By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Friday, March 07, 2003 - 06:49 pm:

Hey Gang:
Deke Richards mentioned this label in his wonderful Chris Clark trilogy.

Besides the group that earned this name, does anyone have any recollections of this label's roster? I believe Stoney & Meatloaf, the Power of Zeus & the Cats were on this label as well as a band from my hometown of Rochester, NY called the Rustix (they cut two albums on Rare Earth - "Bedlam" & "Come On People"). Any information would be greatly appreciated.

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Friday, March 07, 2003 - 07:57 pm:

Kev,
There were some imports from Europe to the label also. One I remember was a band called Toe Fat. I'll see what else I can drudge up.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Friday, March 07, 2003 - 08:00 pm:

Ralph:
Thanks...I remember seeing the Toe Fat cover on the old Motown inner sleeves.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Mark Speck (64.158.96.70) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 12:50 am:

The legendary British band the Pretty Things had a couple of their records licensed to Rare Earth. One of them, "S.F. Sorrow", is considered to be the first rock opera, predating the Who's "Tommy" by a couple of months.

Also, the underrated Easybeats from Australia had a single on the label, "St. Louis"/"Can't Find Love".

And of course, let's not forget R. Dean Taylor, who was the first white artist to have a major hit for Motown with "Indiana Wants Me".

Best,

Mark

By LG Nilsson (213.89.28.83) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 04:17 am:

You will find all 61 Rare Earth single releases on my site Rare Earth

Lars

By BankHouseDave (195.93.50.9) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 06:22 am:

The only Rare Earth album I had was by trumpeter Hugh Masakela

By thecount (65.60.201.174) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 10:24 am:

Hey LARS',just want to say what a great,well orgainized site you put together.Very nice and right to the details.Also,I printed out the RARE EARTH section(if thats okay with you?),to compare with what I have on R.E. lable,and what I dont have I'll be sure to look for.
Thanx for posting this here and sharing.
"COUNT"

By Ritchie (62.254.0.10) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 10:28 am:

Toe Fat were a fairly unremarkable "progressive" rock group formed by Mersey-era and Joe Meek veteran Cliff Bennett. Maybe he should have stuck to Soul covers...

By LG Nilsson (213.89.28.83) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 01:15 pm:

Count,

thanks for your kind words.

Here's the RARE EARTH ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY

RS-505 - Blues Helping - Love Sculpture [8/69] Originally issued with die cut round top covers. Later released with a standard cover. The Stumble/3 O'clock Blues/I Believe To My Soul/So Unkind/Summertime/On The Road Again//Don't Answer The Door/Wang-Dang-Doodle/Come Back Baby/Shake Your Hips/Blues Helping

RS-506 - S.F. Sorrow - Pretty Things [8/69] Originally issued with die cut round top covers. Later released with a standard cover. S.F. Sorrow Is Born/Bracelets/She Says Good Morning/Private Sorrow/Balloon Burning/Death//Baron Saturday/The Journey/I See You/Well of Destiny/Trust/Old Man Going/Loneliest Person

RS-507 - Get Ready - Rare Earth [8/69] (12-69, #12) Originally issued with die cut round top covers; also later released with a standard cover. Original issue had white label bottom, later issues had all orange labels. Magic Key (S)/Tobacco Road (S)/Feelin' Alright (S)/In Bed (S)/Train To Nowhere (S)//Get Ready (S, 21:30)

RS-508 - Bedlam - Rustix [8/69] (11-69, #200) Originally issued with die cut round top covers. May have been released with a standard cover. Feelin' Alright/I Guess This Is Goodbye/I Heard It Through The Grapevine/I Can't Make It Without You/(Baby) Can't You Hear The Music Play//Lady In My Dreams/Country/Wednesday's Child/Free Again/That's What Poppa Told Me

RS-509 - Messengers - Messengers [8/69] Originally issued with die cut round top covers. May have been released with a standard cover. Louie Louie/The Letter/Leavin' Here/Do You Believe In Love/A Little Bit For Sandy/You Keep Running Away//I'll Move Heaven And Earth/Must We Always Live For Tomorrow/Nowhere To Run/Window Shopping/Gotta See Jane/Greyhound To Indiana

