Mr. Osmond, who sang Down by the Lazy River? I loved that song. I thought it was Merrill. (Sp) but can't remember. I had their album called Phase 3. Very cool record
My brother worked security for an Osmond concert in the early to mid 1970s and said the Osmonds were genuinely gracious and respectful of the team it took to put on a show and wanted to meet everyone and personally thank them for their efforts. Immense talent and well-mannered musicians: that's what we need more of!
@@ericosmond.officialEric it hugely influenced my whole musical life. It was the first concert I saw in San Diego when I was 7 in 1972 and it was because of them that I was able to harmonize at 8 years old. At 58,I still love your family.
Wayne, who contributed to some of the song writing, also occasionally sang lead (e.g. Rainin', Rest Your Love, The Last Days) and he has an awesome voice!
I love when people my age find the Osmonds randomly lol I found out who they were when I was 12-13 because I asked my mom who the kids were in the back of the Andy Williams show (which prompted me to Google them bc ...idk I was 12, and I was like omg mom theyre online lmao). My mom didn't really like the Osmonds so I wasn't ever exposed to them before that, but some of their group stuff slaps hard haha. I wish they had explored it more. I found out who they were right before Donny released a new album called "What I meant to say" and it was really good...and then, kid you not, for years I haven't paid attention because I've been living life? lol but things are slow right now because of the transition between pandemic quarantine life into more normal life, and UA-cam bumped me because Donny released a single called "Who" (and is releasing an album). And now I don't know how I made it onto Jay's facebook right before he's posting some sort of update. Idk universe is weird y'all. Hope they come out with a new rock album. That would be the icing on the cake. I'm always down for Merrill and Jay to take lead singing ngl. Their voices are crazy unique
This is what we Osmond fans have been trying to tell people for years. They were so under rated and are much more talented than they were ever given credit for! They each play numerous instruments, dance, sing, act…in addition to writing some awesome songs.
I love hearing you say, "There wasn't a dud on the album". We Osmond fans have taken a lot of guff over the years. But we have known The Osmonds have been amazing for years! It's great seeing the younger people getting turned on to our music!
Their best music was hidden from most of us. In 1970 I was 5. TV and radio were my only exposure to music for the longest time. When I was 13, I was finally able to explore music on my own terms. It was still slow going. I am now at 59 finding so much music that was basically hidden, if you were not from a wealthy family with a healthy record collection. When I was 7, my mom was dating someone who was into music and I dug out BTO Note Fragile. That most likely had a serious impact on my future musical journey. I have been a performer my whole adult life.
This was an OUTSTANDING album by the Osmonds. My favorite by them as a band -- I always thought they were HIGHLY underrated. If nothing else the entire range of their catalog demonstrates their multi-genre talents & abilities!
What do John Bonham, Ozzy Osborne and Paul McCartney all have in common? They are fans of the Osmonds. Led Zeppelin invited the Osmonds to perform on stage with them at Wembley..and they did!
In 1972 the Osmonds were touring the UK and were to appear on a Saturday night in the Royal Albert Hall in London. LZ was to appear in the same venue the night before. The Osmonds decided to go to the Zeppelin concert just to get acquainted with the hall, the acoustics, atmosphere, etc. After the Osmonds arrived and took up their seats, the band members of Led Zeppelin having learned that the Osmonds were there, asked that they come backstage to meet the band. The Osmonds' manager who was not excited that the Osmonds were there in the first place really advised them not to go backstage. Alan said that was nonsense, and of course they would go. When they entered the room during intermission, they didn't know what to expect. Maybe drugs, booze, groupies, etc. But there were Zeppelin and their families just chillin' and throwing a frisbee around. Jimmy Page came over and greeted the Osmonds and expressed how much he enjoyed their music, and then he invited them to come onstage with LZ after intermission. They did, and Alan said it was one of the most memorable moments in his professional career. I didn't write this article.
The Osmonds are one of the most underrated musical families ever. The vocals, musical abilities, and complex musicality of their work are unmistakable. They are still relevant in show business. A few years ago, Donny was introduced to a whole new generation via The Masked Singer because of one thing and one thing only. His amazing voice.
not just his voice! his amazing showmanship as well. dude is a natural born entertainer. and while i'm here, i have a thirteen year old son with musical talent, and i cannot begin to IMAGINE the level of hard work and dedication it took for donny to do all that he did, at the time he did it.
@@AmericanWoman1 Just joining this conversation 3 years later! You have not listened to Donny if you think his voice is not that great. He seriously has one of the best voices in the business.
I stream drumming and take random requests. A follower requested "Crazy Horses" and I thought I was being pranked until I heard it and jumped in. I was blown away, and simply could't wrap my head around the idea that it was the Osmonds. Just added it to my Apple Music collection; I can't believe I'd never heard it before. I'm legitimately impressed.
This is so sick. Ha, I’m really stoked to hear this song now. I just listened to this song by then called “before the beginning” that my dad used to love growing up and ended up here. This is just very cool to hear this broken down.
I grew up LDS so I love the song Before The Beginning. I like how it takes Snow's couplet and turns it into a rock song. We are on The Path/ The Plan to Godhood. " We alone will guide our destiny" and of course " We control infinity". What more?
THIS! Heard it on an ad recently and that re-started me listening to the 5 Osmonds albums I still have from when I was a kid. Where has this guy even been, never heard of Crazy Horses???
You found gold in a sea of mediocre! The Osmonds were always overlooked as stellar musicians and unbelievabley great voices! Yes it was really Jay who posted this! He posted it on a fan group I'm in and let me tell you, the Osmonds have very loyal fans. You will be getting a lot of hits on this. Thank you for taking the time to get to know some of their music and sharing it!
WOW. Thanks for this. It can be pretty lonely being an Osmond Fan and having to deal with the whole 'Donny and Marie' thing. Congratulations for having an open mind and thank you for being 'brave' enough to share this. You have made my year.
