Fanny
Charity Ball (Hollywood 6456)

Good old-fashioned rock & roll! Now turn that shit up!

Actually, this record actually sounds more like the soundtrack to a 1973 Midwest state fair than a big, kass-kickin' rock show. Fanny was billed as one of the first "all girl" rock groups, a concept that will always have an inherent level of coolness. But dammit if this album heard through today's ears is just d-u-l-l, same as most of those local rereleases on Gear Fab Records probably sound as well … well, they're great in theory, anyway.

The production on Charity Ball is pretty dry and bare-bones, something that benefits an album like Joni's Blue, but keeps this album on the boring side of the rock 'n' roll fence, alongside those mid-era releases by The Band, complete with out-of-tune piano. Lots of mid-tempos and the occasional fuzz guitar solo … you either like that or you don't. I don't. A lack of decent tunes subtracts from the equation as well.

Standout song is Side Two's "You're The One," with its frolicking beat, wurlitzer piano and lines like "Ooh baby, I can make you follow me/Ooh baby, I can make you come." I'm sure with the right spliff and a cold Pabst in hand, you can get an erection to that line. You can, but I have prostate problems.

I suppose the fact that they helped pave the way for the success of bands like The Go-Go's and The Donnas, is a good thing, 'cause I do quite like those bands. Doesn't particularly help the overall listenability of Charity Ball, however.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Jerry Troll