| Revision as of 21:28, 23 December 2006 view sourceWill Beback (talk | contribs)112,162 editsm Reverted edits by Murrpoh (talk) to last version by Sojambi Pinola← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:52, 28 December 2006 view source Brownisded (talk | contribs)4 editsNo edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| '''Paul "Biff" Rose''' is an ] ] and ]. | '''Paul "Biff" Rose''' is an ] ] and ]. | ||
| Born in ], Rose |
Born in ], Rose moved to ] around 1966, 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 "]," |
] covered the song "]," written by ] with a melody by Rose, on his album '']'' (1971). The song was first recorded by ] as the ] to his 1968 hit single, "Tiptoe through the Tulips." Bowie once 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 |
Following the release of 1968's ''The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side'', Rose appeared on ] '']'' 12 times from 1968 to 1970, eventually being banned from the show. . He once appeared performing his songs on '']'', as well as on '']'' , and ] ''Playboy After Dark'' . He emceed the Atlantic City Pop Festival of 1969 , and the Atlanta Pop Festival of 1970 . | ||
| 1978's ''Roast Beef'' was produced by ] and recorded in a single take. | 1978's ''Roast Beef'' was produced by ] and recorded in a single take, though Nesmith disavows this work. | ||
| 2005 |
In 2005 a US CD re-released his Tetragrammaton albums and singles, and a UK compilation covered Rose's work from 1968 through 1985. | ||
| ==Musical Style== | ==Musical Style== | ||
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
| 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 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 |
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 both praised often. Many of his websites, such as , deal with judaism in a negative fashion. This has resulted on various online postings criticizing Rose of being ] and ] . | ||
| ==Discography== | ==Discography== | ||
| Line 21: | Line 21: | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ===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) | ||
| *''Uncle Jesus, Aunty Christ'' (1972, United Artists) | *''Uncle Jesus, Aunty Christ'' (1972, United Artists) | ||
| *''Hamburger Blues'' (1974, Sweet Jane Limited) | *''Hamburger Blues'' (1974, Sweet Jane Limited) | ||
| *''Roast Beef'' (1978, |
*''Roast Beef'' (1978, Down Pat/Pacific Arts) | ||
| *''Thee Messiah Album/Live at Gatsby's'' (1979, |
*''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'' |
*''Urban (folk) Renewal: Blue Dog Cellar'' (1962, Kimberly) | ||
| *''Put Your Hand in the Hand'' |
*''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 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 20:52, 28 December 2006
Paul "Biff" Rose is an American comedian and singer-songwriter.
Born in New Orleans, Rose moved to Hollywood around 1966, 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," written by Paul Williams with a melody by Rose, on his album Hunky Dory (1971). The song was first recorded by Tiny Tim as the B-side to his 1968 hit single, "Tiptoe through the Tulips." Bowie once 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 appeared on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show 12 times from 1968 to 1970, eventually being banned from the show. . He once appeared performing his songs on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, as well as on American Bandstand , and Hugh Hefner's Playboy After Dark . He emceed the Atlantic City Pop Festival of 1969 , and the Atlanta Pop Festival of 1970 .
1978's Roast Beef was produced by Mike Nesmith and recorded in a single take, though Nesmith disavows this work.
In 2005 a US CD re-released his Tetragrammaton albums and singles, and a UK compilation covered Rose's work from 1968 through 1985.
Musical Style
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 hippie philosophy . His piano-playing has been described as jaunty, reminiscent of pre-World War II Broadway musicals.
Rose's work of the past ten years differs from his early recordings. He has introduced spoken word and rap elements into his songs; some recordings experiment with extended song forms and eccentric instrumentation. He makes controversial use of racial stereotypes. In his web-based art, Christ and Hitler are both praised often. Many of his websites, such as www.Jewmanity.com, deal with judaism in a negative fashion. This has resulted on various online postings criticizing Rose of being antisemitic and racist .
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 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.
External links
- One Biff Rose official website
- Another Biff Rose official website
- Here's another Biff Rose official website
- Biff Rose's message board Biff Rose's musings.