The Osmonds have never really received their proper due because of the focus on their first few Rick Hall-produced singles and the Donny Osmond 50s love songs. When the Osmonds took over their own song writing, instrumentals and production, they created some great rock tracks like "My Drum" (Phase 3), "Crazy Horses," "Hold Her Tight" (Crazy Horses), "Traffic in My Mind," "One Way Ticket to Anywhere," (The Plan), "Gotta Get Love" (Brainstorm). Because the Osmonds were so versatile and--unlike most bands--could play in many different genres and weren't afraid to play old or "uncool" songs, they were difficult to categorize. Incompetent writers and critics would just compare them (unfavorably) to the Jackson 5, based only on "One Bad Apple" and "Double Lovin' " and classic radio stations have all but banned the Osmonds from their play lists. Thank goodness for astute listeners like you who can judge the music based on its merits.
Yeah, the comparison is silly. Artists pass on songs all the time and then those songs are offered to other groups. While 12-year-old Michael sang lead on the Jacksons' best known hits, it was 17-year-old Merrill who sang lead on "One Bad Apple" (the song that always gets compared with the Jacksons); besides, a 17-year-old does not sound like a 12-year-old. Anyway, as Osmond fans know, while a young Donny came in on the chorus for a few of those early tracks, it's Merrill's vocals that dominate almost every song the brothers ever recorded. You already mentioned some great Osmond 'rock' songs, but here's a few more: Don't Panic, Down By The Lazy River, Utah, We All Fall Down, Hey Mister Taxi, Goin' Home, Medicine Man, Hold On, Love Ain't An Easy Thing. Oh, but what about all those fantastic ballads: Most of All, Catch Me Baby, Chilly Winds, That's My Girl, Darlin', Let Me In, Love Is, Love Me For A Reason, It's You Babe, And You Love Me, The Proud One, Rest Your Love, etc. - The four original Osmond Brothers began recording songs way back in 1963 ... and all these years later several members of the Osmond family are still recording new material. Hey, have you heard "Break Your Fall?" How many recording artists, besides the Osmonds, have had careers that long ????
Love this! I have always been a big Osmond fan - and I'm a guy! It's always about the talent for me - I am never afraid or embarrassed to call out their level of talent. Yes, Crazy Horses is a GREAT album (also "The Plan") - but let's also not forget their incredible layered harmonies. SO beautiful. The sad thing to all of this, in my opinion, is that so many folks never got the chance to recognize and appreciate the Osmonds...because of the manufactured bubblegum "image" that was hard for them to escape. It's a fickle business and if you really love music, you have to look beyond that. Heck, I'm gay and they are Mormon - and I still look beyond all that in order to find the beauty that lies deep inside genuine talent. I think there's a lesson in there somewhere. :-)
I think what really hurt them was being labeled,”The White Jackson5.” People thought they were just trying to copy another group. I’ve never heard of the Jackson5 opening for Led Zeppelin, but the Osmonds did. 😊
The Osmonds are really excellent musicians. It's so wonderful to see people discovering their talents after all these years. Merrill had such an amazing voice and would have killed it in a rock and roll. The song "Hey Mr. Taxi" is a good example of his amazing voice. Thanks for this video and I hope more people discover what a gem the "Crazy Horses" album is. I'm a new sub to your channel now!
After band practice last night, somebody said we should add an obscure song. I showed them the video for Crazy Horses. The drummer was blown away by how this pre-dates a lot of metal. He’s 59 and never heard it. The bass player was skeptical about if it wasn’t faked. I’m going to push for doing it, and the drummer was up for doing it after 20 seconds of hearing it. Rocking tune.
So glad you’re spreading the word about the Osmond’s musical diversity and talent that we long-time fans have always known about! One of the many reasons why we’re still fans after 50 years! Welcome to the fandom!
Amazing album! Thanks for the reminder. Their first all original, all their own album. Donny always played as a straight member of the band. What most people don't understand is that the band stood on their own with Merrill on lead vocals. Donny was singled out as the teenage girl bait, so he did appear briefly in some of their singles. They pulled him out as a solo artist with his own releases for greater appeal, but the band was always solid as a complete unit and, unlike most other bands of the time, they did play and write their own music after the first 2-3 albums.
I read that their father, seeing the attention Donny was getting, put him in as the lead singer above Merrill right before a show, singing parts that had always been Merrill's. Both Donny and Merrill objected, but Dad overrode them. People think of the Osmonds as Donny's show but it was Merrill's singing that put them on the singles map with the hits Down by the Lazy River, Yo-Yo, and One Bad Apple (Donny sang the high-pitched answers on the chorus). Merrill has a fantastic voice, and IMHO is the better singer of the two.
@@jemogan I think the version you heard is close to how it went down. Merrill and Donny began to share the title of lead singer until Donny went more solo and then was paired with Marie while also still performing with the brothers occasionally. Then Jimmy joined the older brothers, and shared the lead with Merrill. The entire hearing able members of the family are excellent vocalists, but Merrill, Donny and Jimmy are the most gifted vocalists. Everyone of them can play instruments well, including Virl and Tom.
This album *slays*! Someone brought it to my attention last month, and I cannot believe it's not more critically acclaimed/well known. "Crazy Horses" and "Hold Her Tight" are amazing rockers!
I have been a huge Osmond fan since 1970. Crazy Horses is one of the greatest hard rock songs ever! I cant tell you how many times Ive played that song for friends and dared them to guess who it was. No one would EVER guess the Osmonds. LOL As a life long musician Ive always wanted to do that song in a band. lol
As an Osmond fan for over 50 years, I can tell you that today's audiences are missing out. The Osmonds did it all, and before many of the so called "rock" bands that are more famous for rocking. Crazy Horses is still just as good today as it was back in the day!! And Donny is still rocking today, just having released his new album!
In fact, check out Donny’s new music video for his new single, “Who”. You may be a bit surprised by it. And he wrote the song. The day it was released it was #1 on I-Tunes.
Here's hoping! Between this and some comments which mention both Crazy Horses and The Plan on a recent Sea of Tranquility video, I truly hope some new listeners check them out.
