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| Born in ], Rose first came to prominence as a banjo-toting standup comedian, profiled in ] in 1965. By 1966 he moved to ], working as a comedy sketch writer with ] for a host of television variety shows, ultimately working with some regularity on the ] show. Eventually, Rose moved back to songwriting. ] covered the song "Fill Your Heart", co-written by Rose and ], on his album '']'' (1971). The music was written by Rose and the lyrics were written by Williams. This song was also the ] to ]'s 1968 hit single, "Tiptoe through the Tulips." Bowie played another Rose song, "Buzz the Fuzz," in live performance . Other Rose songs were covered by John Denver and Pat Boone . | Born in ], Rose first came to prominence as a banjo-toting standup comedian, profiled in ] in 1965. By 1966 he moved to ], working as a comedy sketch writer with ] for a host of television variety shows, ultimately working with some regularity on the ] show. Eventually, Rose moved back to songwriting. ] covered the song "Fill Your Heart", co-written by Rose and ], on his album '']'' (1971). The music was written by Rose and the lyrics were written by Williams. This song was also the ] to ]'s 1968 hit single, "Tiptoe through the Tulips." Bowie played another Rose song, "Buzz the Fuzz," in live performance . Other Rose songs were covered by John Denver and Pat Boone . | ||
| Following the release of 1968's ''The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side'', Rose made several memorable appearances on ] '']'' from 1968 to 1970. . He also performed his songs on '']'', '']'' , and ] ''Playboy After Dark'' . He emceed the Atlantic City Pop Festival of 1969 , and the Atlanta Pop Festival of 1970 . | Following the release of 1968's ''The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side'', Rose made several memorable appearances on ] '']'' from 1968 to 1970. . He also performed his songs on '']'', '']'' , and ] ''Playboy After Dark'' . He emceed the Atlantic City Pop Festival of 1969 [http://www.e-r | ||
| 1978's ''Roast Beef'' was |
1978's ''Roast Beef'' was recorded by ex- ] ] in a single take, i.e. all at once, and is atonal at times | ||
| 2005 saw |
2005 saw 2 small ] labels release compilations . In the US, a CD gathered his Tetragrammaton output, and a UK compilation covered Rose's work from 1968 through 1985. | ||
| ==Musical Style== | ==Musical Style== | ||
| Rose's later work is vastly different from his airier, earlier recordings. Early work was piano based ,and lyrics followed in the tradition of ], and Rose returned again and again to Newman for lyrics. Later work includes paino ramblings and the negative use of ] On one of Rose's official websites, ] is targeted , resulting in accusations that Rose practices ] ; It is said that Rose denies the charge. | |||
| Rose's early work consists of unaccompanied piano and vocals as well as more heavily orchestrated numbers. His lyrics have been described as romantic and humorous, while promoting a left-wing ] philosophy . His piano-playing has been described as jaunty, reminiscent of pre-] Broadway ]. | |||
| Rose's work of the past ten years differs from his early recordings. He has introduced spoken word and ] elements into his songs; some recordings experiment with extended song forms and eccentric instrumentation. He makes controversial use of ]s. In his web-based art, Christ and Hitler are referenced often, apparently as icons/personifications of good and evil. Many of his websites, such as , openly deal with race and religion. This has resulted on various online postings criticizing Rose of being ] and ] . It is said that Rose denies the charge. | |||
| ==Discography== | ==Discography== | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ===Officially Released=== | |||
| ===Full Length Releases === | |||
| ⚫ | *''The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side'' (1968, Tetragrammaton) | ||
| ⚫ | *''Biff, Cliff, and Warren'' (1961) | ||
