OK, go ahead and laugh!!

I just came across an album called "3 Dog Night Captured Live at the Forum". I happened to be at that concert in September of 1969. My girlfriend and I had gone mainly to see Steppenwolf, but the opening acts were The Grass Roots and 3 Dog Night. Earlier that year I had seen 3DN at a small club in Whittier, Calif. and I was very impressed at their sound. There couldn't have been 50 people there. They were preparing for a tour and I don't even know how I heard about it.

Anyway, in listening to the album, I was reminded of what a good show they used to put on. It also takes you back to the '60's: the announcer called them "one of the HEAVIEST groups in America . . .". When was the last time you heard anyone use that adjective (except for on The Biggest Loser)?? Also, some people in the audience (over 18,000 at the show) in the back couldn't hear so one of the members of the group told them they should have bought the $5.50 tickets!!

That show was great. When Steppenwolf came out for their show, many of the audience left.

I cannot explain why I liked 3DN so much. I know they didn't write any of their own material, they sang pop songs, etc. but I really enjoyed them in concert. A couple of months after the Forum show, I saw them in San Bernardino. I realized then that they were very "pop" when I saw that much of the audience consisted of 14 year old girls!! OK, it was time to move on.

Any other closet 3DN fans here???

I ain't laughing!

My very first concert was TDN at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1972, with Rod Stewart & Faces as the opener.

Danny Hutton & Cory Wells still do the festival circuit, and you can catch Chuck Negron at his solo shows.
I haven't heard any TDN records in years, but I wouldn't mind hearing them again.
If I ever get a turntable, I'll do that.

Actually, this one is a CD.

I've never considered my self a Three Dog Night "fan" but they did have a knack for making some great AM hits. They tapped some great songwriters: Laura Nyro, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, Hoyt Axton, etc. and matched them with some hook-filled arrangements.

But they did it in an era where you were supposed to write your own stuff. Nobody ever blamed those Motown vocal groups for just being singers....

In the end, a good record is a good record is a good record...

As far as not being "rock stars," sometimes the only evidence presented for rock cred is a self-destructive lifestyle. If that's all it takes, then Chuck Negron beats Sid Vicious any day of the week.

I can't forgive Three Dog Night.

In 1972, I was fifteen years old and we camped out overnight at the Spectrum in Philly to get Stones tickets.

The day before tickets were to go on sale, we staked out a good spot right in front of the box office window. Unfortunately, later that afternoon, they made us move to the side because there was a show at the Spectrum that night. Three Dog Night, I still remember. So I've never forgiven Three Dog Night for making me lose my great spot on line.

The next morning was mayhem. The crowd pressed against the box office window from all sides. After a person was lucky enough to complete a transaction at the box office window, there was no way to get out of the crowd. So people were lifted up, clutching the prized tickets, and passed overhead to the back of the crowd. The tickets cost only $6.50 back then.

I guess I can forgive them... I got my Stones tickets.

Try to forgive schillid....it's not life or death stuff.

The first concert I ever saw was Three Dog Night, November 1971, Raleigh, NC

I should have added a smiley...
All was forgiven a long time ago.

Still have 4 originals out of 7 in their line up. Great, great band!!! Cory Wells is one of the greatest white soul singers of all time.

They introduced me to blues and soul and were my favorite band until I journeyed on to the Stones. I saw them in 1972 and then again in 1986 (?), when all of the original guys, with the exception of bassist Joe Schermie, were on the tour. Cory was awesome and it was a wonderful night.

Earlier this year I read Chuck Negron's autobiography, "Three Dog Nightmare," about his struggle with drug abuse. Not the greatest book ever penned, but talk about a guilty pleasure - and to learn Chuck is the step father of Berry Oakley's son! I was a bit annoyed with him, however, over some of the remarks he made about his former bandmates, Cory in particular. I didn't believe everything I read, needless to say.

I love 3DN. Lots of fun songs from my childhood/tweener years.

Great choice of songs (mostly), especially "Celebrate", "One Man Band", "Old Fashioned Love Song", "Pieces Of April", etc.

The only one I really don't like is "Joy To The World" - which like "Satisfaction" suffers from overplay.

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schillid
I can't forgive Three Dog Night.

In 1972, I was fifteen years old and we camped out overnight at the Spectrum in Philly to get Stones tickets.