My Drum kicks some butt. Also the Osmonds and Ronnie James Dio both put out the song "In the rest of my life" in the same year. IMO the Osmonds sounded better and tougher for a ballad.
i don't like admitting this one bit, but the osmonds can kick ass, then do a ballad, all while doing dance routines. and while doing those things, they won't be cussing and acting like fools. my sister had all their records, crazy horses was very good. even had a message to it that still stands today. a bunch of very nice guys. you won't find picture of them covering one eye.
There's nothing embarrassing at all about "admitting" that "the osmonds can kick ass ...." - HA! Not too many bands that have been in the business for 50+ years, let alone ones that can play as many instruments, while doing a variety of dances ... and singing everything from perfect harmony to pop to country to rock n' roll .... they've done it all.
Yes, their dance routines were fierce! And they didn't come away from them looking winded -- even today you can see videos of Donny keeping up with much younger dancers on songs like "Yo-yo!"
Mike Portnoy is a big fan of the album too and it's on his top 20 albums from 1972 list. He's covered the song (lead vocals & drums) with Neal Morse. Paul Gilbert played the solo. They've also played it live.
Having loved The Osmonds for 50 years of my life and still loving them. It's wonderful to hear your say on the crazyyyy horses album. The Osmonds really never got the music writing, song writing acclaim they deserve. Soooo happy to have and still do love This wonderful family 💜🇬🇧. Thanks for your view 😉
Had to reupload this. YT didn't process the last one at full resolution so I had to delete it and start again. Sadly all your awesome comments went away with it so if you guys could re-comment on this one that'd make my day. Thanks everyone!
Here's what happened. I uploaded it last night. Went home and people were saying it's only in 360p. I hadn't done anything different with this upload so I was confused but thought it would eventually process at a higher resolution. I waited hours but no change. So I contacted YT and the lady was cool but said it might take a day or two to fix the issue. By then I already had like 3000 views so I thought it was better to leave it up and let the problem get solved. Well 10 minutes later everyone was telling me it was saying "Video can't be played on this device." Then MY phone was telling me that. So I just went to bed hoping that meant they were fixing it. Woke up and nope, still not available. So I had to purge the comments and views and just reupload. Now it seems to be working so it was YT's issue. :( Long story. haha.
At last the world is catching up. 🙌🙌 I’ve been an Osmond fan for 51 years. Not only is their music incredible, they are all round performers and genuinely lovely people. Thank you Osmond family for all the forever memories. 🙏😘
Always thought that The Osmonds had more to do with the invention of pop/metal than they're given credit for. Apparently they were big fans of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.
I was 14 when I bought this album. I was (and still am) a huge Osmond Brothers fan. This album was so different from their other albums. My friends and I were blown away by the sound. I'm glad to see some younger people experiencing it and really loving it.
I had the Phase III album and was fortunate enough to see them at the state fair in Milwaukee when I was a kid in 73 or 74’ . It’s very rare that anyone comes out of the closet on these guys but I’ll always be a huge fan. Merrill was my favorite because he had that rockn roll voice that just sounded so cool. I’m sure it was Crazy Horses that got me into them, but if you want to hear more of the rock thing listen to Traffic in My Mind off of the Plan album. Also, I have to credit them for being the ones who introduced me to r&b and Motown because they used to cover all that stuff….
Totally understandable you fell in love with Crazy Horses. Such a fantastic rock album. Inspirational even today, though it was released in 1972. Some of the things going on there were way ahead of their time.
Once the Osmonds went full throttle with the Donny & Marie Show, their music as a band suffered because many simply pushed them aside. Imagine where their music could have gone.
I've stopped this about 3/4 of the way through and I am going over to spotify to listen to this album. I will let you know if it is a waste of time or not. God I can't believe I'm about to listen to an Osmond album at 55 years old
Their fans range in age (it's generational since they've been in the business for more than 55 year), so it really isn't that strange to be 55 - Ha! I think that most of their songs can be found right here on UA-cam. I would recommend not only the "Crazy Horses" album, but also their concept album, "The Plan." Oh, and there are also some videos from live appearances (just plug in the song titles) and a really awesome video that someone literally just posted. The latter is called "We All Fall Down" and it's from the "Crazy Horses" album. You can not only see them rock out (vocals and instruments), but they threw there karate routine into this video. Awesome !!!!
I've loved the Osmonds since I was 6 years old. Jay is singing lead in this song; he's also the drummer (in all of their other songs). Merrill, who sings second is this song, is the lead singer and also plays base guitar. Wayne plays lead guitar and Alan plays rhythm guitar. Donny was on the keyboard. These guys always played their own instruments, wrote most of their own songs, other than the bubblegum stuff, and Merrill is still performing. He just did a tour in the UK, and he's going to have a show in Vegas soon. Donny also has an upcoming Vegas show. Jay wrote and is producing a musical. Marie is also still performing. You're young and just discovering them, and that's cool, but back in the 70's Osmond Mania was a real thing, especially in the UK :-).
Coming from the same background, listening to The Osmonds " The Plan" album, as a young teenager, I thought it was as good as any band in the hard rock genres. Great conceptual album, crunchy riffs, rocking melodies. I'm not a Mormon , nor have I ever bought into any religion, but the album stands on it's own, even without that agenda in the forefront. Merrill's great lead vocals and the band's trajectory were sidelined by the father's decision to focus on the Donny and Marie popularity. If you liked Crazy Horses, you should check out The Plan. Good music.
I love The Plan, perhaps the greatest Mormon psych-rock concept album ever, if not the only one. I've been stumping my music nerd buddies for decades by playing "Traffic In My Mind" and having them try to guess the band. I would also contend that "Let Me In" is their finest piece of balladry, a gorgeous melody, beautiful classic Osmond harmonies and a smart lyric that does a great job of balancing right on that knife's edge of romantic vs devotional love.
Meryl has a great voice he was more or less the lead vocalist of the group. He has a lot of range and was into Zeppelin. Listen to the album The Plan by the Osmonds.....
And at the age of 13, I got to witness the Crazy Horses concert in person, down front and center. It was amazing . Wore my white jumpsuit and purple sued belt and all . The year was 1972. It was amazing and the place went crazy!
I love Crazy Horses, and the lyrics of the title track are about environmental issues so it's way ahead of its time. They said that this was the kind of music they always wanted to play but the label kept insisting on the bubblegum pop.
