Looking Glass (Band)
Looking Glass was an American rock band from the 1970s.
Band History
Founded Looking Glass in the late 1960s as a student band by Elliot Lurie, Lawrence Gonsky and Pieter Sweval in New Brunswick, New Jersey. After a brief separation after the completion of the university, they met again, with Sweval still the drummer Jeffrey Grob brought, and they toured in New Jersey. They also played his own pieces, which were mainly written by Lurie. After just recently they were discovered by Clive Davis of Columbia Records and contracted.
In 1972, she took on the self-penned song Brandy ( You're a Fine Girl ) and, at first still a little known B- side, he has developed over a big hit, which eventually reached # 1 in the U.S. Billboard charts and one million copies sold. The song is by the operator in a port tavern who falls in love with a sailor. However, their love remains unfulfilled, because " his love, his life and his bride is the sea."
However, the melodic and melancholic pop song was not exactly typical of Looking Glass, the mainly preferred southern rock and some harder sounds. The saw the band on their subsequent debut album (now Billboard 200) remained, although as many as 16 weeks in the "Top LPs & Tapes", but do not have space 113 came out. But most of all they left behind many disappointed concert-goers who expected more songs à la brandy. So were also more single success. Only with Jimmy Loves Mary- Anne, they managed to successfully pick up the sound of their big hits, and they had so half years later still one other top - 40 hit.
After Looking Glass
So already came the end of Looking Glass 1974. Elliot Lurie tried in vain to a solo career, but he has been acting for many well-known films such as Jumpin 'Jack Flash, Alien 3, Stuart Little and I Spy as Music Supervisor since the mid- 1980s.
Peter Sweval and Jeff Grob founded after the separation, the heavy metal band Starz, which had made some other minor chart hits. But by the end of 1970 this band broke up again. Sweval died in 1990 from cancer. Lurie formed the band in 2003 with other members again, but without much success.
Others
Early 1972 also had a minor hit Scott English with a self-written song called Brandy. When Barry Manilow later re- recorded this title, it was renamed, so that he was not confused with the Looking Glass hit. With its Mandy subsequently had also a U.S. number - one hit.
Nearly three decades after Looking Glass Red Hot Chili Peppers took the song Brandy ( You're a Fine Girl ) on in their live repertoire. It can be heard on the concert recording Live in Hyde Park. It is the only -known cover version of the hit.
Members
- Elliot Lurie ( born August 19, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York), singer, guitarist, songwriter
- Pieter Sweval ( born April 13, 1948 in Toms River, New Jersey; † 23 January 1990), bassist
- Larry Gonsky ( born October 20, 1949 in Paterson, New Jersey ), piano
- Jeffrey Grob ( born December 6, 1950), drummer, Joe X. Dube later called himself
Discography
Albums
- Looking Glass (1972 )
- Subway Serenade ( 1973)
Singles
- Brandy ( You're a Fine Girl ), 1972
- Golden Rainbow, 1972
- Rainbow Man, 1973
- Jimmy Loves Mary -Anne, 1973