Tom Rapp - Familiar Songs - 1972

This "compilation" album consisted of demos for a proposed retrospective album and has some different versions of some of Rapp's greatest songs. The album was released by Reprise without Tom Rapps approval. It's Tom Rapps least favorite album, and mine.Note that the album is fully credited to Tom Rapp.

The name Pearls Before Swine is completely missing from the album.
The Players: Tom Rapp: Vocals, Guitar Elisabeth: Vocals Jon Tooker: Guitar Gordon Hayes, Morrie E. Brown, Gerry Jermott: Bass Michael Krawitz, Bob Dorough: Piano Robbie Merkin: Piano, Organ Billy Mundi, Grady Tate, Herb Lovell: Drums Stu Scharf, Amos Garrett: Electric Guitar

Biography

The mastermind behind psychedelic folk band Pearls Before Swine, singer, composer and cult icon Tom Rapp was born in Bottineau, ND in 1947; after writing his first song at age six, he later began performing at local talent shows, and as a teen bested a young Bob Dylan at one such event. Upon relocating to Melbourne, FL, Rapp formed Pearls Before Swine in 1965, recording a demo which he then sent to the ESP-Disk label; the company quickly signed the group, and they soon travelled to New York to record their superb 1967 debut One Nation Underground, which went on to sell some 250,000 copies.The explicitly anti-war Balaklava, widely regarded as Pearls Before Swine's finest work, followed in 1968; the group -- by this time essentially comprising Rapp and whoever else was in the studio at the moment -- moved to Reprise for 1969's

These Things Too, mounting their first-ever tour in the wake of releasing The Use of Ashes a year later. Two more albums, City of Gold and Beautiful Lies You Could Live In, followed in 1971; moving to Blue Thumb, Rapp resurfaced as a solo artist with 1972's Stardancer, but upon the release of Sunforest a year later he retired from music, subsequently becoming a civil rights attorney. Frequently cited as a key influence by the likes of Damon & Naomi, the Bevis Frond and the Japanese psych band Ghost, Rapp made an unexpected return to live performance in mid-1998 when he appeared at the Terrastock festival in Providence, RI, joining son Dave and his indie-pop band Shy Camp; he soon began work on the 1999 release A Journal of the Plague Year, his first new LP in over two decades.

Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Tom Rapp

Tom Rapp furious.com

Pearls Before Swine

Tom Rapp & Pearls Before Swine

A tribute to Tom Rapp and his band 

washington post

Grace Street. (Rapp) 3:05 The Jeweler. (Rapp) 3:26 Rocket Man. (Rapp) 3:01 Snow Queen. (Rapp) 3:42 If You Don't Want To I Don't Mind. (Rapp) 3:14 Charly And The Lady. (Rapp) 3:19 Margery. (Rapp) 3:08 Medley:Full Phantom Five & I Shall Not Care. (Rapp) 2:54 There Things Too. (Rapp) 3:37 Sail Away. (Rapp) 3:45

Enjoy!