Their father (their manager) wanted them to stay bubblegum. He really like it when they were on Andy Williams. If they had had a REAL manager they would have been more of a rock band - they were talented!
Actually, environmental issues were a concern in the early 70s--hence, the birth of Earth Day in 1970 and the infamous "weeping Native American" PSA on its first anniversary.
@@erestube You are correct...Old "iron eyes'' indian commercials were the best. I LMFAO every time i saw those people throw trash out of the car window at his feet...HILARIOUS.
Bravo standing ovation to you brother for recognizing Phenomenal phenomenal talent of the Osmond brothers. Please check out the Osmonds PHASE III album. It’s more “groove rock” then Crazy Horses but it’s BAD ASS just the same!
The brother singing is Meryl Osmond and I think he really was always the “lead” singer for the Osmonds whenever a real rocking vocal was needed. Donny sang on a lot of the more pop stuff. I’m 56 yrs old and my parents would only allowed the Osmonds or John Denver be played in the house or on family roadster trips. Then I turned 12, heard Toys in the attic and Zep 2 at my friend Brian’s house, and never looked back!!!
Not knowing any better I got totally into these guys and knew all their names an what instruments they played. When Duane Allman died I misheard it and thought Wayne had died. Then someone set me straight and simultaneously discovered they rarely played their own instruments. I was outraged but it turned me on to the Allman Brothers.
Actually, Donny sang lead on only a small handful of Osmonds songs, and EVERYTHING you're thinking of is Donny's SOLO songs. The reason everyone overlooks the Osmonds, is because they think (for ex.) PUPPY LOVE is an Osmonds song, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Donny recorded 'Go away Little Girl'. The Osmonds we're sitting around listening to records, and when that came on they HATED it. But Donny recorded it. So, moral of the story, DONNY has solo albums, THE OSMONDS, (Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, and Donny) had MERRILL as their lead. Extra fact: Donny didn't even sing on TWO of their albums, CRAZY HORSES, and THE PLAN. Sorry about the capital letters, just kinda fed up with warped view of the Osmonds lol. I kinda consider myself Osmonds protector and straighten out facts all over UA-cam. Hope you have a good day, Sammy.
Jay Osmond sang lead on Crazy Horses, not Merrill. Merrill was usually the lead singer, but not this time. Donny sang more leads as he got more popular, and then also did his own songs and those with Marie.
I worked a show Donny Osmond back in 1989. I never saw so many women lined up before the show in my life. Young and old they were crazy for him. We were told not to speak to him but he was so nice and spoke to everyone. Great memory.
Got to see Tommy a week ago - was blown away by how the dude was handling 67. ZERO problem. Sounded as great (voice and guitar chops) as he did 30 years ago.
Its been over 20 years....give it a rest. Dennis just put out his final album and Styx just released a great new one, too. Plenty of lane for everyone. Tommy Shaw can still bring it.
Wow! I just bought the album on iTunes. How have I never heard of this album before? Amazing. Thanks for the video ... and the introduction to another aspect of the Osmond's.
I discovered the song ‘crazy horses’ about a year ago and was as blown away by it as you, listen to it still, but I must admit I thought it must have been a one off (though a great one). You’ve made me want to hear the whole album, which I will do right now.
Lead singer, Merrill Osmond, is still performing live at age 69. He still loves rock. His voice has matured to a deep, gravelly sound and sounds even greater singing rock!
Merrill could literally open a phone book and sing out the names and addresses .... and I'd listen - Ha! He's also one of the sweetest human beings I've ever had the pleasure of meeting ... several times.
I swear that if Merrill opened a phone book and literally just sang out the names and addresses, I'd listen! His voice is simply amazing. He can sing the most beautiful ballad and than rock out with the best of them. I even love his vocals on the two 'country' albums the four original brothers recorded in the 80's, and I'm not what you would call a 'country' fan.
How weird...Only had this same conversation with a fellow muso two days ago. Crazy Horses kick started my love of heavy rock years ago. Easy to see why and I'm glad it wasn't just me.
I remember reading somewhere that even Rick Waksman of YES was into Crazy Horses and defended the Osmonds as well. I actually enjoy Back on the Road . The rif is simple but catchy
My friends thought I was crazy when I told them I used to tell them how I love this because it gets down like the immigrant song by led Zeppelin. People should understand sometimes you can be a hardcore thrashing metal player but can get an inspiration from a r&B song you just have to like music itself and not just one genre.
After this video came out two years ago I went to listen to it and man, this album fucking rocks!!! It has become a huge influence and to me it’s amazing that it’s teaching me more about songwriting than any album that came out in the last 20 years. Thank you for this!
I had to laugh a little when I watched this :) I'm 59 and bought this album when it was originally released. It was always a favorite. So to hear you discovering it now, so many years later, is pretty cool. What I like is that, as a young musician, you can appreciate all the incredible versatility and talent the Osmonds Brothers have collectively as a band and as individual artists. Rock On!!
And yes Mike, where have you been? I bought this album when it came out. I was 8 years old. It is what made me become a guitarist. (i had not been exposed to Zep, Purple and other early 70's hard rock artists at that point. But i discovered "hard rock" on this album and The Osmonds "Phase III" lp. Phase III is not the heavier content that Crazy Horses was, but My Drum is a zeppelinesque bone crusher!
Glad to see the brothers finally recognized for the versatile rockers they were. Check out another underappreciated album, "The Plan." Their label, MGM Records, didn't know what to do with it so it was released with minimum promotion. An underappreciated magnum opus that I've always considered one of my favorite albums -bar none- of all time.
Never turn your back on different forms of music. Be open and listen. Pleasant surprises out there. The Osmonds are definitely talented, and contributed to the music scene.
So cool that you discovered this album. It was one of my first albums back in the 70's and every song is solid. I still have the LP. "Hey, Mr Taxi" is one of my favorite tracks.
