Emitt Rhodes stopped making albums in 1973. From his teenage start in The Merry Go Round (“Live,” covered by The Bangles and “Time Will Show The Wiser,” recorded by Fairport Convention) to his acclaimed solo career, Rhodes was destined for greatness. Sadly, in a storied battle of the record business, that run stopped. While he periodically appeared on other musicians’ records, Emitt Rhodes’ fourth true solo album never appeared.
After being re-introduced via the inclusion of his track “Lullaby” in 2001’s The Royal Tennebaums, old fans rejoiced and new ones were born. Over a decade later, producer Chris Price approached Emitt about working on another record. He contacted friends including Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Jason Falkner (former Jellyfish and current Beck bandmates), Fernando Perdomo, Taylor Locke (Rooney) and New Pornographers’ drummer Joe Seiders, and they all entered Emitt’s home studio (where his classics were made), and emerged with the record the world has been waiting decades for—Rainbow Ends.
In addition to Emitt’s all-star band, Rainbow Ends contains contributions from Aimee Mann, Susanna Hoffs, Jon Brion, Bleu, Nels Cline and Pat Sansone from Wilco, as well as members of Brian Wilson’s band, and more.
While Rainbow Ends sounds like it could have been released in the late 1970s, it feels as timeless as his catalog. Pure, lush, pop goodness. And, totally current.
