Bob & Gene - "It's Not What You Know / These Lonely Nights" - daptonerecords

Bob & Gene

"It's Not What You Know / These Lonely Nights"

Regular price $ 7.00
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Tweezed from the beautiful MO DO tape boondoggle, back in '05-6, this unreleased single has been a planned release for some time and an office favorite for too long.  At the tail end of the "Bob & Gene" era, say about 1970-'71, the duo was a little frustrated. Despite the time and effort the young men were putting into their song writing and production, things were not working out as planned, the guys needed a breakthrough. They sat in the basement of 50 Orange Street one night and put together a record expressing their frustration. There was no band - just the two of them. They had a guitar, bass and piano, but no drums... some reverb, EQ’s and the 4-track.  Astoundingly the percussion cooked up on these two sides come from only pots, pans and box's - yes, even what sounds exactly like an open high hat on "It’s Not What You Know."  The songwriting and vocal performance are no less remarkable. Bobby Nunn and Eugene Coplin penned the two songs featured on this 45. "It’s Not What You Know" deals with the frustration - asks and answers the question. Q: "did you you ever wonder why/ the boss's son don't have to try as hard as you?" A: "it’s not what you know, it’s who you know... stop jitterbuggin' start elbow rubbin' and things are going to get better."

In "Lonely Nights," listeners familiar with the group's LP If This World Where Mine will hear an extension of a familiar theme. The song originated with the late Bobby Fonville, a fellow Buffalonian songwriter and close friend of William Nunn Sr. Fonville would often come by the Nunn house to brainstorm. On one such visit he sat on the couch and played a melody on his guitar, Nunn and Coplin were feeling the vamp and added their bread and butter to it, "Lonely Nights" was the result.