Welcome to the party!!! These guys are amazingly talented musicians and writers... and if things had gone a little differently for them, rock was where they were headed and likely would have thrived!!! But the music machine sent them down the pop road, for better or worse. Regardless, this album as well as "The Plan" highlight their incredible musical chops that some of us found 45 years ago, but new fans like you are always welcome!!!! 🤘
A friend of mine had tickets to see Donnie Osmond at the Palms (big auditorium at Crown Casino) in Melbourne. So I went along. The mast majority were Snr/middle aged women, who must have had pictures of Donnie on their bedroom walls back in the day. The concert started with a punchy video montage and lightshow that would have been at home at a Michael Jackson show. From the moment Donnie and his band started - the crowd were completely into it. I'm a musician and had no idea about Donnie Osmond, being too young to remember any appearances on TV. I watched on. I was a little in shock at the very specific crowd demographic.. anyway, Donnie sang SPOT ON all night - I mean, not one bad note. He had very good range however never at any point looked like he was on the edge of losing a note, or control over his voice. He played guitar, drums and I think saxophone during the concert as well. All in all it was a rocking show , full of humour and always with a relaxed but extremely high level of musicianship. It stayed with me for years actually. The funny thing was Donnie looked in amazing shape and I was expecting some old guy. He may be old but he has really looked after himself. The concert was impressive on every level.
Collectively, the Osmonds can play 28 instruments...highly skilled at every single one of them. That includes their older brothers Tom and Virl, who were born deaf.
I saw him at the Palms, when he sang Puppy Love a fan rushed the stage, and security tried to stop them. Donny said "let her come" the whole crowd surged to the side of the stage where Donny was sitting singing. I was second last row in heels, and about 45 yrs old. I saw middle stage was bare as everyone rushed to Donny. I ran for my life right down the isle to centre stage where l remained for the rest of the concert. I even got to rub his leg as he sang and danced right in front of me. I'm bad, sorry, Deb.
Yeah Mike, where have you been? Check out their album, “Phase 3”: the song, “Business” has one of the coolest riffs ever…very soul or R & B inspired. The Osmonds were always underrated but the Donny and Marie Show really blew their chances at the rock stardom that the older brothers were wishing for.
They didn’t blow it, their dad did that for them!!! Even Donny said he didn’t want to, but he dad was an ex-army sergeant and what HE SAID….GOES!!! He started them and then ended them. Donny is the only one who stuck it out. In the later 70’s dads accountants stole close to 100 million dollars from them and instead of filing for bankruptcy, they pulled up their big boy pants, and went back on the road to pay everyone back that they owed money to. Leaving their wives and kids at home to do it. I remember Donny saying in an interview, that he and Marie each, were to get paid $50,000 a show and never seeing a penny of it!! 1976-79 that was A LOT OF MONEY!!! Losing $100 million in the early 70’s would be almost equivalent to a BILLION dollars………..Wow……….poor guys, got screwed by their dad!
Yeah, I usually mention "Crazy Horses" and "The Plan" as their best albums, but "Phase 3" is also a great LP! Other great tracks on that album are: Down By the Lazy River and My Drum (rock), as well as It's You Babe and Love Is (ballads).
Old as hell so yes, I hear the album the first time around, but recently have been relistening to it here, which lead me to you. Thanks for acknowledging this diverse and interesting record. Favorite on the record is "We All Fall Down" You have the rifts down perfectly.
I was 6 years old the year that album was released. I, too, remember the Osmonds as a pop group from the '70s. About 5 years ago, I saw someone else mention that Crazy Horses song, so I checked it out here on UA-cam. I was equally shocked. Admittedly, I've never heard the entire album. Guess I need to change that.
Hands down, Crazy Horses was my favorite song as a kid. I wore their album-cassette tape out playing that song. I agree, it was WAY underrated as a true rock classic song.
I'm 61 freaking years old, grew up with the Osmonds and even I missed this song too ... must have been caught up with the Bee Gees or something. Holy crap, what a find. New sub, great channel. Thanks much!
So I’m a older guy, but the Osmonds Phase 3 and Crazy Horses are fairly good rock albums. Thank you for shouting out for this album. Even The Plan has some moments
"Crazy Horses" was a stone-cold killer track. When that song was played at the Xmas school disco in 1972, the crowd of 13/14-year-old kids went berserk. It was up there with "Elected", "The Jean Genie" and "Solid Gold Easy Action." Even the late great Alex Harvey covered it.
One of the things that fascinates me as a younger rock fan is how some bands or songs were much more popular in some countries or regions than others. Based on the fact that you included T. Rex, I have to assume you're from the UK, but I didn't know that our American boys in Alice Cooper had a big hit there with "Elected"!
Congratulations Mike on discovering what we die hard Osmond fans have known for 50 plus years. The Osmonds are just the best! I loved them so much growing up in the seventies. They are so unique and just the most genuinely kind people. No other band tops them in my book. I'm just sad that we all had to grow older and they've all retired. Well most all. Thanks for posting this.
I heard Ozzy Osbourne say that was one of his favorite songs in an interview many years ago. I thought it was funny that Ozzy liked the Osmonds since their names rhymed lol. I’m 56 btw fwiw✌🏻💙🙏🏻
Listen to their next album “The Plan” It was very rock oriented. You would love it. Before the album came out, Alan Osmond took the demo to rock radio in LA to have them listen. They played some cuts on the radio and the audience loved it and called in and wanted to know who it was. They had some guesses like Led Zeppelin and some other acid rock bands. It was awesome. They could not believe it was the Osmonds.
I really appreciate your professional breakdown of a song I have been familiar with for over 50 years. I have always loved it, but will actually hear it differently than I have before, and that, my friend, is a good thing.
Always loved Crazy Horses....the only Osmonds song I liked as a kid....just stuck the album on Spotify to check it out.....the first song riff is a ringer for The Immigrant song...mental...!!!!
Interestingly complex and wonderful music recorded by technically gifted musicians.I'm blown away by the heaviness of the riffs.The clever melodies intertwined with fantastic vocals and harmonies. The rhythm section has a flavor of Ginger Baker and John Paul Jones if they were playing in Iron Butterfly.
