The Left Banke -

The Left Banke was an American chamber-pop band from NYC that released the 1967 album Walk Away Renée / Pretty Ballerina on Mercury-subsidiary Smash Records, scoring hits with the two title-tracks. Amid some lineup turmoil, they scored a further hit with “Desiree” and completed the 1968 album The Left Banke Too. Between 1969 and 1976, keyboardist/songwriter Michael Brown reemerged at sporadic intervals in the bands Montage, Stories, and The Beckies.

Members: George Cameron (guitar, drums, vocals), Tom Finn (bass, vocals, 1965–69, 1971-72, 1978), Steve Martin (lead vocals, guitar, 1965-69, 1971-72, 1978), Michael Brown (keyboards, vocals, 1965-67, 1969, 1971-72, 1978), Warren David-Schierhorst (drums, 1965), Jeff Winfield (guitar, vocals, 1965-67), Richard Brand (guitar, vocals, 1967), Tom Feher (keyboards, vocals, 1968-69)

Background

The Left Banke was formed in 1965 when keyboardist Michael Brown teamed with singer George Cameron, bassist Tom Finn, and drummer Warren David-Schierhorst. Brown was the son of jazz violinist Harry Lookofsky — a veteran of numerous sessions on Atlantic (Milt Jackson, Leo Wright), Impulse! (Jackie Paris, Freddie Hubbard), and Verve (Gil Evans, Sarah Vaughan) — who acted as the band’s manager.

Lookofsky ran World United Studio at 48th and Broadway in Manhattan, where sessions commenced for the first Left Banke album in late 1965. Shortly into the proceedings, Finn met Steve Martin Caro, a Spanish-born aspiring singer whose mother was the famed 1950s flamenco guitarist Sarita Heredia. Informed of the need for vocalists at World United, Martin came down to the studio, where Lookofsky made him the band’s singer. Cameron moved to drums, replacing the fired David-Schierhorst.

“Walk Away Renee”

In July 1966, The Left Banke debuted with “Walk Away Renee” (b/w “I Haven’t Got the Nerve”), released on Smash, a subsidiary of Mercury Records. Brown co-composed the a-side with outside writers Tony Sansone and Bob Calilli.

With its sweet string arrangement and melancholy lyrics about letting love go, the ballad soared to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Cashbox Top 100. Its subject was Finn’s then-girlfriend, Renée Fladen, the object of Brown’s affection. Cameron and Martin wrote the b-side, a skittery, uptempo number dominated by Brown’s harpsichord.

“Pretty Ballerina”

The Left Banke’s second single, “Pretty Ballerina” (b/w “Lazy Day”), followed its predecessor into the US Top 20 (Billboard No. 15, Cashbox No. 12). Brown wrote the a-side, a plaintive mid-tempo ballad with airy vocals and a light, circular piano motif. It was his second number inspired by Fladen. The frenetic b-side, marked with searing fuzz-tone and exuberant harmonies, is a Brown/Martin co-write.

Walk Away Renée / Pretty Ballerina

The Left Banke released their debut album, Walk Away Renée / Pretty Ballerina, in February 1967 on Smash.

The album contains their four prior singles sides and seven additional numbers: three written by Brown/Feher (“Barterers and Their Wives,” “Evening Gown,” “What Do You Know”), two by Brown/Martin (“She May Call You Up Tonight,” “Shadows Breaking Over My Head”), and two credited to Brown/Martin/Cameron (“I’ve Got Something on My Mind,” “Let Go of You Girl”).

Walk Away opens with “Pretty Ballerina,” a waltz-like lament shaped by stately strings and Martin’s airy tenor. “She May Call You Up Tonight” and “I’ve Got Something on My Mind” build momentum with sharp rhythmic pivots and grouped vocal layers. “Barterers and Their Wives,” “Shadows Breaking Over My Head,” and “Let Go of You Girl” continue the baroque arc with rotating instrument tones: harpsichord, violin, and clavinet. “Evening Gown” shifts into brisker terrain with its sped-up tempo and garage vocal attack. “What Do You Know” introduces early country rock phrasing, though Brown’s delivery contrasts awkwardly with the idiom. “I Haven’t Got the Nerve” pares their orchestral palette into clipped, near-funky accents, while “Lazy Day” channels minor-key psych through electric textures and fuzzy propulsion.

