Looking Glass is an American pop rock band formed in New Jersey that were active during the early 1970s. They are known for their chart-topping 1972 hit song "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)", which reached No. 1 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 charts, remaining in the top position for one week. They were part of the Jersey Shore sound.
Looking Glass | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States |
| Genres | Pop rock, soft rock, country rock, Jersey Shore sound |
| Years active | 1969–1974, 2003–present |
| Members | Elliot Lurie Jeff Lehman Craig Williams Eric Mackey Colton Truman |
| Past members | Lawrence Gonsky Pieter Sweval (deceased) Jeff Grob Brendan Harkin Michael Lee Smith Richie Ranno Chuck Connolly Joe Vicere. |
Career
editThe group was formed in 1969, at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The original version of the band broke up after college, with original members Elliot Lurie and Larry Gonsky recruiting two new members to form the classic Looking Glass lineup:[1]
- Elliot Lurie (lead guitar and vocals)
- Jeff Grob (drums)
- Larry Gonsky (piano and vocals)
- Pieter Sweval (bass and vocals)[2]
The group had the #1 hit single for the week of August 26, 1972, with "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)", written by Lurie;[2] and also a Top 40 hit "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne" (1973), subsequently recorded by Josie Cotton. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" was released in the US in June 1972. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week and remained on the chart for 16 weeks.[2] This disc, their only million seller, was certified gold by the RIAA on August 9, 1972.[2]
Guitarist Brendan Harkin joined Looking Glass in early 1974, and Lurie left soon afterward to pursue a solo career, replaced by Michael Lee Smith, a singer from Georgia. Later that same year, the group changed its name to Fallen Angels. After Richie Ranno joined as second guitarist in September 1975, keyboardist Gonsky departed, and by late 1975, Fallen Angels's name had changed once again to Starz. Lurie appeared as a solo artist with "Your Love Song," an entry on Billboard's "Easy Listening" chart in 1974.
Sweval died on January 23, 1990,[3] having succumbed to AIDS.[4][5]
New York radio station WPLJ-FM reunited Looking Glass, along with several others acts as part of a "70s Reunion Concert" on March 24, 1995. It was held at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. Among the acts who took the stage at the sold-out concert were original lead singer Elliot Lurie and members of Looking Glass, Three Dog Night, Rupert Holmes, Andrew Gold, Alan O'Day, Ian Lloyd (lead singer of Stories), Sonny Geraci (lead singer of the Outsiders and Climax), and Robert John.
In 2003, Lurie reconstituted the group with new musicians.[citation needed]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] |
AUS [7] | ||
| 1972 | Looking Glass | 113 | 56 |
| 1973 | Subway Serenade | — | — |
Singles
edit| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] |
US Cash Box |
US Adult [8] |
AUS [7] |
CAN |
UK | |||
| 1972 | "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" | 1 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 55[A] | |
| "Golden Rainbow" | — | 75 | 37 | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "Rainbow Man" | — | 94 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne"[10] | 33 | 31 | 16 | 75 | 21 | — | ||
| 1974 | "Sweet Somethin'"[11] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||
Notes
edit- ^ Chart position is from the official UK "Breakers List".
References
edit- ^ Eder, Bruce. "Looking Glass Biography – Yahoo! Music". New.music.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 315. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ "Looking Glass Bio". Utopia Artists. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ ">>Died On This Date (January 23, 1990) Peter Sweval / Looking Glass; Starz". TheMusicsOver.com. January 23, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- ^ "Remembering PIETER SWEVAL in Original Starz Board Forum". June 12, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- ^ a b "Looking Glass - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 181. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-1993. Record Research. p. 143.
- ^ "British certifications – Looking Glass". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 16, 2022. Type Looking Glass in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "RPM 100 Singles". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. October 3, 1970. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ "Record World Single Picks" (PDF). February 16, 1974.
External links
edit- Lyrics to "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)"
- Looking Glass discography at Discogs
- Looking Glass at IMDb
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