Fanny - Anyone Heard Of Them?

[TheLoony]

I'll go out on a limb and say I'm probably who never heard of this rockin band, even in passing. Their links go to Streisand, Rundgren, Joe Cocker and many others. Really incredible, and they rock. Got a Hammond in there, that's always floats my boat. It's my inner Jon Lord, I can't help it.

[QUOTE]Fanny was an American rock band, active in the early to mid 1970s. They were one of the first all-female rock groups to achieve critical and commercial success, including two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 singles.

The group was founded by guitarist June Millington and her sister, bassist Jean, who had been playing music together since they moved from the Philippines to California in the early 1960s. After playing through several variations of the band, they attracted the interest of producer Richard Perry who signed them to Reprise Records in 1969 as Fanny. The band recorded four albums together before June Millington quit the group, leading to the original line-up splitting. Following a final album, Fanny disbanded in 1975. [QUOTE]



Here's them covering Hey Bulldog. It got me going a bit.



So, am I the only one who didn't know about this band until today?

[GuitarGeek]

I've heard of them, but don't really know their music. I remember reading an article about June Millington in Guitar Player back in the early 80's. The one song I remember hearing by them struck me as way too MOR, but maybe it was just the one song, and I need to hear more.

[TheLoony]

I've heard of them, but don't really know their music. I remember reading an article about June Millington in Guitar Player back in the early 80's. The one song I remember hearing by them struck me as way too MOR, but maybe it was just the one song, and I need to hear more.

Kinda thought with the Rundgren link that they would have been more known here on PE and, well, you know as much as anyone here so I guess this band kinda got swept away in the "annals of time" like so many other bands.

The clips certainly aren't MOR. They rock.

[jake]

I think their name practically guaranteed zero airplay in the UK, although I seem to have a half-remembered imprint on my brain of Tommy Vance saying their name in his inimitable voice on his Friday night show.

[lovecraft]

I get that the all female thing will understandably get them some traction, but that aside, their music is pretty uninspired IMO.

[Digital_Man]

Yep. One of the first successful all female bands (no, I don't count the Shaggs ). They didn't have the huge success of the Go-Gos and the Bangles of the 80's but I think they set the stage for girl bands.

[Lopez]

I get that the all female thing will understandably get them some traction, but that aside, their music is pretty uninspired IMO.

Same here.

I had first heard of them from those buck-a-disc samplers Warner/Reprise put out in the late 60s and from a local music broadside called Fusion. They got pretty big build ups, but I never thought their music was all that hot.

[Dana5140]

These comments seem a bit harsh. Fanny was the first all-woman band to release an album on a major label and they released 4 albums during their time together, all of them pretty much good rock and roll. At one time, Suzi Quatro stepped in to join them. They sort of refused to play as sex symbols, preferring to be taken for their musical talent. June later ended up working as a producer in the nascent womyn's music movement, notably recording out lesbian artists like Holly Near and Chris Williamson, while her sister and she had a record out around, maybe, 2011? Alice De Buhr promoted the Go-Gos for a bit.

I always liked them.

[moecurlythanu]

I was aware of them, but never did a deep dive.

[Garden Dreamer]

I didn't know of them until their old videos started popping up on Youtube a few years ago. The keyboardist is really good.

[Sputnik]

For what they are, I think they're really good. It's basic R&R with a gutsy, bluesy sound that I really dig. Nothing fancy, but really well done music, imo. They do some cool covers, and their bass player's tone is to die for. Their CDs are impossible to track down for a reasonable price, otherwise, I'd own their stuff.

Bill

[Digital_Man]

I didn't know of them until their old videos started popping up on Youtube a few years ago. The keyboardist is really good.

Same here. Apparently David Bowie was a big fan.

I'm not sure if they were the first all female hard rock band but they do precede the Runaways by a few years.

I didn't know that about Suzie Quatro being with them but that makes sense. Plus Suzi herself was a pretty big influence on female musicians apparently.

[arturs]

So, am I the only one who didn't know about this band until today?

Nope. Never heard of them either. The first track posted by the OP "Blind Alley" is a very good hard rock track. And Bulldog rocks!

[SteveSly]

Heard of them, but that's about it.