RS-510 - Generation (Soundtrack) - Rare Earth [Unissued]

RS-511 - Toe Fat - Toe Fat [7/70] That's My Love For You/Bad Side Of The Moon/Nobody/The Wherefors And The Whys/But I'm Wrong//Just Like Me/Just Like All The Rest/I Can't Believe/Working Nights/You Tried To Take It All

RS-512 - Love at First Sight - Sounds Nice [9/70] Love At First Sight/La Peregrinacion/Gauloise/Flying/Iron Mountain/I Heard It Through The Grapevine//Sleepless Night/Why Do I Do It?/King Kong/Love You Too/Continental Exchange/Summer's End

RS-513 - Come on People - Rustix [7/70] Mississippi Woman/Do Right Woman-Do Right Man/Hey Mose/Dress Colored Lavender Blue//Come On People/Billie's Gone/Hard To Handle/Maple Shade Country Day/Cry Another Day Away/Finale: Happy Trails

RS-514 - Ecology - Rare Earth [6/70] (7-70, #15) Born To Wander (S)/Long Time Leavin' (S)/(I Know) I'm Losing You (S, 10:53 alternate version from the 45)//Satisfaction Guaranteed (S)/Nice Place To Visit (S)/No. 1 Man (S)/Eleanor Rigby (S)

RS-515 - Parachute - Pretty Things [9/70] Scene One/The Good Mr. Square/She Was Tall She Was High/In The Square/The Letter/Rain/Miss Fay Regrets/Cries From The Midnight Circus//Grass/Sickle Clowns/She's a Lover/What's The Use/Parachute

RS-516 - The Gospel According to Zeus - Power of Zeus [9/70] It Couldn't Be Me/In The Night/Green Grass And Clover/I Lost My Love/The Death Trip//No Time/Uncertain Destination/Realization/Hard Working Man/The Sorcerer Of Isis (The Ritual Of The Mole)

RS-517 - Easy Ridin' - Easybeats [Unissued?] This album, although listed in both the 1970 and 71/72 Motown catalogs and many other places, may have been unreleased.

RS-518 - Paradise Lost - Lost Nation [9/70] Tall Ivory Castle/Rome/Little Boy/Images//Seven Minute Woman/Shadows Within You/She'll Take You/Falling Inside My Mind

RS-519 - Ain't Nothin' in Our Pocket But Love - Poor Boys [5/70] Beg Me/Do What You Wanna Do/Can't Get Back In/Wooden Horse/A Place Called Love/Little Boy Blue//Mary Mary/Rhyme Or Reason/You Made Your Bed/I Won't Take No For An Answer/Let's Do More About Love/Just Like A Clock

RS-520 - One World - Rare Earth [6/71] (7-71, #28) What'd I Say/If I Die/The Seed/I Just Want To Celebrate//Someone To Love/Any Man Can Be A Fool/The Road/Under God's Light

RS-521 - 45 Lives - Cats [9/70] Marian/Mandy My Dear/Magical Mystery Morning/Scarlet Ribbons/Why/Times Were When//Lies/Without Your Love/Lea/I Walk Through The Fields/Somewhere Up There/I've Always Tried To Understand

RS-522 - I Think Therefore I Am - R. Dean Taylor [12/70] (2-71, #198) Gotta See Jane (S)/Fire And Rain (S)/Woman Alive (S)/Ain't It A Sad Thing (S)/Indiana Wants Me (E except for stereo gunfire at the end, different from the 45 version)//Back Street (S)/Two Of Us (S)/Sunday Morning Coming Down (S)/Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got (S)/Love's Your Name (S)

RS-523 - Brass Monkey - Brass Monkey [4/71] Sweet Water/You Keep Me Hangin' On/Goodbye Birds/All Fall Down/Strange Days//Keep A Little Bit Back/Stay With Me Baby/Proud Mary/Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)/Sing Sing Sing

RS-524 - U.F.O. 1 - U.F.O. [4/71] Unidentified Flying Object/Boogie For George/C'Mon Everybody/Shake It About/(Come Away) Melinda//Timothy/Follow You Home/Treacle People/Who Do You Love/Evil