The day before tickets were to go on sale, we staked out a good spot right in front of the box office window. Unfortunately, later that afternoon, they made us move to the side because there was a show at the Spectrum that night. Three Dog Night, I still remember. So I've never forgiven Three Dog Night for making me lose my great spot on line.

The next morning was mayhem. The crowd pressed against the box office window from all sides. After a person was lucky enough to complete a transaction at the box office window, there was no way to get out of the crowd. So people were lifted up, clutching the prized tickets, and passed overhead to the back of the crowd. The tickets cost only $6.50 back then.

I guess I can forgive them... I got my Stones tickets.

Something similar almost happen to me in 1977 where we were camping outside the San Diego Sports Arena for Zeppelin tix and ELO were playing that night and they tried to move us. We did not. At the end of the ELO concert we had a very good time singing (mocking) "Evil Woman" to fans coming out the arena. Was pretty funny.

Listen from time to time to my best of 3DN though.

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schillid
I should have added a smiley...
All was forgiven a long time ago.

I knew you were joking.

I love TDN. I still have a greatest hits CD of thier's I listen to. I caught 2 Dog Night, Corey and Danny a couple of times. Good shows.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

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sweetcharmedlife
I caught 2 Dog Night,... a couple of times. Good shows.

There's only 2 dogs left ? Sorry to hear. The one that is no longer around... how many dog years was he before he left?

Or did he run away ?

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schillid
There's only 2 dogs left ? Sorry to hear. The one that is no longer around... how many dog years was he before he left?

Or did he run away ?

I think he was dropped off at the pound.

[en.wikipedia.org]

3 Dog Night were sensational. They partied w/the Stones during the four day break in the Virgin Islands in 1972.

"The wonder of Jimi Hendrix was that he could stand up at all he was so pumped full of drugs." Patsy, Patsy Stone

If you want to hear a great tune listen to IT"S FOR YOU off of their first album. The songwriting on this tune is credited to Lennon and McCartney

"It's For You" is one on the songs on the live album. It sounded great. Also, I love their version of The Band's "Chest Fever".

Three Dog Night were a big part of my youth, so I have a special place in my heart for the band, A lot of their greatest hits were cover songs: Joy to the World, Never Been to Spain (Hoyt Axton); One (Nilsson); Mama Told Me Not to Come (Randy Newman); and The Show Must Go On (Leo Sayer).

The cover of Three Dog Night's 1974 album Hard Labor is something to gawk at.

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schillid

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sweetcharmedlife
I caught 2 Dog Night,... a couple of times. Good shows.

There's only 2 dogs left ? Sorry to hear. The one that is no longer around... how many dog years was he before he left?

Or did he run away ?

He ran away schillid. He's a stray now.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

Favorite TDN song is One.

Jerimiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine... WTF?!?

Man, I don't miss 70's fancywear!

Mama Told Me Not To Come always reminds me of parties back in the day.

You could not be in grade school in the 1970's without having TDN in your AM radio face, but good god those three could sing. Brian Wilson recongnised that talent, but was probably too stoned to take full advantage.

Someone also picked outstanding songs for them to sing. Not sure that they were "interpeters", but they had excellent arrangements and were really a cohesive band.

Here's a question...did they ever cover a Stones tune? I don't think they did. What Stones tunes would have been best suited to the TDN treatment? IMHO, I think "Heartbreaker" would have suited TDN. I think they could have sung the sh.. out of Honky Tonk Women also.

Well, Three Dog Night benefited from the services of The Wrecking Crew, according to Danny Hutton in the interview excerpted below. (The Monkees were far from the only band who did not always play the instruments on their recordings.) I recently saw an excellent documentary on the Wrecking Crew, made by the son of Tommy Tedesco. Full interview here

Tell me about "Funny How Love Can Be." The Ivy League song ... (NOTE: The Ivy League was a British band that didn't make the boat for the "Invasion." -- T.W.)

That's right; that's right.
A ballad, that you did at hyperspeed.

I found that song somewhere, and it didn't happen in the States. And I loved it. Anderle then went to MGM, and he got me, I think, a singles deal. And I got Gene Page to do the arrangements. I heard an album of 18th Century instruments, they were old, old instruments. When you hear symphony orchestras now, Beethoven, how they sounded then were entirely different because the instruments were different. They didn't sound at all the same way. Anyway, I just told him what I wanted - a countermelody here and this there - and Gene did the charts. And we had (engineer) Dave Hassinger at RCA do the song. And we had Carol Kaye on bass, (guitarist) Tommy Tedesco, (drummer) Hal Blaine ... the whole "Crew" was there.
The "Wrecking Crew." (NOTE: Legendary group of L.A. session players. -- T.W.)

