Minnesota Flats
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I stumbled across Fanny's eponymous first album for 50¢ in a cut-out bin back about 1972 and was thoroughly impressed. I agree that they should have "hit it bigger".
One explanation I've heard as to why they didn't has to do with the band's name. They were first called "The Svelts", then "Wild Honey" and then, after they were signed by Warner/Reprise, changed the band's name to "Fanny" (after somebody's grandmother). They evidently hit some marketing speed bumps in England because, over there, the word "fanny" refers to the anterior, rather than the posterior part of the female pelvic anatomy. I guess some radio stations balked at giving their singles air time on account of that, so "exposure" (irony intended) lagged short of what it might've otherwise been.
In addition, the record company was at a loss as to how to market them: were they a rock band? A novelty act? What? They were probably the first all-female rock band who did their own instrumental backing to cut an entire album. Even some of the people who booked them expected them to show up with an all-male backing band.
People sometimes forget how very different those times were in this respect. June, the guitar player, has commented that she had to be very careful about who she asked and where she asked them when seeking playing tips from male guitarists, lest her inquisitiveness be mistaken for groupie flirtation. Over all, she says most other musicians showed proper respect and were very generous about sharing information.
One explanation I've heard as to why they didn't has to do with the band's name. They were first called "The Svelts", then "Wild Honey" and then, after they were signed by Warner/Reprise, changed the band's name to "Fanny" (after somebody's grandmother). They evidently hit some marketing speed bumps in England because, over there, the word "fanny" refers to the anterior, rather than the posterior part of the female pelvic anatomy. I guess some radio stations balked at giving their singles air time on account of that, so "exposure" (irony intended) lagged short of what it might've otherwise been.
In addition, the record company was at a loss as to how to market them: were they a rock band? A novelty act? What? They were probably the first all-female rock band who did their own instrumental backing to cut an entire album. Even some of the people who booked them expected them to show up with an all-male backing band.
People sometimes forget how very different those times were in this respect. June, the guitar player, has commented that she had to be very careful about who she asked and where she asked them when seeking playing tips from male guitarists, lest her inquisitiveness be mistaken for groupie flirtation. Over all, she says most other musicians showed proper respect and were very generous about sharing information.
