Nazz

I Nazz sono stati un gruppo musicale garage rock psichedelico statunitense originario di Philadelphia attivo tra il 1967 ed il 1970 e ricostituitosi nel 2006 sotto la guida di Robert antoni.
Il nucleo originario era composto da Todd Rundgren (chitarra) e Carson Van Osten (basso), a cui si aggiunsero Thom Mooney (batteria), e Robert Antoni (voce e tastiere) poco prima del loro primo concerto ufficiale in apertura dei Doors nel 1967.
Il nome del gruppo proviene dal brano The Nazz Are Blue presente in Roger the Engineer degli Yardbirds che a sua volte riprende il monologo The Nazz di Lord Buckley rilettura della storia di Gesù di Nazareth.

Storia del gruppo

Il nome del gruppo fu scelto dal manager Michael Freeman come tentativo di emulare il successo del gruppo per teenager The Monkees. Il gruppo firmò per la SGC Records, sussidiaria della Atlantic, con cui pubblicò il primo album, Nazz nell'ottobre 1968. Dopo un iniziale insuccesso del singolo Open My Eyes il DJ della radio WMEX di Boston Ron Robin ascoltò casualmente il lato B del singolo Hello It's Me che in breve tra i maggiori brani ascoltati dell'emittente.
Dopo un breve tour in Inghilterra anche a causa di problemi di visto il gruppo registrò il secondo album Nazz Nazz uscito nel 1969. In origine previsto doppio e con il nome di Fungo Bat è caratterizzato da un maggiore sperimentalismo grazie alle composizioni di Rundgren ispirate alla cantautrice Laura Nyro lontano dallo stile dell'esordio legato ai gruppi della british invasion. Non soddisfatto Rundgren abbandonò il gruppo seguito da Van Osten, poco dopo.
Il gruppo guidato da Steaky, e con nuovi elementi, partì per un breve tour nel 1970. Nel 1971 uscì il terzo album Nazz III senza l'apporvazione del gruppo e dove le parti vocali di Rundgren furono sostituite da quelle di Steaky. Il gruppo si sciolse definitivamente, Steaky e Mooney suonarono con i Fuse mentre Rundgren divenne un affermato cantante e produttore. Nel suo capolavoro Something/Anything? del 1972 inserì la canzone Hello It's Me, che Rundgren aveva scritto anni prima, primo singolo del gruppo e che divenne nella nuova versione un singolo di successo.
Nel 2006 il gruppo si riunì sotto la guida di Steaky.

Discografia

Album

1968 - Nazz (SGC Records)
1969 - Nazz Nazz (SGC Records)
1971 - Nazz III (SGC Records)

Raccolte

1984 - Best of Nazz (Rhino)
1998 - Thirteenth and Pine
2002 - Open Our Eyes: The Anthology (Sanctuary)
2006 - Nazz Nazz - Including Nazz III - The Fungo Bat Sessions (Castle)

The Nazz

The Nazz was an American rock band formed in Philadelphia in 1967 by guitarist Todd Rundgren and bassist Carson Van Osten. Rundgren wrote virtually all of the group's original material. Drummer Thom Mooney and vocalist/keyboardist Robert "Stewkey" Antoni joined before their first concert, opening for the Doors in 1967. They are best known for their debut single "Open My Eyes" backed with "Hello It's Me".
Their name was derived from the Yardbirds' song "The Nazz Are Blue". Although the use of a definite article was intended, the band was credited simply as "Nazz" on their records. Between 1968 and 1970, the Nazz released three albums (Nazz, Nazz Nazz, and Nazz III). Following the group's disbandment in 1969, Rundgren pursued a solo career, and in 1972, recorded a new version of "Hello It's Me" that reached number 5 on U.S. charts.

1967–1970

Nazz and "Open My Eyes"

Nazz was marketed by their original manager, Michael Friedman, as a teenybopper band along the lines of the Monkees. The group signed with SGC Records, releasing Nazz in October 1968. The album was not commercially successful and neither was the first single, "Open My Eyes" of which the flip side was "Hello It's Me" (#41 Canada). "Open My Eyes" was the side SGC Records was promoting, but in Boston WMEX Music Director and DJ Ron Robin accidentally played the flip side. He was impressed and added it to the station's playlist. Reaction was strong and "Hello It's Me" became a number one hit at WMEX in 1968. Several weeks later it was on the playlist of Boston's other Top 40 radio station WRKO and eventually at other stations across the country. SGC Records presented Ron Robin with a Silver Record which reads "WMEX, Where it All Began. Thanks!".
Nazz gained exposure in Philadelphia in the summer of 1969 and into the fall of 1969 thru the winter of 1970 when "Hello It's Me" then "Open My Eyes" became frequently played on WMMR 93.3 in Philadelphia driven by DJ Michael Tearson. The group gained wider recognition thanks to the inclusion of "Open My Eyes" on Nuggets (1972), an anthology of American 1960s garage punk and psychedelia compiled by musician Lenny Kaye.
The music video is directed by horror and thriller movie director Ray Dennis Steckler and released in 1968.

