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Off The Beaten Track

In 1973, Percy Faith and His Orchestra released their most "Rockin'" recording... "Crunchy Granola Suite". This was a Neil Diamond song that appeared as the B-side to "Stones" in late 1971. Faith's version is actually more power-packed then Diamond's original. Faith's instrumental version is even catchier, in my opinion. The big orchestral sound with good Rock-beat drumming makes this remake a real winner. It was a good-sized Adult Contemporary hit, although it never cracked the "Hot 100". I remember it from airplay on WWWE 1100 AM, now returned to the original call letters of WTAM, in Cleveland Ohio.
 
johnbasalla said:
In 1973, Percy Faith and His Orchestra released their most "Rockin'" recording... "Crunchy Granola Suite". This was a Neil Diamond song that appeared as the B-side to "Stones" in late 1971. Faith's version is actually more power-packed then Diamond's original. Faith's instrumental version is even catchier, in my opinion. The big orchestral sound with good Rock-beat drumming makes this remake a real winner. It was a good-sized Adult Contemporary hit, although it never cracked the "Hot 100". I remember it from airplay on WWWE 1100 AM, now returned to the original call letters of WTAM, in Cleveland Ohio.
Click to expand...

Ah Percy Faith....how about his disco "Summer Place '76"? Uptempo for him, for sure....same thing....no Hot 100 but peaked #13 EZ.

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Percy Faith and His Orchestra's disco version of "Theme From A Summer Place" is an adequate novelty, I guess. However, it's nothing special.
Paul Mauriat recorded a disco version of "Love Is Blue", and then there's the disco version of "Volare" by Al Martino. Ho-hum, hum-drum. Faith's "Crunchy Granola Suite" is truly special, and stands out whereas disco covers of old music was par for the course in the mid 1970s. That being said, the B-side of Al Martino's 1975 disco remake of "Volare" is a straight version of the early 1950s hit "You Belong To Me". A good song, done very well here.
 
I just watched a clip for "Summer Place '76" on YouTube (and got a little surprise -- reminds me of the first time I went to Hooters years ago and not knowing what to expect).

I see that "Crunchy Granola Suite" is on the Corazon/My Love two-fer CD. I have several of those two-fer CDs but not that one. I'll definitely have to pick it up, which is good because they're currently on sale at oldies.com for $8.76.

Speaking of that disco infusion of old songs in the mid-70s, I can't help but think of "Disco Lucy" (glad that era didn't last long).
 
"The Race Is On" peaked at #15 in 1965, not really what you'd call a "stiff" in those days. I remember it really well and a Country cover was done a few years ago.
 
Jack Jones, "The Race is on" was on Kapp Records, and HEAVILY promoted by "the Greek" in Chicago - who had the clout to get it played on WIND, WMAQ (then mor), WGN, WLS, WCFL and WJJD (country). Certainly not a stiff in that neck of the woods.
 
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