RS-525 - Toe Fat Two - Toe Fat [3/71] Stick Heat/Indian Summer/Idol/There'll Be Changes//A New Way/Since You've Been Gone/Three Time Loser/Midnight Sun

RS-526 - Sunday Funnies - Sunday Funnies [5/71] Walk Down The Path of Freedom/It's Just A Dream/You And I/Tell Me//The Axe/Crack In A Bell/Let The Son Shine/Child Of Mine

RS-527 - Magic - Magic [9/71] Keep On Movin On/No Know/Alexis/Pacifying Burn/Don't Use Your Love To Blind Me//Back At Beckers (Shelly's Blues)/Velvet Underwear/Absolutely Free Absolutely Beautiful/Duckbutter/I'm Your Landlord/Our Hearts Are In Out Heads

R-528L - Stoney and Meatloaf - Stoney & Meatloaf [9/71] First album by Meatloaf, the corpulent artist who later recorded such classics as "Two out of Three Ain't Bad" and "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" for Epic. (I'd Love To Be) As Heavy As Jesus/She Waits By The Window/It Takes All Kinds Of People/Game Of Love/Kiss Me Again//What You See Is What You Get/Sunshine (Where's Heaven)/Jimmy Bell/Lady Be Mine/Jessica White

R-529L - Down at the Brassworks - Impact Of Brass [9/71] Never Can Say Goodbye/Care Free/Second Street Exit/Reach Out I'll Be There/So Far So Good/My Cherie Amour//Flyin' High/Make It With You/The High Place/One Bad Apple/Still Water (Love)/Put Your Hand In The Hand

R-530L - Dennis Stoner - Dennis Stoner [11/71] Lost Along The Highway/Nightingale/The Story Of Isaac/Side Street Woman/Maybe Someday Maybe Never//Bastille Day/Girl From The North Country/Riders In The Sky/43rd Street/Southern Man

R-531L - Jesus Christ's Greatest Hits - God Squad Featuring Leonard Caston [1/72] Superstar/My Sweet Lord/Spirit In The Sky/Bridge Over Troubled Water/Let It Be//Wade In The Water/Put Your Hand In The Hand/I Don't Know How To Love Him/Heaven Help Us All/Amazing Grace/Oh Happy Day

R-532L - Already a Household Word - Repairs [11/71] Lonesome Sorrow/Measures/Sleepwalkin' Child/There She Was/Circle Won't Take Me Around/Thinking It Over/Walkin' Down My Road//Michael From Mountains/Celebration/Tired Of Waiting/Paper Goodbye/Americoround/Bummer World/Fanciful Funny Man

R-533L - Head to Head - Other People [11/71?] This album, although listed in the 71/72 Motown catalog is probably unreleased.

R-534L - Rare Earth In Concert - Rare Earth [12/71] (1-72, #29) (2-LP set in a pocket jacket designed like a backpack, with full size pull-out picture card) I Just Want To Celebrate (S)/Hey Big Brother (S)/Born To Wander (S)//Get Ready (S, 23:38)//What'd I Say (S)/Thoughts (S)//(I Know) I'm Losing You (S, 14:09)/Nice To Be With You (S)

R-535 - [Unissued]

R-536L - Plight of the Redman - Xit [2/72] Beginning/At Peace/I Was Raised/Nihaa Shil Hozho/I Am Happy About You//The Coming Of The White Man/War Cry/Someday/End?

R-537L - Howl the Good - Howl the Good [2/72] Things You Do/Just Pretend It's Another Day/I Need A Friend/The Joke/Harder Doing Nothing//Why Do You Cry/Long Way From Home/Beginning Of The End/This Moment In The Sun/Ain't Hard To Stumble

R-538L - Benediction - Sunday Funnies [5/72] Get Funky/Double Grace/Two Halves Of A Whole/Keep On Truckin'/Rock Me Lord/Friends Indeed//Reach Out I'll Be There/We're All On The Same Side Of The Fence/Power And The Glory/Brother John/The Pillow

R-539L - One Tree or Another - Keef James [5/72] Once In Your Life/Life Is A Knight/Fly Away/Pieces/Somewhere//One Tree Or Another/Changing Days/Turn Back/Feel Free To Come Home/Find Your Own Way