Nazz Nazz and Nazz III

After a brief trip to England in October 1968, cut short by visa problems, Nazz recorded their second album, originally entitled Fungo Bat, in Los Angeles in late 1968 and early 1969. (A fungo bat is a special baseball bat used only for practice; it is not intended to hit pitched balls.) The album was originally intended as a double album but was shortened to a single LP before being released as Nazz Nazz in May 1969. Much of what was cut was experimental, piano-based Rundgren material, heavily influenced by singer/songwriter Laura Nyro - a far cry from the group's original Beatles-Who-Yardbirds-Cream derived sound. Disillusioned, Rundgren departed the group, along with Van Osten, soon after. Carson went on to a distinguished career at Disney, living in Southern California with his family.
The Move—one of Nazz's main influences—played "Open My Eyes" during live sets in 1969, as documented on the version recorded at the Fillmore Auditorium included on 2008's The Move Anthology. The band continued to tour during the rest of 1969, recruiting Craig Bolyn (guitar) and Greg Sempler (bass). Mooney departed at the end of the year, but Stewkey continued to tour in 1970 using the Nazz name. In 1971, without the full band's knowledge or consent SGC released Nazz III, in which most of Rundgren's vocals from the old 'Fungo Bat' tapes were replaced by Stewkey.

Post-Nazz careers

Rundgren went on to have a successful career as a solo artist and with the band Utopia. Rundgren's biggest solo hit was an up-tempo version of "Hello It's Me", from his 1972 Something/Anything? album, which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 22 December 1973.^{[citation needed]}
Stewkey and Mooney later reconnected and played with Fuse for a brief period using two monikers, Fuse or Nazz, depending on where they were gigging. Mooney would leave again, and Fuse evolved into "Sick Man of Europe", and later (without Stewkey) Cheap Trick. Mooney eventually played with a variety of groups including Rita Coolidge's band, where he served as drummer and musical director, Roger McGuinn, John Hiatt, Curtis Brothers, Tattoo, and Paris.
The three Nazz LPs were reissued by Rhino Records on LP in 1983 and subsequently on CD with bonus demo and outtake tracks. In 2009, Spectra Records released three albums by Nazz. They were Nazz vs. Toddzila, 13th and Pine, (compilation) and Hello It's Crazy Me. In 2011, The Bangles recorded "Open My Eyes" on their album, Sweetheart of the Sun.

Name

The group's name on all records and press materials is simply "Nazz" (without the definite article). However, the group is commonly referred to as "the Nazz". Rundgren stated that "We were formed in the late sixties, so most every band was the something. It was always 'the This' or 'the That,' so we were looking for some the thing to be something kind of simple and iconographic, I guess." In the song "Loosen Up", belatedly released on Nazz III, they introduce themselves as "Hi everybody, we're the Nazz, from Philadelphia."
Nazz took its name from the Yardbirds' song "The Nazz Are Blue" on their 1966 album Roger the Engineer.^{[citation needed]} In 1952, the American comedian Lord Buckley recorded a popular monologue, "The Nazz", which is a re-telling of the story of Jesus of Nazareth. Rundgren stated in an interview that the group was not aware of Lord Buckley's monologue.^{[citation needed]}
In Phoenix, Arizona, another band called Nazz was formed at about the same time that Nazz was formed in Philadelphia. This group released only one single before moving to Los Angeles and renaming themselves Alice Cooper.

In popular culture

Nazz with Todd Rundgren is heard on the soundtrack of The Mad Room, a 1969 horror movie directed by Norman Maurer.

The character Nazz from "Ed, Edd, n Eddy" is named after the band Nazz.^{[citation needed]}

Members

Todd Rundgren - lead guitar
Carson Van Osten - bass guitar
Thom Mooney - drums
Robert "Stewkey" Antoni - vocals, keyboards^[

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Information
1968	Nazz Released: October 1968 Label: SGC Records - SD 5001 Reissued by Rhino - 1983 (LP/Cassette) & 1988 (CD)
1969	Nazz Nazz Released: May 1969 Label: SGC Records - SD 5002 Reissued by Rhino - 1983 (LP/Cassette) & 1988 (CD)
1971	Nazz III Released: July 11, 1971 Label: SGC Records - SD 5004 Reissued by Rhino - 1983 (LP/Cassette) & 1988 (CD)

Compilation albums

Year	Information
1984	Best of Nazz Label: Rhino - RNLP/RNC 116 - 1984 (LP/Cassette) / R1-70116 1989 (CD)
1998	Thirteenth and Pine Label: Distortion Records
2002	Open Our Eyes: The Anthology Label: Sanctuary Records
2006	Nazz Nazz - Including Nazz III - The Fungo Bat Sessions Label: Castle Music Contains both Nazz Nazz and Nazz III albums on 2 CDs and many unreleased tracks

Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions		Album
Year	Title	US Billboard Hot 100	CA RPM Charts	Album
1968	"Open My Eyes"	112	–	Nazz
1969	"Hello It's Me"	66	39	Nazz
	"Not Wrong Long"	–	90	Nazz Nazz
	"Some People"	–	–	Nazz III