My Aunt lived in L.A., as did my cousin Michael Lloyd, who was in a band at that time, with another gentleman named Mike Curb. Name of the band was "Mike Curb Congregation", (think "Burning Bridges" from Kelly's Hero's & "Spirit in the Sky). They both broke off into Producing & have had.. you know... a little success. This being the case, they'd meet people from time to time, and my Aunt & Michael, knowing I was a musician, would send me some of the most awesome albums out there, before release. You guessed it. This was one of them. It really stunned us at the time, the range this talented family could go. Wore out the needle on my old record player. And having it before anyone else ever got to hear it? Always had a special experience attached to it, I'll never forget. Great post, really enjoyed your entire experience with, "something old becomes new, once again"- Thanks! Because.. yeah.. it was kinda like that.
One more thing - LOVE that you discovered the Osmonds via Crazy Horses, but it's important to remember that great music and talent comes in many forms....not just hard rock. ;-) There are songs in literally every genre that blow me away.
![First Time Reaction To The Osmonds - Crazy Horses [HQ stereo] THE WOLF HUNTERZ REACTIONS #reaction](/img/n.gif)
Glad you enjoyed man! Jay (the lead singer for Crazy Horses) is my dad. 😊 🤘🏻 😎
Tell him THANK YOU!! Made my night watching these videos. The family belongs in the rock hall of fame.
Your dad is one of the best drummers I've ever heard in my life. Wow can he play!
Hey Eric! Honor to have you on here. Thanks for commenting. This was a fun video to make and your dad rocks.
Hey, Eric! Lifelong Osmonds fan here!❤ Congrats on your baby boy!
Mr. Osmond, who sang Down by the Lazy River? I loved that song. I thought it was Merrill. (Sp) but can't remember. I had their album called Phase 3. Very cool record
My brother worked security for an Osmond concert in the early to mid 1970s and said the Osmonds were genuinely gracious and respectful of the team it took to put on a show and wanted to meet everyone and personally thank them for their efforts. Immense talent and well-mannered musicians: that's what we need more of!
The Osmonds are the most under appreciated, under-recognized rock bands of all time. AMAZING vocals, amazing musicianship and great arrangements.
❤🥹😎🙏🏻🤘🏻
If they had changed their ‘look’ it would have helped them but…
I agree the Osmonds need to be on the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame
@@shirleyann314surprised to learn they are not! 🤷
@@ericosmond.officialEric it hugely influenced my whole musical life. It was the first concert I saw in San Diego when I was 7 in 1972 and it was because of them that I was able to harmonize at 8 years old. At 58,I still love your family.
Wayne Osmond deserves a HUGE amount of credit for their hard, metal sounds.
Wayne, who contributed to some of the song writing, also occasionally sang lead (e.g. Rainin', Rest Your Love, The Last Days) and he has an awesome voice!
He also deserves credit for playing right handed guitar, as he's left handed!
Wayne was the one probably most crushed by their abandoning harder rock.
@@jethro1963 so was Merrill
Wayne was an amazing guitarist & I’m glad he’s getting the acknowledgment he so richly deserves.
Wow I guess Jay Osmond himself (and now Donny too!) just posted this video on their pages. This can’t be real life! 😃😃😃🎸
Yeah it's real. Jay sent me..
Music of my youth...we were so cool. Love this album.
Yep...he did.. that's how I found this...
Yes, he did! That’s how I found you. Great video and your analysis really is spot on! ❤️
I love when people my age find the Osmonds randomly lol I found out who they were when I was 12-13 because I asked my mom who the kids were in the back of the Andy Williams show (which prompted me to Google them bc ...idk I was 12, and I was like omg mom theyre online lmao). My mom didn't really like the Osmonds so I wasn't ever exposed to them before that, but some of their group stuff slaps hard haha. I wish they had explored it more.
I found out who they were right before Donny released a new album called "What I meant to say" and it was really good...and then, kid you not, for years I haven't paid attention because I've been living life? lol but things are slow right now because of the transition between pandemic quarantine life into more normal life, and UA-cam bumped me because Donny released a single called "Who" (and is releasing an album). And now I don't know how I made it onto Jay's facebook right before he's posting some sort of update.
Idk universe is weird y'all.
Hope they come out with a new rock album. That would be the icing on the cake. I'm always down for Merrill and Jay to take lead singing ngl. Their voices are crazy unique
This is what we Osmond fans have been trying to tell people for years. They were so under rated and are much more talented than they were ever given credit for! They each play numerous instruments, dance, sing, act…in addition to writing some awesome songs.
💯💯💯💯💯👏👏👏👏
YES! Maybe finally people are starting to notice...
With no drugs, alcohol or caffeine....
U tell em
@@jonathanwaddington965 ... strict adherence to Mormonism will do that to ya...
It takes a real man to admit he loves Osmonds' music. This is a cool guitar show.
I would argue that it takes a real music fan rather than a real man. :-)
I'm 61 and starting to listen to the Osmonds now never seen that one coming. Started with crazy horses!
true
All men are REAL lol
I love hearing you say, "There wasn't a dud on the album". We Osmond fans have taken a lot of guff over the years. But we have known The Osmonds have been amazing for years! It's great seeing the younger people getting turned on to our music!
Their best music was hidden from most of us. In 1970 I was 5. TV and radio were my only exposure to music for the longest time. When I was 13, I was finally able to explore music on my own terms. It was still slow going. I am now at 59 finding so much music that was basically hidden, if you were not from a wealthy family with a healthy record collection. When I was 7, my mom was dating someone who was into music and I dug out BTO Note Fragile. That most likely had a serious impact on my future musical journey. I have been a performer my whole adult life.
This was an OUTSTANDING album by the Osmonds. My favorite by them as a band -- I always thought they were HIGHLY underrated. If nothing else the entire range of their catalog demonstrates their multi-genre talents & abilities!
What do John Bonham, Ozzy Osborne and Paul McCartney all have in common? They are fans of the Osmonds.
Led Zeppelin invited the Osmonds to perform on stage with them at Wembley..and they did!
McCartney really like "The Plan" album, and for good reason.
