Artist:Reunion
Song:Life Is A Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)
Album:The Real '70s
Life Is A Rock was a top ten hit in 1974. It was the only hit for the very short lived group Reunion. I'm sure most folks have heard this song but know nothing about Reunion. It was a studio group that will remind you of the Kasenetz-Katz bubblegum music factory of the 60s. The guys behind this record were Norman Dolph and partner Paul DiFranco. Dolph was an executive at Columbia in the 60s. He produced the Velvet Underground demos that turned into the classic album Velvet Underground and Nico. By the early 70s Dolph was trying unsuccessfully to make a living as a songwriter. He and DiFranco wrote Life Is A Rock which had shoutouts to everyone in the music business. They decided to call themselves Reunion. After releasing a couple of unsuccessful singles for Bell Records, Joey Levine was brought in to see if he could do something with Life Is A Rock. Levine was a jingle singer best known as a singer for Kasenetz-Katz acts like Ohio Express, 1910 Fruitgum Company and Music Explosion. Levine not only helped Dolph and DiFranco finish the song but he sang lead on the record. It reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Unfortunately Reunion was unable to follow it up. They released three singles on RCA. They didn't even record an album. Even Kasenetz-Katz acts released an album. You can get Life Is A Rock on this 2CD various artists budget comp. Considering Levine's history of one hit wonders, Reunion's short lived fate was not very surprising. Here's a video of Life Is A Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me) by Reunion. I have conveniently included the lyrics.
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