Guitar Man

Performer: Bread
Engineer: Armin Steiner
Producer: David Gates
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: David Gates (vocals, guitar, violin, keyboards, Moog synthesizer); James Griffin (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); Larry Knechtel (guitar, harmonica, piano, organ, keyboards); Michael Botts (drums, percussion). Recording information: Elektra Sound recorders, Los Angeles, CA. Illustrator: Bob Ziering. Photographer: Frank Bez. Arranger: David Gates. Bread's GUITAR MAN was not one of its most commercially successful albums--the album's only chart single was the title track--but it's a finely-crafted, well-constructed soft rock album which shows the group at its best. Bandleader David Gates first made his name as a session producer and songwriter in mid-'60s L.A.; the Monkees' hard-pop "Saturday's Child" is one of his best and best-known efforts. He clearly learned at the feet of such icons as Brian Wilson and Phil Spector, as even the weaker songs here are sublimely arranged, with crystalline production. The best songs, such as "Welcome to the Music" or "I Didn't Even Know Her Name," are comparable to the best of the Carpenters' singles being released at the same time.

The kings of 1970s soft rock, Bread was led by singer/songwriters David Gates and James Griffin. The band's mellow, highly melodic style made it a mainstay on the Top 40 and AM radio throughout the decade, with huge hits such as "If" and "Baby, I'm A-Want You." Bread split in the late 1970s, with Gates and Griffin pursuing solo careers. Gates had a solo smash with the title song for the hit film THE GOODBYE GIRL, and Griffin found success in the country-music field with the Remingtons. Any hopes of a Bread reunion were dashed when Griffin died of cancer in January 2005.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25