There are so many artists and bands whose names define the ’60s and ’70s in terms of what you heard on the radio. Surprisingly, many of them still have not found their way onto the pages of this site—including today’s subject, the three-lead-vocalist attack of Three Dog Night.
Just saying their name should cause a flood of memories in the minds of anyone over the age of 50. “Easy To Be Hard.” “Celebrate.” “Joy To The World.” And, of course, “One”—their first big hit that was culled from their 1968 self-titled release (which would later be re-named to the hit song).
Yet listening to this particular album, one is struck by the feeling of déjà vu—like the song we are listening to is the same one we just heard, only written by a different artist. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s also nothing that would make someone sit up and say these guys were going to be superstars in their day.
This was a band blessed with three powerful vocalists—Chuck Negron, Danny Hutton and Cory Wells. However, while it is Wells who serves as lead vocalist for eight of the disc’s 11 songs, more often than not it’s Negron’s voice that seems to cut through the backing instrumentation the loudest. And, while Negron sometimes would be seen as the face of Three Dog Night, it does the other two members a disservice.
After all, it's Wells’s vocals that try to mimic Otis Redding’s on the disc’s closer “Try A Little Tenderness” (even if this version isn’t nearly as funky as Redding’s). Hutton’s sole lead on a cover of Neil Young’s “The Loner” isn’t bad, but also isn’t quite as strong. Even the hit single, which Negron begged the label to release, is not Three Dog Night’s best work. One could even argue that leading the album off with this song leaves the remainder of the album at a disadvantage; for those who only know that song, they might expect the remainder of the disc to crackle in the same way. Alas, this is not the case.
If anything, the tracks tend to flow into each other, with precious little to distinguish one from another. From their cover of Robbie Robertson’s “Chest Fever” to their take on Lennon and McCartney’s “It’s For You”—surprisingly the strongest effort here, also the shortest—it’s hard to find anything that makes the listener sit up and declare Three Dog Night to be the second coming.
The thing is, Three Dog Night is not a bad album... but it’s also not a good one. It simply seems to be the initial calling card for the group (who just happen to have a solid musical accompaniment behind them) with the promise of better things to come. Whether they would deliver on that or not... well, that’s to be determined. They certainly would not hurt for action on the singles charts during their heyday. But to call this one required listening is a stretch; if anything, it’s worth checking out just to hear the birth cries of the band. Just don’t expect lots of fireworks.