In 1972 the Osmonds were touring the UK and were to appear on a Saturday night in the Royal Albert Hall in London. LZ was to appear in the same venue the night before. The Osmonds decided to go to the Zeppelin concert just to get acquainted with the hall, the acoustics, atmosphere, etc. After the Osmonds arrived and took up their seats, the band members of Led Zeppelin having learned that the Osmonds were there, asked that they come backstage to meet the band.
The Osmonds' manager who was not excited that the Osmonds were there in the first place really advised them not to go backstage. Alan said that was nonsense, and of course they would go. When they entered the room during intermission, they didn't know what to expect. Maybe drugs, booze, groupies, etc. But there were Zeppelin and their families just chillin' and throwing a frisbee around. Jimmy Page came over and greeted the Osmonds and expressed how much he enjoyed their music, and then he invited them to come onstage with LZ after intermission. They did, and Alan said it was one of the most memorable moments in his professional career.
I didn't write this article.
'the Plan' sounds like 'hiding in plain sight' to me...their particular religious affiliation borrows a LOT from the FreeMasons, if you follow-
@@edwhite7475 As someone who has had a close relationship with their affiliation over the years, I can confirm that you are correct.
I am positive you made this up.
The Osmonds are one of the most underrated musical families ever. The vocals, musical abilities, and complex musicality of their work are unmistakable. They are still relevant in show business. A few years ago, Donny was introduced to a whole new generation via The Masked Singer because of one thing and one thing only. His amazing voice.
not just his voice! his amazing showmanship as well. dude is a natural born entertainer. and while i'm here, i have a thirteen year old son with musical talent, and i cannot begin to IMAGINE the level of hard work and dedication it took for donny to do all that he did, at the time he did it.
They all seem to be real upstanding folks as well.
I don't think Donny's voice is that great but he is a showman. He knows how to entertain a crowd.
@@AmericanWoman1 Just joining this conversation 3 years later! You have not listened to Donny if you think his voice is not that great. He seriously has one of the best voices in the business.
I stream drumming and take random requests. A follower requested "Crazy Horses" and I thought I was being pranked until I heard it and jumped in. I was blown away, and simply could't wrap my head around the idea that it was the Osmonds. Just added it to my Apple Music collection; I can't believe I'd never heard it before. I'm legitimately impressed.
The first singer on Crazy Horses is Jay Osmond (also co-writer). He's a kick ass drummer too!
@Brett S that would be Jay.
@Brett S yep, that was Jay.
Not to mention he choreographed a lot of the Osmond's dance routines and on the Donny & Marie show - can you say multi talented? :-)
I saw a couple of their concerts in Chicago. Talk about an experience. Jay played those drums with his heart and soul!!!
Jay was my fav osmond
This is so sick. Ha, I’m really stoked to hear this song now. I just listened to this song by then called “before the beginning” that my dad used to love growing up and ended up here. This is just very cool to hear this broken down.
Before the Beginning is from their "The Plan" album. It was trashed by critics but does contain some gems, if you understand their meaning.
The plan is my favorite album
I grew up LDS so I love the song Before The Beginning. I like how it takes Snow's couplet and turns it into a rock song. We are on The Path/ The Plan to Godhood. " We alone will guide our destiny" and of course " We control infinity". What more?
Down By The Lazy River still crushes to this day
Love that song !!
Absolutely!
Their is a relatively recent cover version of that song. I believe it was done under another name by members of Steel Panther...it cooks.
THIS! Heard it on an ad recently and that re-started me listening to the 5 Osmonds albums I still have from when I was a kid. Where has this guy even been, never heard of Crazy Horses???
It's always been one of my personal favorite Osmond Brothers songs!
You found gold in a sea of mediocre! The Osmonds were always overlooked as stellar musicians and unbelievabley great voices! Yes it was really Jay who posted this! He posted it on a fan group I'm in and let me tell you, the Osmonds have very loyal fans. You will be getting a lot of hits on this. Thank you for taking the time to get to know some of their music and sharing it!
WOW. Thanks for this. It can be pretty lonely being an Osmond Fan and having to deal with the whole 'Donny and Marie' thing. Congratulations for having an open mind and thank you for being 'brave' enough to share this. You have made my year.
Seriously , this album is AMAZING. I have NEVER heard it before 2021 and have not STOPPED listening.
The Osmonds have never really received their proper due because of the focus on their first few Rick Hall-produced singles and the Donny Osmond 50s love songs. When the Osmonds took over their own song writing, instrumentals and production, they created some great rock tracks like "My Drum" (Phase 3), "Crazy Horses," "Hold Her Tight" (Crazy Horses), "Traffic in My Mind," "One Way Ticket to Anywhere," (The Plan), "Gotta Get Love" (Brainstorm). Because the Osmonds were so versatile and--unlike most bands--could play in many different genres and weren't afraid to play old or "uncool" songs, they were difficult to categorize. Incompetent writers and critics would just compare them (unfavorably) to the Jackson 5, based only on "One Bad Apple" and "Double Lovin' " and classic radio stations have all but banned the Osmonds from their play lists. Thank goodness for astute listeners like you who can judge the music based on its merits.
Wouldn't it be nice to hear them on the radio again? :)
Yeah, the comparison is silly. Artists pass on songs all the time and then those songs are offered to other groups. While 12-year-old Michael sang lead on the Jacksons' best known hits, it was 17-year-old Merrill who sang lead on "One Bad Apple" (the song that always gets compared with the Jacksons); besides, a 17-year-old does not sound like a 12-year-old. Anyway, as Osmond fans know, while a young Donny came in on the chorus for a few of those early tracks, it's Merrill's vocals that dominate almost every song the brothers ever recorded. You already mentioned some great Osmond 'rock' songs, but here's a few more: Don't Panic, Down By The Lazy River, Utah, We All Fall Down, Hey Mister Taxi, Goin' Home, Medicine Man, Hold On, Love Ain't An Easy Thing. Oh, but what about all those fantastic ballads: Most of All, Catch Me Baby, Chilly Winds, That's My Girl, Darlin', Let Me In, Love Is, Love Me For A Reason, It's You Babe, And You Love Me, The Proud One, Rest Your Love, etc. - The four original Osmond Brothers began recording songs way back in 1963 ... and all these years later several members of the Osmond family are still recording new material. Hey, have you heard "Break Your Fall?" How many recording artists, besides the Osmonds, have had careers that long ????
