The end of the 1960s set the stage for Sugarloaf, as the cream of several Denver bands came together.
SUGARLOAF is a heavy progressive rock band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1969 by Keyboardist/vocalist Jerry Corbetta and guitarist Bob Webber of the Moonrakers (Denver’s most popular group during the middle of the decade), plus Bob Raymond on bass and Myron Pollock on drums, recorded demos that got them signed to Liberty Records as Chocolate Hair. SUGARLOAF's psychedelic-inspired accessible progressive blues rock will appeal to fans of 70s heavy prog groups such as URIAH HEEP and ATOMIC ROOSTER with a crossover prog edge to their music.
The seven-song demo, a mix of rock, R&B and jazz licks, became the basis for the debut LP, but only after new drummer Bob MacVittie came on board to record the last song for the album, which scored the band a big national hit—“Green-Eyed Lady” peaked at #3 in October 1970. Prior to the release of
“Green-Eyed Lady,” there had also been a name change. Told by the legal department at Liberty that Chocolate Hair had racial overtones, the band took the name of a mountain summit in the foothills above Boulder where Webber lived, transforming the rock quartet into Sugarloaf. Non-stop touring gave the band little time for songwriting, so they invited Robert Yeazel from the Colorado band Beast to join on guitar and vocals.
An edit of his “Tongue in Cheek,” a track on the second Sugarloaf album, Spaceship Earth, became a minor hit in 1971. For the follow-up album, 1971's Spaceship Earth, Sugarloaf added guitarist/songwriter Bob Yeazel, who had previously played on two albums as part of a Denver band
called the Beast. Spaceship Earth didn't produce any hits, and disagreements over the band's choice of producers followed. Yeazel wound up leaving prior to the release of 1973's I Got a Song, which appeared on the smaller Brut label and featured former Beast drummer Larry Ferris. Resurfacing on Claridge in 1975, Sugarloaf finally scored that elusive follow-up hit with the title track from their fourth and final album, Don't Call Us -- We'll Call You. However, they subsequently disbanded. Corbetta went on to release a solo album on Warner Bros., and later worked with Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons as a writer, producer, and backing musician.
In trying to regain a recording deal, Corbetta was spurned imperiously, which resulted in “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You.” An amusing song about the fickle music industry, the dance-friendly new track spelled out the CBS Records phone number and a general White House number—touch-tone style—for
the world. Recorded with initial drummer Pollock back in the fold, “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You” by Jerry Corbetta/Sugarloaf became a hit, reaching #9 in March 1975.
The song Don't Call us, we'll call you is particularly noteworthy because it contains an ironic reaction to the denial of a record deal by the company CBS Records . At the beginning and at the end of the song you can hear the tone dialing melody of a secret insider number from CBS Records. In addition, a sample of the Beatles song I Feel Fine and the Stevie Wonder song Superstition are used in this song .
The band was best known for two top 10 hits from the US single charts: Green-Eyed Lady from the fall
of 1970 and Don't Call Us, We'll Call You from 1975. Other songs that made it into the Billboard Hot 100 came with Mother Nature's Wine (1971), Tongue in Cheek (1971), and Stars In Our Eyes (1976).
The 1975 album Don't Call US, We'll Call You was a re-release of their 1973 album I Got A Song , in which one of the older tracks was replaced by the title track of their later album and became a hit single.
There were active from 1970 until disbanding 1978. In 1985 they reformed for a one-off reunion. After
Sugarloaf broke up, Jerry Corbetta played with the groups Wild Cherry , which had a number one hit with Play That Funky Music , and Disco-Tex and His Sex-O-Lettes , which made it into the charts with Get Dancing . In 1980 Corbetta became a member of The Four Seasons . Today he plays in the group Classic Rock All Stars
MEMBERS
Jerry Corbetta - keyboards, vocals, celesta, tubular bells
Bob Webber - guitar, dobro, vocals
Bob Raymond - bass guitar, vocals
Bob Mac Vittie - drums
Robert Yeazel - guitar, vocals, harmonica
Label: Collectables – COL-5871, EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets – 72438-19541-2 6
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1997
Genre: Rock
Style: Classic Rock
TRACKS
01. Green-Eyed Lady (Written-By – D. Riordan, J.C. Phillips, J. Corbetta) 6:49
02 The Train Kept A-Rollin' (Stroll On) (Written-By – Drega, Beck, Page, Relf) 2:25
03. Medley: Bach Doors Man / Chest Fever (Written-By – B. Webber, J.R. Robertson, J. Corbetta) 9:05
04. West Of Tomorrow (Written-By – B. Raymond, J.C. Phillips, J. Corbetta) 5:28
05. Gold And The Blues (Written-By – B. Raymond, B. Webber, J. Corbetta, M. Pollock) 7:20
06. Things Gonna Change Some (Written-By – B. Raymond, B. Webber, J. Corbetta, Van Dorn) 6:41
07. Spaceship Earth (Written-By – R. Yeazel) 4:28
08. Rusty Cloud (Written-By – R. Yeazel) 3:02
09. I Don't Need You Baby (Written-By – B. Webber, J. Corbetta, R. Yeazel) 5:15
10. Rollin' Hills (Written-By – R. Yeazel) 3:39
11. Mother Nature's Wine (Written-By – D. Riordan, J.C. Phillips, J. Corbetta) 2:58
12. Country Dawg (Written-By – R. Yeazel) 2:39
13. Woman (Written-By – B. MacVittie, B. Raymond, B. Webber, J. Corbetta, R. Yeazel) 4:19
14. Music Box (Written-By – R. Yeazel) 2:28
15. Tongue In Cheek (Written-By – R. Yeazel) 7:37
16. Don't Call Us, We'll Call You (Written-By – Corbetta, Carter) 3:24
MP3 @ 320 Size: 178 MB
Flac Size: 471 MB
Never knew they were from the glorious people's republic of Denver...until now.
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DeleteThanks again. I thought that I was quite knowledgeable about 1970s music - but you've proved me wrong (in a nice way!)
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