| Walk Away Renee The Left Banke 1966 (Brown-Calilli-Sansone) And when I see the sign that points one way The lot we used to pass by every day..... Just walk away Renee You won't see me follow you back home The empty sidewalks on my block are not the same You're not to blame From deep inside the tears that I'm forced to cry From deep inside the pain that I chose to hide Just walk away Renee You won't see me follow you back home Now as the rain beats down upon my weary eyes For me it cries...... ----- Flute ----- Just walk away Renee You won't see me follow you back home Now as the rain beats down upon my weary eyes For me it cries...... Your name and mine inside a heart upon a wall Still finds a way to haunt me, though they're so small Just walk away Renee You won't see me follow you back home The empty sidewalks on my block are not the same You're not to blame...... |
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| THE LEFT BANKE Bassist Tom Finn and drummer George Cameron became friends in 1964 when Finn's vocal group, The Castels, played on a bill with Cameron's rock & roll group, The Morticians. Finn went on to join The Magic Plants, who were associated with a production company owned by a former professional violinist, Harry Lookofsky, father of young pianist/composer Michael Brown who was also a production assistant at his father's recording studio. Cameron knew Steve Martin, a singer from Puerto Rico, who had just moved to New York. In late 1965, the four young men, all still teenagers, met casually in the studio and got along, worked out some original tunes, and decided to record. Lookofsky liked the tapes, and acting as the group's manager and producer, got them a deal with Mercury/Smash Records. The Group's first single, "Walk Away Renee," made it onto the charts in 1966 and peaked at #5. The song was written by Brown about Renee Fladen, then Finn's girlfriend, to whom Brown was attracted. "Pretty Ballerina" and "She May Call You Up Tonight" were also fruits of this infatuation. The band added guitarist Jeff Winfield and began touring. Brown's songs often included progressive key changes and chamber string arrangements, which critics dubbed "baroque pop." Unfortunately, the group did not last long due to conflicting egos which led to dissolution. But they did leave us with some lasting good quality music enjoyed to this day..... |