The Emitt Rhodes Recordings (1969 - 1973)

Skip straight to “Somebody Made For Me” to understand why many refer to Emitt Rhodes as Hawthorne, CA’s own Paul McCartney. Though his music never garnered Sir Paul’s fame and wealth, Rhodes’ songs were just as good. “Mother Earth” from The American Dream opens with a whimsical, baroque-pop vestige from Rhodes’ former band the Merry-Go-Round. “Someone Died” and “The Man He Wants” are two more standouts from the same album, this time illustrating the man’s gift for spinning gold from the melancholy. The pedaling pop of “With My Face On the Floor” from his second solo album gave McCartney fans a glimpse of what life may have sounded like without Linda, while “Golden Child Of God” from 1971’s Mirror almost mirrors Paul and Linda’s Ram. “Warm Self Sacrifice” from 1973’s Welcome To Paradise finds Rhodes rocking out with a jaunty Nilsson vibe while the previously unreleased “Tame the Lion” is a wonderful unearthed gem. What’s more impressive than the quality of these songs is that Rhodes played every instrument sang every track and produced every one of these recordings in his home studio.