Climax were the remnants of the Outsiders (”Time Won’t Let Me”). “Precious & Few” was by far their biggest record with over a million singles sold and charted #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the week ending February 26, 1972,(spending two weeks at that position), and it also hit #1 on Cashbox magazine’s Top 100 chart.
The lead singer was Sonny Geraci, (original lead vocalist with the Outsiders). The song was composed by guitarist Walter D. Nims (also an Outsiders alumni) and drummer Jon Jon Guttman. First recorded in 1970, it was stored in the Bell Records archives where it languished for a couple of years, but was dusted off after a Bell executive heard it being played on a Santa Barbara radio station. Bell Records subsidiary, Carousel, released the rerecording in Hawaii as a test six months prior to being a hit on the mainland. After more market tests in Buffalo and Boston in early 1972, the record exploded and gained momentum quickly.
The story of “Precious and Few” has many twists, including the fact that track for the hit version was recorded by studio mavens “the Wrecking Crew”, including Gordon MacKinnon (double reed and woodwinds); bassists Joe Osborn, Steve La Fever, Reinie Press and Joe Bellamy; keyboardists Larry Knechtel; drummers John Raines and Earl Palmer and percussionist Alan Estes. Jon Jon Guttman also played drums on the session although I can’t distinguish 3 drummers and 4 bassists! The 1970 recording was produced by Ron Kramer, but the song was re-worked by producer Larry Cox, who was assigned by label owner Marc Gordon to re-tool the band’s hard rock material. Cox would later would work with Jefferson Starship and produce many of their soft rock ballads (including “Miracles” and “With Your Love”). Cox urged the band to re-record “Precious and Few” and encouraged lead singer Sonny Geraci to capitalize on his extraordinary abilities to perform high-powered ballads. Alas, the band never recaptured the magic and are known as one-hit wonders. The song was also recorded by the Ray Conniff Singers and Andy Williams.
Very interesting. I only recently found out that many bands have two (or more!) drummers, but it very much confuses me.
If we are doing an Angle thread I think we need to hear “Just Call Me Angle of the Morning” or whatever it is!