputation as one of rock music's most unique and meaningful songwriters and artists. Rolling Stone critic Stephen Holden wrote in 1976 'By reviving the dream of rock as an art and then re-inventing it, Pratt has forever changed the face of rock'. That alone could have been the end of a fairy-tale story. However the Big Time appeared to be just around the corner. Pratt and his intermediate label Nemperor, moved to CBS/Epic for the fourth album that contained a lighter, jazzier feel while lyrically sporting Andy's newfound Christianity. On that disc Pratt worked with ELP/Yes engineer Eddy Offord.
Andy Pratt returned in 1982 with the mini album 'Fun In The First World' (included in 'The Age Of Goodbye') on Boston's Enzone Records. Produced by Modern Lover Leroy Radcliffe, it is his finest and most compact rock 'n roll work up to that point in time. Pratt's religious overtones hampered some of his earlier work, but here he uses his beliefs and his vision to deliver an exceptional science- fiction epic in the title track. 'Fun In The First World' is a really magnificent and forgotten work that deserves a better fate' (AllMusic.com).
On the strength of 'Fun In The First World' Andy Pratt got a deal offered from Lamborghini Records in London. The label that also signed Stiff's Joana Lewie, fellow-Bostian Peter C. Johnson and reggae artist Jack Miller, started with great media hype, but unfortunately never got off the ground and thus the Andy Pratt album got shelved. In Europe the Lamborghini recordings (with Rhythm tandem Andy Newmark and Tony Levin) were briefly available on the album 'Not Just For Dancing' on EMI/Aztec Records in Holland and Megadisc in Denmark and are now included in 'The Age Of Goodbye'.
This CoraZong album' The Age Of Goodbye' combines the tracks from 'Fun In The First World', the Lamborghini masters of 'Not Just For Dancing' and two songs recorded for EMI/Aztec of the Netherlands. The Lamborghini recordings and the songs of 'Fun In The First World' were mastered from Bob Clearmountain's original Sterling Sound Studio tapes. The two Dutch recordings had to be restored from vinyl. Immediately after the release of "The Age Of Goodbye" on Corazong, about two dozen reel-to-reels were found in two different offices in America. A boxed set of out-takes is being planned for a limited edition "Numbered and signed" release.
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