They may be from the South, But they're NOT Southern Rock (Although, several of their members have been a part of Southern Rock Bands like Molly Hatchet & The Outlaws during their off times)!
Putting just one Label or Category on them is tough...And, that probably led to a lack of success they deserve!
See, Mother's Finest IS Funk and Soul and R&B And ROCK! And they can't be nicely tied up (with a bow) in just one of those labels...So, the Record Companies and Radio Stations didn't really know what to do with them...But the audiences that saw them sure did! They've had several Albums go Gold, despite charting any singles!
Their biggest success (surprise) came in 1978 in Germany at Rockpalast... Where they made quite the impression on that part of the world, and are still beloved there in that part of Europe, like The Netherlands (where this concert comes from).
Mickey's Monkey a Holland/Dozier/Holland (Remember seeing those names on tons of records?) Composition, first recorded by Smokey and The Miracles, is probably their most famous tune, but it's not their best.
Excellent FM Recording during their Iron Age Tour back in '81...
(NEW LINK: 3/2/21)
I saw Mother's Finest open on a bill with BeBop Deluxe and Heart about the time fire was harnessed for the benefit of man.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that I remember them tells you everything you need to know.
They played a furious Rockpalast in 1978 and raised a big amount of hardcore fans then. Great band!
ReplyDeleteThanks for providing the link, hinterwald!
DeleteThey scorched the Earth in that place back then!
A band that had real crossover potential and credibility, so of course most people wanted nothing to do with them....Glad to find this.
ReplyDeleteYeah, IF they can't be so easily put into a certain category of music, most don't know what to do with them!
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