Lotta Good Lovin' ~ Fanny live at the Whiskey a-Go-Go, Hollywood

Many of you who know of Fanny know that we (Jean, Alice, Nicky and I) played at the Whiskey a-Go-Go on Sunset in Hollywood many times as we got ready for our "assault" on the world, beginning around late '69/1970. As I have this thing about taping for his-Her/storical and personal reasons, many of our gigs, rehearsals and so on were captured (a practice that continues 'till today, although I *am getting a bit tired:))
It was in the context of this that a night at the Whiskey was recorded, and by the way Barbra Streisand might've been in the house. She liked us!:)) Later, we played live with her in the studio at Capitol Studio, also on Sunset, on two songs: "Where You Lead" and "Space Captain." We had the same producer, Richard Perry, and in fact you'll see two pics of him at about 2 minutes, one back in the day (with Jean next to him, and me beside her) and one from a few years ago when I went to visit him at his apartment in LA. Memories!

I tried to keep to as much of the early pictures as I could, because this is a cover of a Judy Clay single, "It Takes a Lotta Good Love," which was co-written by Booker T. Jones and co-produced by Isaac Hayes ad released by Stax Records. Important contributors to the American music firmament!

We loved this so much and I don't remember who discovered it in the band, but we played it in Wild Honey and maybe even in the Svelts ~ hence, photos stretching back to those times, as well. I remember we all loved doing that exuberant "Whoo-ooh!" right before the chorus; there is so much about the original recording that is so great. This is American Southern Roots funk, and man is it ever funky - check out just the intro on the original!

So this is how we learned, and got better and better - we studied. We were intent on studying the best, and before we got to the Whiskey I remember in particular just blowing it out in the basement at Fanny Hill with Brie and Wendy, who were both in and out of (both) the Svelts and Wild Honey pre '69. And, you know, this is kind of a pre-feminist song: "I don't need no man, That's got pretty hair/ All I need is one long hand, When I want him there/If he ain't tall, That don't bother me none/If he turns loose his love, And he just gives me some ... ..." YEAH!! Shades of "Butter Boy"!!

So, please enjoy. I know I do, even today! xx

June Millington
Artistic Dir, IMA
www.ima.org