| *'' |
*''Children of Light'' (1969, Tetragrammaton) | ||
| ⚫ | *''The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side'' (1968, Tetragrammaton |
||
| *''Children of Light'' (1969, Tetragrammaton, re-released on Buddah) | |||
| *''Biff Rose'' (1970, Buddah) | *''Biff Rose'' (1970, Buddah) | ||
| *''Half Live at the Bitter End'' (1971, Buddah) | *''Half Live at the Bitter End'' (1971, Buddah) | ||
| Line 32: | Line 28: | ||
| *''Roast Beef'' (1978, Down Pat/Pacific Arts) | *''Roast Beef'' (1978, Down Pat/Pacific Arts) | ||
| *''Thee Messiah Album/Live at Gatsby's'' (1979, Pacific Arts) | *''Thee Messiah Album/Live at Gatsby's'' (1979, Pacific Arts) | ||
| ⚫ | *''Bone Again'' (1996, |
||
| ===Self Released=== | |||
| ⚫ | *''The Elizabethan Period'' (2000, GoddessOne) | ||
| ⚫ | *''Biff, Cliff, and Warren'' (1961 live to tape recording) | ||
| *''E-Stir Parade'' (2003, Wascals) | |||
| *'' |
*''Banjo and Ballyhoo'' (1963, self released home recording, Angry young man recordings) | ||
| ⚫ | *''Bone Again'' (1996, released on cdr byFast Eddy) | ||
| ⚫ | *''The Knight Wigguh and the Nippie Higger'' (2004, |
||
| ⚫ | *''The Elizabethan Period'' (2000, released on cdr by GoddessOne) | ||
| *''E-Stir Parade'' (2003, released on cdr by Wascal's Wecord & Stuff) | |||
| *''Live At The Earl Of Oldtown'' (recorded 1977, released 2003, released on cdr by Wascal's Wecord & Stuff) | |||
| ⚫ | *''The Knight Wigguh and the Nippie Higger'' (2004, released on cdr by Wascal's Wecords & Stuff) | ||
| ===Singles=== | ===Singles=== | ||
| *''What's Gnawing At Me/Molly'' (1968, Tetragrammaton) | *''What's Gnawing At Me/Molly'' (1968, Tetragrammaton) | ||
| *''Buzz the Fuzz/Gentle People'' |
*''Buzz the Fuzz/Gentle People''(1968, Tetragrammaton) | ||
| *''Take Care of My Brother/Myrtle's Pies'' (1969, Tetragrammaton, non-album single) | *''Take Care of My Brother/Myrtle's Pies'' (1969, Tetragrammaton, non-album single) | ||
| *''I Forgot to Tell You/The Captain'' |
*''I Forgot to Tell You/The Captain''(1970, Buddah) | ||
| *''Rudolph'' (1971, United Artists) | *''Rudolph'' (1971, United Artists) | ||
| *''Garbage/Lord I Done Bumped Into You'' (1972, United Artists) | *''Garbage/Lord I Done Bumped Into You'' (1972, United Artists) | ||
| ===Compilations=== | ===Out of Print Compilations=== | ||
| *''Urban (folk) Renewal: Blue Dog Cellar'' (1962, Kimberly) | *''Urban (folk) Renewal: Blue Dog Cellar'' (1962, Kimberly) | ||
| *''Put Your Hand in the Hand'' (mid 1970's, Pickwick) | *''Put Your Hand in the Hand'' (mid 1970's, Pickwick) | ||
| ⚫ | *''The Acoustic Highway Collection: The Road To Country Rock '' (EMI, 1996) | ||
| ===In Print Compilations=== | |||
| ⚫ | *''The Acoustic Highway Collection: The Road To Country Rock '' (EMI, 1996) | ||
| *''The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side/Children of Light'' (2005, Water Records) | *''The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side/Children of Light'' (2005, Water Records) | ||
| *''Fill Your Heart With Biff Rose'' (2005 |
*''Fill Your Heart With Biff Rose'' (2005 RPM Records) | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 04:25, 15 January 2006
Paul "Biff" Rose is an American comedian and singer-songwriter.
Born in New Orleans, Rose first came to prominence as a banjo-toting standup comedian, profiled in Time magazine in 1965. By 1966 he moved to Hollywood, working as a comedy sketch writer with George Carlin for a host of television variety shows, ultimately working with some regularity on the Mort Sahl show. Eventually, Rose moved back to songwriting. David Bowie covered the song "Fill Your Heart", co-written by Rose and Paul Williams, on his album Hunky Dory (1971). The music was written by Rose and the lyrics were written by Williams. This song was also the B-side to Tiny Tim's 1968 hit single, "Tiptoe through the Tulips." Bowie played another Rose song, "Buzz the Fuzz," in live performance . Other Rose songs were covered by John Denver and Pat Boone .
