Song:Open My Eyes
Album:Nazz
Nazz should have been much bigger in the late 60s but they were poorly marketed. Now they're a major cult band because group leader Todd Rundgren went on to be a legend of pop music. Nazz was started in 1967 by guitarist Todd Rundgren and bassist Carson Van Osten from their previous band Woody's Truck Stop. Nazz was from an obscure Yardbirds song. Rundgren wanted a band that sounded like his favourite British Invasion bands. Lead vocalist/keyboardist Robert "Stewkey" Antoni and drummer Thom Mooney joined. They started playing gigs in Oct. 1967 and were spotted by businessman John Kurland and partner Michael Friedman. They tried to promote Nazz as a teenybop band and refused to let them play smaller gigs to get exposure. They were depending on teen mags to promote Nazz. That turned out to be a major mistake as Nazz's music didn't fit the image. As a result, the single Hello It's Me and the B-side Open My Eyes barely made a dent in the charts. In fact, Hello It's Me would become a big hit for Rundgren as a solo artist later. Things fell apart from there. Van Osten left and went on to be an art director for Disney Comics. Rundgren left for a solo career and is now a legend of pop music. Stewkey tried to continue Nazz but failed and he joined Fuse with Cheap Trick's Rick Petersen. Nazz's debut album is now considered a lost classic of pop music and Castle Records released an expanded version in 2006. I wouldn't bother with their other two albums but Nazz is outstanding music. Here's the video for Open My Eyes by Nazz.
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