A1. “Pretty Ballerina” (2:32) – Strings and harpsichord hover under a slow 3/4 pattern; Martin’s restrained vocal centers the tension
A2. “She May Call You Up Tonight” (2:18) – Fast, churning rhythm offset by feathery backing vocals and circular guitar
A3. “Barterers and Their Wives” (2:56) – Slow-burning; strings reinforce the solemn tone
A4. “I’ve Got Something on My Mind” (2:46) – Alternates clipped vocal phrasing with a solo string bridge and brittle harpsichord
A5. “Let Go of You Girl” (2:53) – Early Byrds-like structure filtered through piano-led baroque flourishes
A6. “Evening Gown” (1:46) – Quickened tempo and fuzzed keys clash with an overly raw vocal

B1. “Walk Away Renée” (2:40) – Slow-paced; string phrases stretch over each verse with emotive, shaded delivery
B2. “What Do You Know” (2:57) – Stripped-down instrumentation in an early country-rock format with conversational cadence
B3. “Shadows Breaking Over My Head” (2:34) – Mid-tempo chamber ballad with oboe filigree and layered vocals
B4. “I Haven’t Got the Nerve” (2:13) – Snappy, rhythmic interplay and co-lead vocal create contrast
B5. “Lazy Day” (2:24) – Minor-key progression undergirds distorted guitar; merges piano-rock with psych

Sessions spanned the prior thirteen months with Lookofsky at World United and Mercury Studios. In addition to the band, the album features multiple session players, including drummer Buddy Saltzman (Four Seasons) and guitarists Al Gorgoni (Herbie Mann, Carole Bayer Sager) and Hugh McCracken (Laura Nyro, Eugene McDaniels, Roberta Flack, Hall & Oates). Two guitarists, Jeff Winfield and Rick Brand, served successively as Left Banke members during the lengthy recording process.

Alternate Lineup

After their painstaking round of January 1967 sessions, the band went on hold. To promote the album on tour, Brown assembled a proxy Left Banke with singer Bert Sommer, guitarist Michael McKean, and returning drummer David-Schierhorst.

Brown and Sommer wrote a new number, the jaunty piano-thumper “And Suddenly,” which they recorded with session musicians. Released on the back of the Brown/Feher composition “Ivy, Ivy” as the third Left Banke single, it prompted legal action from the official band, which urged fans to boycott the record.

After that debacle, Sommer launched a solo career. McKean later surfaced as a comedic actor (Laverne & Shirley, Dream On) and achieved rock fame with the 1984 mockumentary Spinal Tap. (A cover of “And Suddenly” by D.C. popsters the Cherry People, featuring a pre-Angel Punky Meadows, charted in 1968).

“Desirée”

In June 1967, Brown and the Left Banke proper reconvened for the single “Desirée,” a Brown/Feher number with swelling strings and fold-out sequences. With its muted yet eager verses, ballooning chorus and striking cellos, the song helped spearhead the chamber-pop style. In 1976, Jersey art-rockers Fireballet recreated the song on their second album, Two, Too….

Soon after that single’s release, Brown quit the band.

The Left Banke Too

The Left Banke released their second album, The Left Banke Too, in November 1968 on Smash.

It collects five singles recorded across the preceding year and shifts from the tight chamber pop of their debut to a looser mix of sunshine pop, psych, and narrative rock. Though recorded in fragments with revolving players, it retains the group’s vocal signature and thematic melancholy.

The album was primarily written by Tom Feher, George Cameron, and Tom Finn, with Michael Brown contributing only to “Desirée” and “In the Morning Light.” Feher, who had co-written material on their debut, assumes a central compositional role here. “Give the Man a Hand” comes from Marvin Potocki, with arrangements and instrumental backing from a rotating group of New York session players.

