Three Dog Night
It looked like a typical night at the Grande Ballroom crowded with an assortment of Steppenwolf fans, people with nowhere else to go, and the usual range of Grande regulars. I got there late as per usual. But, in time for Three Dog Night’s first set.
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Three Dog Night
Eric Jaggers
It looked like a typical night at the Grande Ballroom crowded with an assortment of Steppenwolf fans, people with nowhere else to go, and the usual range of Grande regulars. I got there late as per usual. But, in
time for Three Dog Night’s first set. Their first song led me to the stage where I stood for the next five numbers or so. They did their “Rendition of Chest Fever”1 from the album and did it well. Unlike “The Band” who play thejrmusic in free form, very loose but together. Three Dog Night just went about proving that they are one of the tightest groups around. If you haven’t seen them you might be surprised to see three lead singers (they all sound great). They’ve got some, really good harmony, as you can tell when they do, It s For You” penned by “Lennon and McCartney” but never recorded by the “Beatles”. Their version of “Try A Little Tenderness” is just about the best tribute to Otis Redding I’ve ever heard.
They make it as a group with no one member pushing solo trying to become Super Pop Stars.
Their drummer is very together and has got alot of skill. He’s a really heavy drummer, he does a solo in the second from last song of which I don’t happen to know the name. The solo was good but just a little “Toadish”, (of Baker fame if you recall} but never the less it came off well.
The last song they did was an introductory number (“on organ so and so, on bass so and so, etc.”). The song was “Dance To The Music”. It sounded to me like “Sly and the Family Stone” wrote it for Three Dog Night. No doubt about it, if you like exciting dance bands, you’ll like Three Dog Night.
They do a rendition of “Feelin’ Alright” by the “Traffic”. I thought it was up to par and the arrangement fit well with everything else they do.
They definitely know just what they’re doing and what they want (at least I assume that they like what they do)., ,
They realty came off well, and .surprised many people who think they know alot about music but never heard of Three Dog Night. One neat thing, the only other group I ever saw use Bruce Amps was the “Buffalp Springfield”. For those interested they’re better Marshalls and have more power, (500 watts as compared to 300 watts). That’s directed toward all you young aspiring Eric Claptons (did you know he got a haircut).
Although Three Dog Night deserved their ovations, I think it?s a shame, that everybody in the Ballroom goes nuts, and slap their hands off, every time a drummer, good, bad, or mediocre, plays without music for more than four bars, ’cos this just shows the group how stupid the audience is. I mean, it is ridiculous when the drummer does a short solor and gets a fantastic reaction after he just made twenty-four mistakes in the space of one minute. Like when Butterfield’s drummer blew it ’cos he was too stoned to keep a good beat going. Stilt—it’s each to his own, I suppose.
