Climax (band)
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Formed in 1970 in Los Angeles, California, Climax was a band most noted for their 1972 hit song "Precious and Few," which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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[edit] Career
Climax consisted of Marc Gordon, Larry Cox, John Stevenson, Walter Nims, and Sonny Geraci. The band is considered a one-hit wonder because no other releases gained much widespread success. However, Climax was not a typical "one-hit wonder." Keyboardist John Stevenson wrote the track "Rock and Roll Heaven." Climax decided to sell the recording rights to The Righteous Brothers who turned the song into one of the pop classics. Though "Precious and Few" was the band's only major hit recording, they did have several tries at it and are one of the few One-Hit wonders to have recorded so many songs (at least 35 are known of).
Climax was together from 1970 to 1976. They recorded one album, many singles and a lot of unreleased sides. Also in the band was Walter Nims, who was their principal songwriter and guitarist. Walter Nims' younger sister Debbie Nims toured, played violin, and sang backup vocals with Garth Brooks.
Climax came out of the ashes of The Outsiders (Geraci's '60s band). A few sides were released under The Outsiders name, but when Tom King of the original band threatened legal action, they changed the name of the band to Climax. Released under The Outsiders name (but actually Climax) were "Lovin' You"/"Think I'm Fallin'" and "Changes"/"Lost In My World" (a totally different song from The Outsiders song Lost In My World). The name change followed and then they released the album "Climax Featuring Sonny Geraci".
[edit] Album information
Their lone album came out in 1972 on Rocky Road Records. The album had twelve cuts and many were used as B-sides for subsequent singles. It has never been released on CD.
Side 1
- 1 "Life & Breath"
- 2 "I've Got Everything"
- 3 "Prelude" (Instrumental :50 Orchestral version of "I've Got Everything")
- 4 "Picnic In The Rain"
- 5 "Face The Music"
- 6 "Precious & Few"
Side 2
- 1 "It's Coming Today"
- 2 "Rainbow Rides Are Free"
- 3 "If It Feels Good-Do It"
- 4 "Merlin"
- 5 "Postlude" (Instrumental :48 Orchestral version of "Life & Breath")
- 6 "Child Of December"
One pressing has surfaced with two additional tracks, a 5:20 version of "Park Preserve" (single was 3:47) was in between "Life & Breath" & "I've Got Everything" the early song "Hard Rock Group" was inserted between "If It Feels Good-Do It" and "Merlin". Singer Geraci has said that it was a first pressing. The record label did not want the heavier songs on the album.[citation needed] Without them the only heavier songs you get are It's Coming Today, If It Feels Good-Do It and Merlin which in turn was edited. (longer version unavailable) Apparently the original version of Merlin was between 5:30 and 6:00. Edited out was a little longer, more drawn out intro and more than half of the original guitar solo. This version was shortened even before the first pressing. After "Precious & Few"'s chart success, they wanted the album more AM sounding. The band was disappointed because they were more into the rock sound.
[edit] Single releases
- "Lovin' You" / "Think I'm Fallin'" (Under The Outsiders name. It's actually Climax before the name change)
- "Changes" / "Lost In My World" (Under The Outsiders name. It's actually Climax before the name change)
- "Hard Rock Group" / Waiting For The End To Come
- "Precious & Few" (#3 Billboard Hot 100) / "Park Preserve"
- "Life & Breath" (#52 Billboard Hot 100) / "If It Feels Good Do It" (B-Side later covered by The Stories)
- "Caroline This Time" / "Rainbow Rides Are Free"
- "Walking In The Georgia Rain" / "Picnic In The Rain"
- "Rock & Roll Heaven" / "Face The Music"
- "It's Gonna Get Better" / (B-Side Unknown)
[edit] Other songs recorded, but are unreleased
- "Hand Me Down My Rock & Roll Shoes"
- "Droopy Shoulders"
- "Love Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
- "Young Boy"
- "Rosemary Blue"
- "Searchin'" (a cover of The Coasters track)
- "Wait For You" (a cover of the Neil Young track)
- "The War" (Lee Michaels' tune)
These were for a proposed second album that never came to be. There is talk of an anthology coming out in 2008 of their album, with most, if not all, of those extra sides.
[edit] The three CD issues
There have been three "official" CDs released. All by budget labels and none have been remastered.
The first was in 1997 and had ten tracks listed but actually included eleven:
- 1- "Precious And Few"
- 2- "Life And Breath"
- 3- "Merlin"
- 4- "Picnic In The Rain" ("Postlude" is here prior to "Picnic...", but not listed)
- 5- "Rock And Roll Heaven"
- 6- "Park Preserve (Long Version)"
- 7- "Rainbow Rides Are Free"
- 8- "Waiting For The End To Come"
- 9- "It's Coming Today"
- 10- "If It Feels Good-Do It"
The second was in 1998 and had fifteen songs (actually sixteen with another "hidden" song); many were in the "unreleased" category above:
"Precious And Few", "Life & Breath", "Merlin", "Picnic In The Rain" (without "Postlude"), "Rainbow Rides Are Free", "It's Coming Today", "If It Feels Good-Do It", "Child Of December" (with an unlisted "Prelude" before it), "Caroline This Time" (longer version than on the single), "Walking In The Georgia Rain", "Searchin'", "Love Doesn't Live Here Anymore", "Droopy Shoulders", "Rosemary Blue" and "Young Boy". (Exact track order unknown)
The third was in 2002, had thirteen songs and brought out a few more "new to CD" songs of theirs:
- 1- "Precious And Few"
- 2- "Life And Breath"
- 3- "Merlin"
- 4- "Park Preserve"
- 5- "Picnic In The Rain"
- 6- "Rainbow Rides Are Free"
- 7- "Waitin For The End To Come"
- 8- "It's Coming Today"
- 9- "If It Feels Good Do It"
- 10- "I've Got Everything"
- 11- "Child Of December"
- 12- "Searchin'" (Shorter single version)
- 13- "The War"
With these three releases, only "Changes", "Hard Rock Group", "Lost In My World", "It's Gonna Get Better", "Wait For You", "Face The Music" & "Hand Me Down My Rock & Roll Shoes" appear to be unreleased on CD.
There is a fourth which appears occasionally on e-bay. It contains most of their songs (even bringing "Face The Music", "Changes", "Lost In My World", "Hard Rock Group", "It's Gonna Get Better" and the K-Tel rerecording of "Precious And Few" to CD.) It says it is a definitive anthology, but it is missing several songs. It is also a bootleg. (A CD recorded on a CD-R, not an official record company release)
