Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Little red boat?

Every Mothers’ Sons started up in 1966 when two folk-singing brothers named Lary & Dennis Larden met organist Bruce Milner. They found a rhythm section and spent the next few months working up some songs and started playing out. Through a contact from the Lardens folk days, the band was introduced to producer Wes Farrell, who had previously worked with The McCoys and Jay & the Americans. Farrell signed Every Mothers’ Son to his production company and then to MGM Records.

The band’s first single was “Come On Down To My Boat Baby”. It was a huge hit and still sounds great. Farrell co-wrote that song with Jerry Goldstein. The band wrote most of their own songs and did a pretty good job too. Zombies fans will like this. The Lardens folky roots are evident on some songs. If this song wasn’t on the same LP as “Come On Down To My Boat”, it probably would be considered a garage classic. Actually, Every Mothers’ Son would be highly regarded if they hadn’t had a hit record. Not looking like a Monkees cash-in on their record covers would’ve probably helped too.

The band released two LPs. Both of them came out in 1967 and are easy to find cheap. Get ‘em both! Also, there is a CD available with both LPs and a bonus non-LP song. Dennis Larden joined Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band after Every Mothers’ Son broke up.

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This stuff's great! These guys rock way harder than most ex-folkies (think Cyrkle or We Fivel; hell even the Byrds, great as they were, never kicked up much garage dust). They'd be legends if that guy hadn't worn his college letter sweater on the cover.

6/12/07 1:30 AM  
Blogger KS said...

I'm glad you enjoyed hearing them.

Does anybody have the 45 of "No One Knows"? Is it any good?

8/12/07 10:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I did a website on these guys -- www.everymothersson.com -- which is now gone. I tracked down all the guys, and they turned out to be a bunch of jerks. They hated each other and don't even like their own music! I'd say the real talent there was their producer, Wes Farrell.

13/12/07 11:39 AM  
Blogger KS said...

Heh. That's funny. Did the Larden brothers hate each other too?

Were they mad about money? I can't imagine there being too much of that left to fight over.

13/12/07 6:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Actually I can take that history back a bit further. Dennis and Larry were folk singers in high school and the three of us started rehearsing together as a band before we had a drummer or bassist.
At the time I was working in another band, too and couldn't take the jobs Dennis and Larry came up with. So I quit. 6 months later they had their hit. Dennis kept rubbing it in my nose.

BTW, Dennis went on to be the lead guitarist with Rick Nelson and yes, he was on the plane.

Neal

27/6/08 3:35 PM  
Blogger coach2u2 said...

I wouldn't say that the former EMS band members are jerks because they don't want to talk about their experiences. Chris the drummer emailed me and we keep in contact on occasion.

larry and I talked briefly via Email and he was thrilled like Chris is that someone like me is taking the time to write a book about the band, before during, and after EMS years.

Bruce was ok with it, and because of others our contact turned sour.

I have never been able to talk to Denny or Schuyler, or Don.

One of the three with which I have had the pleasure of corresponding stated that the band members were not the best of pals during their heyday.

How many of us can honestly say we get along reallly great with our co workers? The way I see it, making a record or two is like a business. They must have sunk endless amounts of money into the producing and promoting the records. let alone hours, efforts, talents. Like the Monkees, I don't believe the fellows had complete say in the goings on of what to sing and play, how to play it, what went on the records. How many more unpublished tracks are out there that no one has heard? I'd like to know. Denny, are you listening?

3/11/08 7:30 PM  

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