''Fanny'' is the debut album by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group Fanny, released in December 1970 on

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repea ...

Background

In 1969, the rock band Wild Honey, featuring sisters Jean and

June Millington June Millington (born April 14, 1948) is a Filipina-American guitarist, songwriter, producer, educator, and actress. She was the co-founder and lead guitarist of the all-female rock band Fanny, which was active from 1970 to 1974. Millington has ...

, bass and guitar, respectively, and drummer Alice de Buhr, were spotted by producer

Richard Perry Richard Van Perry (born June 18, 1942) is an American record producer. He began as a performer in his adolescence while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late 1960s and early 1970 ...

's secretary. Perry arranged a trial session at

Wally Heider Studios Wally Heider Studios was a recording studio founded in San Francisco in 1969 by recording engineer and studio owner Wally Heider. Between 1969 and 1980, numerous notable artists recorded at the studios, including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jeff ...

and concluded, "This is a band that needs to be recorded." The group added keyboardist and singer

Nickey Barclay Nicole Barclay (born 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She was a member of the all-female rock group Fanny and has collaborated with Joe Cocker, Barbra Streisand and Keith Moon. Career In the late 1960s, Barclay joined th ...

and began recording in early 1970, renaming themselves Fanny. The material included a cover of

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

's single "

Badge A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fi ...

". The group were disappointed by Perry's production, feeling it didn't "bring out the best" in the group or reflect their live performances, though this would improve on later albums.

Release and reception

The album was released in December 1970.

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

gave the album an average review, though he said the cover of "Badge" was "a cute idea". A Canadian pressing of the album used the wrong master tapes, and consequently had a different track listing, including a cover of Maxine Brown's "One Step at a Time". Real Gone Music re-released the album on CD in 2013.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

wrote a favourable review, again singling out the cover of "Badge", and comparing the group's sound and arrangements to

Badfinger Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in Swansea, who were active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (vocals, guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recog ...

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from the album's liner notes. ;Fanny *

– guitar, vocals * Jean Millington – bass, vocals *

– piano, organ, vocals * Alice de Buhr – drums, percussion, vocals ;Technical *

– producer * Roy Silver – associate producer * Richard Moore – engineer * Don Lewis – cover photography

References

{{Authority control 1970 albums Fanny (band) albums Albums produced by Richard Perry Reprise Records albums