Following the release of 1968's The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side, Rose made several memorable appearances on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show from 1968 to 1970. . He also performed his songs on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, American Bandstand , and Hugh Hefner's Playboy After Dark . He emceed the Atlantic City Pop Festival of 1969 [http://www.e-r
1978's Roast Beef was recorded by ex- Monkee Mike Nesmith in a single take, i.e. all at once, and is atonal at times
2005 saw 2 small indie (music) labels release compilations . In the US, a CD gathered his Tetragrammaton output, and a UK compilation covered Rose's work from 1968 through 1985.
Musical Style
Rose's later work is vastly different from his airier, earlier recordings. Early work was piano based ,and lyrics followed in the tradition of Joseph Newman, and Rose returned again and again to Newman for lyrics. Later work includes paino ramblings and the negative use of Racial Steroetypes On one of Rose's official websites, Judaism is targeted , resulting in accusations that Rose practices antisemitism ; It is said that Rose denies the charge.
Discography
Officially Released
- The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side (1968, Tetragrammaton)
- Children of Light (1969, Tetragrammaton)
- Biff Rose (1970, Buddah)
- Half Live at the Bitter End (1971, Buddah)
- Uncle Jesus, Aunty Christ (1972, United Artists)
- Hamburger Blues (1974, Sweet Jane Limited)
- Roast Beef (1978, Down Pat/Pacific Arts)
- Thee Messiah Album/Live at Gatsby's (1979, Pacific Arts)
Self Released
- Biff, Cliff, and Warren (1961 live to tape recording)
- Banjo and Ballyhoo (1963, self released home recording, Angry young man recordings)
- Bone Again (1996, released on cdr byFast Eddy)
- The Elizabethan Period (2000, released on cdr by GoddessOne)
- E-Stir Parade (2003, released on cdr by Wascal's Wecord & Stuff)
- Live At The Earl Of Oldtown (recorded 1977, released 2003, released on cdr by Wascal's Wecord & Stuff)
- The Knight Wigguh and the Nippie Higger (2004, released on cdr by Wascal's Wecords & Stuff)
Singles
- What's Gnawing At Me/Molly (1968, Tetragrammaton)
- Buzz the Fuzz/Gentle People(1968, Tetragrammaton)
- Take Care of My Brother/Myrtle's Pies (1969, Tetragrammaton, non-album single)
- I Forgot to Tell You/The Captain(1970, Buddah)
- Rudolph (1971, United Artists)
- Garbage/Lord I Done Bumped Into You (1972, United Artists)
Out of Print Compilations
- Urban (folk) Renewal: Blue Dog Cellar (1962, Kimberly)
- Put Your Hand in the Hand (mid 1970's, Pickwick)
In Print Compilations
- The Acoustic Highway Collection: The Road To Country Rock (EMI, 1996)
- The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side/Children of Light (2005, Water Records)
- Fill Your Heart With Biff Rose (2005 RPM Records)
References
- Promotion for the Water Records Compilation includes very detailed bio of Biff Rose by Thom Moore.
- 2005 Interview in Bay Guardian by Kimberly Chun
- Reviews of Biff's albums 1968-1970
- Robert Christgau column, Esquire, Apr. 1969, reviews an early Tonight Show appearance.
- Robert Christgau review of Half Live at the Bitter End comedy album, further commentary on "Tonight Show" appearances, 1971.
- Biff Rose Richie Unterberger's review of 1972 album Uncle Jesus Auntie Christ
- Biff Rose Richie Unterberger's biography on allmusic.com.
- Here and here are references to Bruce Springsteen's Jan-Feb 1973 Max Kansas City shows opening for Biff Rose.
- 2004 Paul Williams liner notes compliment Biff Rose.
Links
- Biff Rose's official website
- Biff Rose's message board Biff Rose's musings.