[dropforge]

These comments seem a bit harsh. Fanny was the first all-woman band to release an album on a major label and they released 4 albums during their time together, all of them pretty much good rock and roll. At one time, Suzi Quatro stepped in to join them. They sort of refused to play as sex symbols, preferring to be taken for their musical talent. June later ended up working as a producer in the nascent womyn's music movement, notably recording out lesbian artists like Holly Near and Chris Williamson, while her sister and she had a record out around, maybe, 2011? Alice De Buhr promoted the Go-Gos for a bit.

When was this? Suzi's sister Patti replaced original guitarist June Millington around '74. I've never heard of Suzi being in the band. This is new to me!

[lovecraft]

I was aware of them, but never did a deep dive.

I see what you did there.....

[dropforge]

I'm not sure if they were the first all female hard rock band but they do precede the Runaways by a few years.

I didn't know that about Suzie Quatro being with them but that makes sense. Plus Suzi herself was a pretty big influence on female musicians apparently.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...ling-new-story

[roylayer]

I have their album, Fanny Hill, which is a 4 star (out of 5) album for me. Excellent!

[moecurlythanu]

I see what you did there.....

Didja now?!

[Aggie87]

A few years back I was in a Half Price Books shop in Texas. It's a great chain if you've never been to one before, wish they had them up here in the Philly area. It's half discounted/remaindered items, and half whatever anyone brings in to sell, so there's always an unpredictable selection of things - books, records, cds, etc. Anyway, I was browsing, and also had a "half off one item" coupon. There was a copy of the Fanny Rhino Handmade "First Time in a Long Time" 4 cd box set behind the counter, so I asked to look at it, not familiar with the band. I think they were asking $70 for it, ended up buying it blind, for $35.

Take it home and start spinning - the music it great! But even more interesting is that the copy I bought apparently belonged to Nicole Blizzard, who was a journalist who interviewed the four main members about the time the box was released. It's signed by all four (June, Jean, Alice, & Nickey) multiple times (one on each of the 4 discs, and a couple of times in the accompanying material. Nickey was apparently living in Australia at the time, so it's no mean feat that she signed it - I assume she travelled to the U.S. for promotion or something. I suspect this is one of the few copies that is signed by all four.

[dropforge]

^Damn, that is cool!

[Progbear]

I was lucky to get their First Time in a Long Time (Rhino Handmade) box set (all their Reprise recordings plus a mess of bonus tracks) for a pretty good price. Along with the Casablanca album, Rock & Roll Survivors, that’s pretty much their entire catalogue. As you can kind of tell, their videos capture them at their best, there were complaints that Richard Perry kept “pop-ifying” their sound. I agree with Roy that Fanny Hill is probably their best album; they never really scored a home run with a studio album, but there’s great stuff on all of their records and they were definitely talented. If you’re at all a fan of Bonnie Raitt, this band goes in a similar direction. June Millington took lessons from Lowell George and, like Bonnie, really killed it on the slide guitar. I always thought that Nickey Barclay (their keyboardist) was their most talented songwriter.

They opened the doors for other female rockers; not as much as they probably should, but there were a couple of other female rock bands that got signed thanks to them. Notably Birtha and Isis. Birtha tried a little too hard to “out rock” Fanny on their first album (“Judgement Day” is a great tune, but the rest it just so much second-string Joplin-style screaming), but the second is more organic and subtle, with better songwriting. Isis were the female “horn” band who graduated from the Goldie and the Gingerbreads, the first “girl group” to play their own instruments. The self-titled debut is probably of most interest here, with some late-period psychedelic freakouts and some light progressive touches. The second album (Ain’t No Backin’ Up Now) is probably more solid/consistent; a kind of Meters-like swamp-funk album half-produced by Allen Toussaint. Skip the third album, Breaking Through, entirely; mediocre late 70s MOR pop and smooth jazz.

[Dana5140]

Same here. Apparently David Bowie was a big fan.

Jean Millington married Earl Slick from Bowie's band. They are no longer together now.

[dropforge]

Jean Millington married Earl Slick from Bowie's band. They are no longer together now.

Earl Slick (not his real name) of Silver Condor? Interesting.

[Aggie87]

Jean Millington married Earl Slick from Bowie's band. They are no longer together now.

She was also briefly Bowie's girlfriend.