Merry Go Round (emitt rhodes) You're A Very Lovely Woman / Live, orig 1st debut LP PROMO, white labels, original lp vinyl '67, with orig printed inner sleeve, a&m sp4132, nm lp, ex shape cover (no splits, small tear to edge on back) see pics, rare!

The Merry-Go-Round were a Los Angeles based pop band, best known for the singer-songwriter Emitt Rhodes and featuring Joel Larson on drums, Gary Kato on lead guitar, and Bill Rinehart on bass. The band released only one album, The Merry-Go-Round (1967). "Live", the first single from their album, was a top 10 hit at both KHJ in Los Angeles and KGB in San Diego, although it failed to crack the top 50 on the national charts.

"Live" was covered by The Bangles in on their 1984 album All Over the Place and "Time Will Show The Wiser" was recorded by Fairport Convention on their debut album in 1968, a song still played regularly by Fairport at their Cropredy Festival.

The Merry-Go-Round were formed in Los Angeles during the summer of 1966 when Palace Guard drummer Emitt Rhodes left that band and began rehearsing in the Rhodes family garage with his high-school buddy Gary Kato. After a couple weeks with friends Mike Rice and Doug Harwood on bass and drums, respectively, the duo hooked up with a couple of L.A. movers: bassist Bill Rinehart had played in the Leaves and drummer Joel Larson with the Grass Roots, and both had been in the short-lived Gene Clark Group in 1966 and later played on Clark's classic 1967 album, Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers. Rhodes, Kato, Rinehart, and Larson recorded demos that attracted label attention and led to a deal with A&M. "Live" was released as a single in early 1967 and quickly became a huge hit in L.A., and eventually reached number 63 in the Billboard singles chart. The B-side, "Time Will Show the Wiser," became somewhat well known too, as Fairport Convention cut a version on their 1968 debut album.

Their next single, the highly arranged and orchestrated "You're a Very Lovely Woman," didn't fare as well on the charts, hitting only number 90 in late 1967. A&M perhaps sensed that the window of opportunity was closing for the group and hastily released The Merry-Go-Round in November of 1967. The album, excellent though it is, consists of the singles, their flip sides, and assorted demos. The record stalled out at number 190 and Rinehart left the band soon after. He was replaced by Rick Dey, who had been with San Francisco band the Vejtables and also the Wilde Knights (the group that cut the original "Just Like Me," which Dey wrote and Paul Revere & the Raiders later had a big hit with). The Merry-Go-Round released two singles in 1968, "Listen, Listen"/"Missing You" and "Highway"/"'Til the Day After," but neither hit and they soon found that fewer fans were drawn to their shows and offers to play were drying up. After plans to release a second album dissipated, Rhodes disbanded the Merry-Go-Round in 1969 and began working on solo material.

His first album, The American Dream, contained solo tracks cut with session musicians as well as a few studio-sweetened Merry-Go-Round demos. Rhodes went on to release a handful of critically acclaimed solo albums, most notably the amazing Emitt Rhodes album from 1970. Gary Kato later formed Bullet and became a member of the group Derek, which had a hit with the bubblegum classic "Cinnamon." Rick Dey went on to do session work (including a stint working for the Monkees), recorded an album in the early '70s with his brother Tony and Barry Melton (of Country Joe & the Fish fame), and passed away in 1973. In 2005 reissue label Rev-Ola released Listen, Listen: The Definitive Collection, which rounded up all the group's recordings and paired them with Rhodes' The American Dream.

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Vinyl grading is usually based on the Goldmine standard and is as follows:

“SS” Still Sealed – For the collector that demands nothing but perfection.

“M” Mint - a near perfect, or unplayed record.

“NM” Near Mint - in factory fresh condition, like new.

EX+ - close to like new with only superficial signs of use that don't affect play. Will satisfy all but the most vain and demanding collector.

EX - a used, reasonable copy. Shows slight signs of wear.

VG+ - There will be obvious signs of wear and the possibility a few skuffs and/or light surface noise between tracks or during quiet passages, but still quite nice.

VG - significant wear and marks and usually quite noticeable surface noise,still plays great.

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