Gary Lewis & The Playboys

[Ron]

I'm just trying to judge general temperment here...

Am I the only one who thinks this guy was great?  I've always heard so many bad things said about him, i.e. his dad got him his record contract, he couldn't sing, he couldn't keep a beat and was even the drummer in the band, etc... but every song I've ever heard by him, I thought was just GREAT!

Here's some off their greatest hits, for instance...


This Diamond Ring
Count Me In
She's Just My Style
Save Your Heart For Me
Everybody Loves a Clown
Sure Gonna Miss Her


I mean, come on.  That's some great music right there. 

[NC]

Yeah, I really like his stuff too. Leon Russell and production great Snuff Garrett were very crucial players also in the making of his music. I love his "Time Stands Still" in which he does a dead-on impersonation of his father!  "She's Just My Style" is a great Beach Boys knock-off. "Girls In Love" is nice too. Should have been a bigger hit. Who cares if Gary wasn't a great singer, or a great drummer? He made some classic records. From interviews I've read with him, he's a pretty humble guy. He has no problem letting people know Snuff and Russell were basically the brains behind the thing.

[donald]

And they performed what was perhaps the biggest Al Kooper penned hit.

and they did do that BB knockoff........


Where is Gary Lewis these days?

[Ron]

And they performed what was perhaps the biggest Al Kooper penned hit.

and they did do that BB knockoff........


Where is Gary Lewis these days?

Probably doing the "Peter Noone" thing, touring around at mid-size venues as the top billing for the night or something.  Ah, Peter Noone.  There's another one. 

[Chris D.]

"This Diamond Ring" really blows me away.

[guitarfool2002]

I was just listening to an old Greatest Hits (or Golden Hits...) vinyl from Gary Lewis a few days ago. I'm a fan, and I've always thought he was pretty cool, no matter who was the brains behind the productions. How many great productions don't have a brain behind the operation, after all? George Martin and Brian Wilson come to mind...

But I can listen to Gary Lewis songs any time and they sound great, especially on the radio. His voice fit those songs in just the right way - listen to how his vocal quality fits perfectly with the very first lines of "This Diamond Ring". Remember that one Hal Blaine is on drums for some of those hits, you can hear it...

So what happened to Gary Lewis? I think he was indeed doing the summer tour circuit, and he just made an appearance on his father Jerry's Labor Day Telethon for MS this past September, performing a few songs live. I'm still bummed out that I missed the performance - I just heard that he was on the telecast. What's sad is the story of what happened to him after his initial run of hits in the 60's. He went to Vietnam, and came back with a drug addiction, for which his father publically blamed the government. It's a darker part of the story that you don't hear told as often, but I do remember posting it a few years ago in a SmileShop thread and you can probably find the story told better elsewhere online.

[Uncomfortable Seat]

I'm just trying to judge general temperment here...

Am I the only one who thinks this guy was great?  I've always heard so many bad things said about him, i.e. his dad got him his record contract, he couldn't sing, he couldn't keep a beat and was even the drummer in the band, etc... but every song I've ever heard by him, I thought was just GREAT!

Here's some off their greatest hits, for instance...


This Diamond Ring
Count Me In
She's Just My Style
Save Your Heart For Me
Everybody Loves a Clown
Sure Gonna Miss Her


I mean, come on.  That's some great music right there. 

No arguments here

[monkee knutz]

It's all about Green Grass!!
If you've got a Gary Lewis CD and this tune is on it- if you are actually somewhere that comes out of spring into summer- BLAST this track in your car on the first day that you can drive with your car window rolled down. It's amazing! Really!

Also, Loser- With A Broken Heart
Doin' The Flake
Little Miss Go-Go

I usderstand Lewis did a folky album in the later 60's that's actually pretty good- anyone know 'bout it?

[NC]

Doin' The Flake
Little Miss Go-Go

Excellent choices - those tunes are totally groovy. Especially "Flake".

[monkee knutz]

It's all about Green Grass!!
If you've got a Gary Lewis CD and this tune is on it- if you are actually somewhere that comes out of spring into summer- BLAST this track in your car on the first day that you can drive with your car window rolled down. It's amazing! Really!

To follow a recommendation from myself  I did this today! What a great tune!!!

[Bosco82]

Last October or November I saw Gary Lewis & The Playboys  live. They did about a 45 minute set and it was very well done. I think he sings just fine. I believe that night he did a song by Hermens Hermits because the other act was Hermens Hermits starring Peter Noone. In each set they made fun of and had praise for each others music. It was a night I will not forget.

[Boxer Monkey]

I think the whole thing where Gary Lewis was kidnapped is FASCINATING. Remember when his dad, Jerry Lew--

Oh, wait: I'm thinking Frank Sinatra Jr.

(Gary Lewis is pretty boring, isn't he?)

[Daniel S.]

I really dig Gary Lewis & The Playboys

Count Me In and Just My Style are prime examples of glorious mid-1960's pop.

[Third Coast]

"Just My Style" is a masterpiece, just as a backing track alone.  Another shining Wrecking Crew legacy.  Right behind it is "Count Me In."

"Tina" was a nice song.

I'd love to see Gary Lewis perform.  Never even saw him on TV.  As far as I know, he's been playing the small circuit for years.  He played clubs in Texas in the late '70s.

What's his most recent recording?

[L Ransford]

All of their albums have some weak tracks. The good one are worth having though. "Jill" is a sixties classic. gorgeous production. "New In Town" and "Where Will The Words Come From" are good stuff too.

[L Ransford]

It's all about Green Grass!!
If you've got a Gary Lewis CD and this tune is on it- if you are actually somewhere that comes out of spring into summer- BLAST this track in your car on the first day that you can drive with your car window rolled down. It's amazing! Really!

Also, Loser- With A Broken Heart
Doin' The Flake
Little Miss Go-Go

I usderstand Lewis did a folky album in the later 60's that's actually pretty good- anyone know 'bout it?

I believe the album you are asking about is "I'm on The Right Road Now" from 1970. It is a little country-tinged, not completely strong throughout but still worth listening to. There are writing contributions from band members I believe and even a  bubblegum style track.