FANNY ON CD AT LAST

 

FROM JUNE MILLINGTON

 

Since Fanny, June Millington is currently in the band, Slammin' Babes (www.slamminbabes.com), with her sister Jean. Their most recent release is Melting Pot. This is what she said when we posed her some questions:

Are there any plans to reissue your four albums recorded in the '70s? What would it take to see them released on CD?

Rhino spoke of issueing a boxed Fanny set, but never followed through. To do so, I would probably need to do a licensing deal with Warner Bros, which would require an infusion of funds to my record company, Fabulous Records, which means finding an investor.

When was the last time you were in the Philippines?

The last time we were in the Philippines was 1961.

Since the time of Fanny, there have been many all-girl rock bands and angstsy female singer-songwriters. Care to name some you both like?

I like Lita Ford, also the Pretenders.

If you could do it all again, what would you do differently?

No, it would be impossible to do it any differently. (I'm working on a book, but you have to consider the times.)

Are there any new Fanny albums, live or rarities, in the works?

There is a live Fanny album, of which I preserved a tape of a performance in Ohio — it's very good, and you can order it from me by making a donation to IMA of US$25 and up.

Note 1: IMA — www.ima.com — is a non-profit foundation June helped found around 1987 for all women in music. It's been in existence since then.

Note 2: The above Q&A appeared in BigO #189 (September 2001). The issue also reviewed Fanny's Charity Ball and Fanny Hill albums. Click here to order a copy of the issue (S$4.80). Overseas readers can email singbigo@singnet.com.sg for rates.



And now a word from Rhino…

"They were extraordinary: They wrote everything, they played like mother****ers, they were just colossal and wonderful."

-- David Bowie, Rolling Stone, 1999

An all-girl rock band? Sure, what's the big deal? Well, prior to Fanny, it was a big deal. With few exceptions, "girl groups" didn't write their own material and play their own instruments. Signing to Reprise Records in 1969, Fanny became the first all-female group to record a full-length album for a major label.

Sisters June and Jean Millington began rocking in Sacramento, California in the early '60s. In 1968, after years of touring the West Coast in the all-female The Svelts, the Millingtons assembled a new band, Wild Honey, and took to the stage with original songs and folk and Motown covers. A 1969 gig at The Troubadour club in Los Angeles brought Wild Honey to the attention of producer Richard Perry, who persuaded Warner's Mo Ostin to sign the band sight unseen.

With Perry at the console and soon-to-be-permanent member Nickey Barclay on keyboards, the band now named Fanny recorded its eponymous debut in L.A. Released in December of 1970, the album combined textured, Beatle-esque pop with sweaty soul, beefy riffs, and proto-Riot Grrrl swagger. If women weren't supposed to rock with this level of chops and intensity, apparently nobody told Fanny.

Their name might not be a household word, but if you want to know something of Fanny's influence, just ask The Runaways, The Go-Go's, or Hole. But don't listen to Fanny because they're a great female band. Listen to them because they're a great band.

Amazingly, Fanny's groundbreaking albums have never been released on CD. With Rhino Handmade's release of First Time In A Long Time: The Reprise Recordings, this hugely important band is finally getting its digital due.

First In A Long Time is a four-CD boxed set containing Fanny's entire 1970-73 Reprise output, plus much more. The studio albums Fanny (1970), Charity Ball (1971), Fanny Hill (1972), and the Todd Rundgren-produced Mother's Pride (1973) have been remastered from original master tapes and are included in their entirety. Also included are exclusive songs from the highly sought-after Canadian version of Fanny, which was pressed from the wrong masters and issued in an initial run of a few thousand copies.

Additional bonus tracks include Wild Honey demos from 1969, Reprise promo spots, informal "Kitchen Tapes" recordings, live tracks from 1972-73, and many outtakes and alternate versions. A special 52-page book includes an exclusive 2002 interview with June and Jean Millington and Alice de Buhr, plus rare photos and tributes by David Bowie, Bonnie Raitt, Jill Sobule, and others.

First In A Long Time: The Reprise Recordings is available in an individually numbered, limited edition of 5,000 copies. Because this title is expected to be released internationally as an unlimited edition, this Rhino Handmade edition is available only in the U.S. and Canada.

Note: Visit http://www.rhinohandmade.com/browse/ProductLink.lasso?Number=7734 for complete track listing.

 

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