Looking Glass
This New Jersey, USA-based quartet was led by vocalist/guitarist Elliot Lurie (b. 19 August 1948, Brooklyn, New York, USA) with backing from Larry Gonsky (keyboards), Pieter Swerval (bass) and Jeffrey Grob (drums). Initially as a mid-heavy rock band, they played the east coast bar circuit for many months before refining their act for record company consumption. An audition for CBS Records' president Clive Davis proved successful and in 1972 the group recorded Lurie's melodic Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) for the CBS subsidiary, Epic. Within a few weeks it had topped the US charts, but the group was unprepared for what was to follow. Bracketed as a soft rock act, their live act was confusingly guitar heavy and drew only lukewarm support. They continued to adopt a lighter approach on record, but their follow-up Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne proved only a minor hit. Bereft of ideas, the group split and Lurie went on to pursue an unsuccessful solo career.