The more ornate tracks—“Desirée,” “Dark Is the Bark,” and “In the Morning Light”—employ layered orchestration, string and horn clusters, and minor-key tonal shifts. “Sing Little Bird Sing” and “There’s Gonna Be a Storm” pivot toward mid-tempo theatrical pop with vocal crescendos and wide harmonic spread. “Bryant Hotel” and “My Friend Today” dwell in autobiographical detail and shadowed pacing, while “Nice to See You” and “Goodbye Holly” bring lighter rhythmic pacing with traded vocals and brief instrumental breaks.

A1. “Goodbye Holly” (2:42) – Drummer George Cameron sings lead while vocalist Steve Martin plays drums; bright pacing with a buoyant rhythm
A2. “There’s Gonna Be a Storm” (4:03) – Dense orchestration and minor-key shifts echo the mood of Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles
A3. “Sing Little Bird Sing” (3:04) – Feher’s folk ode built on clean-string backing and graceful vocals from Martin
A4. “Nice to See You” (2:39) – Tom Finn’s upbeat number with tambourine accents and clustered harmonies
A5. “Give the Man a Hand” (2:31) – Vocals ride a major-key piano and bassline; traces of theatrical mid-’60s pop

B1. “Bryant Hotel” (3:22) – Comic-tragic narrative about the group’s NYC residence, sung by Cameron in a stylized nasal tone
B2. “Desirée” (2:39) – One of two Brown-Feher compositions; cuts between tense, striking cellos and ballooning choruses
B3. “Dark is the Bark” (3:27) – Somber topic underscored by horns, woodwinds, and low-end rhythmic weight
B4. “In the Morning Light” (2:47) – Features a sharp piano solo and orchestral backing, structured with gradual tonal descent
B5. “My Friend Today” (3:03) – Finn’s autobiographical portrait with downcast tone and syncopated pacing

Sessions occurred at Capitol and Olmstead Studios in New York between September 1967 and October 1968 with production by Paul Leka, Michael Brown, Arthur Schroeck, and Gene Radice. Contributors included Hugh McCracken, Steve Tallarico (later Steven Tyler), Artie Schroek, and multiple session players across brass, woodwinds, and strings.

The album produced five singles: “Desirée” b/w “I’ve Got Something on My Mind” (June 1967), “Dark Is the Bark” b/w “My Friend Today” (June 1968), “Goodbye Holly” b/w “Sing Little Bird Sing” (November 1968), “Bryant Hotel” b/w “Give the Man a Hand” (February 1969), and “Nice to See You” b/w “There’s Gonna Be a Storm” (May 1969).

Postlude

The Left Banke ceased live activity in late 1969, briefly continuing without Michael Brown before dissolving under commercial and financial strain. Brown and Steve Martin reunited that same year for a final single on Smash: “Myrah” backed with “Pedestal.” A short-lived 1971 reunion—Brown, Martin, George Cameron, and Tom Finn—yielded two soundtrack songs for the film Hot Parts, issued as a Steve Martin solo single despite full group participation.

Further reunions followed in the 1970s. In 1972, Brown, Cameron, Finn, and original violinist Harry Lookofsky contributed to unreleased sessions produced by Les Fradkin for Bell Records, including the Fradkin-penned “I Could Make It Last Forever,” later released on his 2006 solo disc Goin’ Back. In 1978, Martin, Cameron, and Finn recorded an album’s worth of new material, including the modestly received single “Queen of Paradise.” The full sessions were eventually released in 1986 by Relix under the title Strangers on a Train.

Outside the group, Brown remained active. He co-wrote and played on the 1969 album by Montage—a studio project that re-recorded “Desiree”—then formed Stories with vocalist Ian Lloyd. They infused the Left Banke style with art-rock on the 1972–73 albums Stories and About Us. After Lloyd’s departure, Stories scored a No. 1 hit with “Brother Louie.” Brown next surfaced with The Beckies, who issued one self-titled album.

In 1992, Mercury compiled the Left Banke’s core ‘60s material on There’s Gonna Be a Storm, omitting only the 1969 outtake “Foggy Waterfall.”

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