Well, I didn't know that at the time. I just knew they were the best guys. And Gene, they worked a lot with Gene. And, Frank Zappa came; Frank was with MGM at the time, and I really think it influenced him. If you listen to that song, it's very like a Zappa kind of thing. And he went, "Whoa! This is cool." And I'd taken acid by then, so my head was ... I mean, I was fine, but ... it was a legal drug then.

the wrecking crew played on a lot of the beach boys great albums like today! and pet sounds.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-15 10:32 by ryanpow.

Last summer I attended a TDN show with no expectations. Their songs always relied on harmony, so how could these 60 year old guys pull it off. It was an amazing show. Someone said it earlier - they can sing. I had no idea they were that good in concert. Long live the 2 dogs.

Postscript to my mention of the Wrecking Crew. Here is a link to The Wrecking Crew, the film I saw in Los Angeles last month (several Wrecking Crew members were at the screening and participated in a Q&A), and here is a partial list of recordings that they appear on:

5th Dimension
Let the Sunshine in/Aquarius
Stoned Soul Picnic
Up-Up and Away
One Less Bell to Answer

Association
Windy
Never My Love

Beach Boys
California Girls
Don't Worry Baby
Fun Fun Fun
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations
I Get Around
Sloop John B

Byrds
Mr. Tamborine Man
Turn! Turn! Turn!

Glen Campbell
By The Time I Get to Phoenix
Gentle on My Mind
Wichita Lineman

Captain and Tennille
Love Will Keep Us Together

Carpenters
Close to You
We've Only Just Begun

Cher
Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves
Half-Breed

Chipmunks
Chipmunks Theme

Nat King Cole
Ramblin' Rose

Sam Cooke
Twistin' the Night Away
You Send Me

Crystals
Then He Kissed Me
Da Doo Ron Ron
He's A Rebel

Bobby Day
Rock-in Robin

Defenders
Taco Wagon

Shelly Fabares
Johnny Angel

Richard Harris
MacArthur Park

Jan & Dean
Dead Man's Curve
Surf City
Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)
Balboa Blue

Gary Lewis and the Playboys
Everybody Loves a Clown
Sure Gonna Miss Her
This Diamond Ring

Barry McGuire
Eve of Destruction

Mamas & Papas
California Dreamin'
Creeque Alley
Dedicated to the One I Love
Monday, Monday

Henry Mancini
The Pink Panther Theme

Marketts
Out of Limits
Surfer's Stomp

Dean Martin
Everybody Loves Somebody

Scott McKenzie
San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)

Monkees
Mary Mary
Valleri

Chris Montez
Let's Dance

Ricky Nelson
Fools Rush In

Wayne Newton
Danke Schoen

Jack Nitzsche
The Lonely Surfer

Harry Nilsson
Everybody's Talkin'

Partridge Family
Come on Get Happy

Elvis Presley
A Little Less Conversation
Viva Las Vegas

Paul Revere & the Raiders
Indian Reservation

Righteous Brothers
Unchained Melody
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'

Rip Chords
Hey Little Cobra

Johnny Rivers
Poor Side of Town

Tommy Roe
Dizzy

Ronnetts
Be My Baby
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Routers
Let's Go

The Sandpipers
Guantanamera

Lalo Schifrin
Mission Impossible

Simon and Garfunkel
Mrs. Robinson

Frank Sinatra
Strangers in the Night
That's Life

Nancy Sinatra
These Boots Were Made for Walkin'
Drummer Man

Sonny and Cher
The Beat Goes On
I Got You Babe

T-Bones
No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)

Nino Tempo & April Stevens
Deep Purple

Tijuana Brass
The Lonely Bull
Spanish Flea
Taste of Honey
Whipped Cream
Zorba the Greek

Ike and Tina Turner
River Deep Mountain High

Ritchie Valens
Donna

Bobby Vee
The Night Has a Thousand Eyes

Ventures
Hawaii 5-O

Mason Williams
Classical Gas

Roger Williams
Born Free

no guilt here...a great band in their day and still fun to listen to - caught 2dog night at a county fair a few weeks back - loads of fun.

Hey Monkeylad thanks for the info on the wrecking crew movie......Leon Russell was one of the crew members