R-540L - The Crystal Mansion - Crystal Mansion [4/72] Group from Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Drummer Rick Morley (Richard E. Moehrle) died in 1990. There Always Will Be More/Bad City Ways/I Love You/Satisfied/A Song Is Born//Somebody Oughta Turn Your Head Around/Boogieman/Let Me Get Straight Again/Peace For A Change/Earth People

R-541L - Wolfe - Wolfe [7/72] Ballad Of The Unloved/Bite It Deep/Love Song/Something In The Way She Moves/Funny Funny/Dead From The Head Down//Dancing In The Moonlight/Tale Of Two Cities/Us/Mama Lion/Time Is Money/Song With No Name

R-542L - Matrix - Matrix [10/72] Soon/I Wonder Where We're Going?/Fire And Rain/In Bed/Commercial Break/A Dream For The Longest Night//Open Up My Eyes/I Was Lonely (And They Laughed)/Window/Good Time Sally/Ten Miles Beyond

R-543L - Willie Remembers - Rare Earth [10/72] (11-72, #90) Good Time Sally/Every Now And Then We Get To Go On Down To Miami/Think Of The Children/Gotta Get Myself Back Home/Come With Your Lady//Would You Like To Come Along/We're Gonna Have A Good Time/I Couldn't Believe What Happened Last Night

R-544 - Puzzle - Puzzle [Unissued]

R-545L - Silent Warrior - Xit [4/73] We Live/Awakening/Birth/Reservation of Education//Color Nature Gone/Cement Prairie/Young Warrior/Anthem Of The American Indian

R-546L - Ma - Rare Earth [5/73] (6-73, #65) Ma//Big John Is My Name/Smiling Faces Sometimes/Hum Along And Dance/Come With Me

R-547 - Rare Earth Live in Chicago - Rare Earth [Unissued] Recorded at the Arie Crown Theatre in Chicago in 1974.

R6-548S1 - Back to Earth - Rare Earth [6/75] (7-75, #59) It Makes You Happy (But It Ain't Gonna Last Too Long)/Walking Schtick/Keeping Me Out Of The Storm/Delta Melody//Happy Song/Let Me Be Your Sunshine/Boogie With Me Children/City Life

R7-549R2 - Real Pretty - Pretty Things [2/76] (2-LP set) A reissue of RS-506 and RS-515 as one two-record set. S.F. Sorrow Is Born/Bracelets/She Says Good Morning/Private Sorrow/Balloon Burning/Death//Baron Saturday/The Journey/I See You/Well of Destiny/Trust/Old Man Going/Loneliest Person//Scene One: The Good Mr. Square She Was Tall She Was High/In The Square/The Letter/Rain/Miss Fay Regrets/Cries From The Midnight Circus//Grass/Sickle Clowns/She's A Lover/What's the Use/Parachute

R6-550S1 - Midnight Lady - Rare Earth [3/76] It's a Natural/Finger Lickin' Good/He Who Picks A Rose/Do It Right//Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone/Midnight Lady/Wine Women and Song

By BankHouseDave (195.93.50.9) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 06:08 pm:

I do like 'Already a household name' by Repairs.

When Martha, Freda Payne and Edwin Starr played the UK last year, their drummer was the son of Pretty Thing. Seriously.

By LTLFTC (12.210.76.205) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 07:00 pm:

Lars;
Hey , that is a great site you have. I can't believe I never noticed it was yours. I've had it bookmarked and have been using it as reference for a quite some time now.

SteveK

By Remember Me from days gone by (172.180.34.89) on Friday, March 21, 2003 - 01:01 am:

Hi Lars

You list RE-535 as being unissued. This number was given over to the second cassette of RE-534.

This "consecutive" numbering of twin cassette releases was also used on the Motown label with "The Four Tops Story" & "Lady Sings The Blues".

By Remember Me from days gone by (172.180.34.89) on Friday, March 21, 2003 - 01:06 am:

There are also track listings to Generation, The Easy Beats, The Other People & Rare Earth live in Chicago around somewhere. I had them a few years ago but lost everything when my computer crashed. I also had full Motown recording details on The Messengers & Frankie Valli to name but two.

Can anyone help me to get these listings again?

Someone must still have them