> I dont know why Power Pop fans downrate this band. Excellent
> songwriting, air-tight musicanship and staying away from most late 60's-early
> 70's rock cliches (long solos and art-rock pretensions). Very underated group.

I agree...
A couple of years ago I discovered those early Bread
albums and soon after tried to get the folks over on the 
Shindig e-list to listen to the non-hit Bread tracks, i.e. 
those written by the band's *other* songwriter, James 
Griffin.

Griffin (and bandmate Robb Royer) had recorded as 
the Pleasure Faire, by the way, who were produced by
Gates...before that, Griffin had been on Reprise as a 
solo artist, and recorded one album, 'Summer Holiday'. 
Griffin, Royer and Gates decided to form a trio, and so 
Pleasure Faire evolved into Bread....then they were 
signed to Elektra.

Griffin never got the same opportunity to showcase his 
talent becase Elektra kept going with Gate's "softer" 
songs...he proved to be the main songwriter within the
group because he wrote several hits in a row that were
pulled off the album as singles, including "If," "Everything 
I Own," "I Found Her Diary" etc.Griffin eventually left 
Bread because of this, and not long after, Gates went 
on a solo trip.....You can read about on All Music....

> My only gripe is David Gates found a great formula for ballads but his
> post-Bread solo material worked that formula to a dull finish. BTW I just
> included "Down On My Knees" on my new all-70's SOTT CD.

You can hear just how different Bread's "other" songs 
were by digging just a little bit deeper and listening to 
Griffin's non-45 LP tracks (not the hits played on AM
radio). You might be surprised!!...Sometimes I hear the
occasional California country rock/Laurel Canyon psych-
pop thing going on...There are a few songs with a boogie 
rock feel, cowbell and chugga-chugga guitars, that sort of 
thing...Bread even "rock out" now and then....not hard,
but it's still more "rock" than you might expect from them.

There was a "slight" country-psych feel to these Griffin LP 
tracks...'On The Waters' (circa 1970) featured songs like
"Why Do You Keep Me Waiting," "Blue Satin Pillow," 
and "I Am That I Am"; 'Manna' (circa 1971)...featured 
"Let Your Love Go," "Take Comfort," "Too Much Love,"
"Be Kind To Me", and 1972's 'Baby I'm A Want You' 
featured ""Down On My Knees," and "Nobody Like You."

Check out these songs if you want another slice of Bread.

Bryan