Don't forget Last Days and Hey Mr. taxi.....both bangers !
Love this! I have always been a big Osmond fan - and I'm a guy! It's always about the talent for me - I am never afraid or embarrassed to call out their level of talent. Yes, Crazy Horses is a GREAT album (also "The Plan") - but let's also not forget their incredible layered harmonies. SO beautiful. The sad thing to all of this, in my opinion, is that so many folks never got the chance to recognize and appreciate the Osmonds...because of the manufactured bubblegum "image" that was hard for them to escape. It's a fickle business and if you really love music, you have to look beyond that. Heck, I'm gay and they are Mormon - and I still look beyond all that in order to find the beauty that lies deep inside genuine talent. I think there's a lesson in there somewhere. :-)
I think what really hurt them was being labeled,”The White Jackson5.” People thought they were just trying to copy another group. I’ve never heard of the Jackson5 opening for Led Zeppelin, but the Osmonds did. 😊
The Osmonds are really excellent musicians. It's so wonderful to see people discovering their talents after all these years. Merrill had such an amazing voice and would have killed it in a rock and roll. The song "Hey Mr. Taxi" is a good example of his amazing voice. Thanks for this video and I hope more people discover what a gem the "Crazy Horses" album is. I'm a new sub to your channel now!
I love Hey Mr Taxi!!!
After band practice last night, somebody said we should add an obscure song. I showed them the video for Crazy Horses. The drummer was blown away by how this pre-dates a lot of metal. He’s 59 and never heard it. The bass player was skeptical about if it wasn’t faked. I’m going to push for doing it, and the drummer was up for doing it after 20 seconds of hearing it. Rocking tune.
So glad you’re spreading the word about the Osmond’s musical diversity and talent that we long-time fans have always known about! One of the many reasons why we’re still fans after 50 years! Welcome to the fandom!
I think the album should be re released for its 50th anniversary in a special color vinyl or picture disc.🎸🔥
Considering Crazy Horses was anti-air pollution, vinyl seems wrong?
@@Andrea.S.Alvey12 Actually, streaming is apparently less eco friendly than vinyl is.
@@TheBusymenOfficial How so? Because of the electricity used?
How can we seriously make this happen????
Amazing album! Thanks for the reminder. Their first all original, all their own album. Donny always played as a straight member of the band. What most people don't understand is that the band stood on their own with Merrill on lead vocals. Donny was singled out as the teenage girl bait, so he did appear briefly in some of their singles. They pulled him out as a solo artist with his own releases for greater appeal, but the band was always solid as a complete unit and, unlike most other bands of the time, they did play and write their own music after the first 2-3 albums.
I read that their father, seeing the attention Donny was getting, put him in as the lead singer above Merrill right before a show, singing parts that had always been Merrill's. Both Donny and Merrill objected, but Dad overrode them. People think of the Osmonds as Donny's show but it was Merrill's singing that put them on the singles map with the hits Down by the Lazy River, Yo-Yo, and One Bad Apple (Donny sang the high-pitched answers on the chorus). Merrill has a fantastic voice, and IMHO is the better singer of the two.
@@jemogan I think the version you heard is close to how it went down. Merrill and Donny began to share the title of lead singer until Donny went more solo and then was paired with Marie while also still performing with the brothers occasionally. Then Jimmy joined the older brothers, and shared the lead with Merrill.
The entire hearing able members of the family are excellent vocalists, but Merrill, Donny and Jimmy are the most gifted vocalists. Everyone of them can play instruments well, including Virl and Tom.
I love their older stuff with Donny as lead singer, but LOVE Down by the Lazy River with Merrill on lead vocals.
Donny Osmond was actually on Jeff Beck's flash album dude sounded like a metal or hard rock singer he is really under rated.
What track was he on? I want to check it out!
@@glennhecker4422 Ambitious. There was also a video for the song.
I remember when that came out. He was great on that track. It even charted.
This album *slays*! Someone brought it to my attention last month, and I cannot believe it's not more critically acclaimed/well known. "Crazy Horses" and "Hold Her Tight" are amazing rockers!
Both of those songs are epic!!! I also love all of the Plan "Traffic in My Mind" and "Goin Home!" are amazing
I have been a huge Osmond fan since 1970. Crazy Horses is one of the greatest hard rock songs ever! I cant tell you how many times Ive played that song for friends and dared them to guess who it was. No one would EVER guess the Osmonds. LOL As a life long musician Ive always wanted to do that song in a band. lol
As an Osmond fan for over 50 years, I can tell you that today's audiences are missing out. The Osmonds did it all, and before many of the so called "rock" bands that are more famous for rocking. Crazy Horses is still just as good today as it was back in the day!! And Donny is still rocking today, just having released his new album!
In fact, check out Donny’s new music video for his new single, “Who”. You may be a bit surprised by it. And he wrote the song. The day it was released it was #1 on I-Tunes.
People are going to wonder why Osmonds are climbing in the charts.
Here's hoping!
Between this and some comments which mention both Crazy Horses and The Plan on a recent Sea of Tranquility video, I truly hope some new listeners check them out.
Got this when it first came out. I always tell people that the Osmonds can rock, and they never believe me. Also check out Phase III and The Plan.
The Plan is an amazing album.
Down by the Lazy River is awesome. Love Phase III
My Drum kicks some butt. Also the Osmonds and Ronnie James Dio both put out the song "In the rest of my life" in the same year. IMO the Osmonds sounded better and tougher for a ballad.
Same here. My sister misheard the lyric Crazy Horses as "twenty-eight horses"
The Plan for SURE - especially Traffic in My Mind
i don't like admitting this one bit, but the osmonds can kick ass, then do a ballad, all while doing dance routines. and while doing those things, they won't be cussing and acting like fools. my sister had all their records, crazy horses was very good.
even had a message to it that still stands today. a bunch of very nice guys. you won't find picture of them covering one eye.
There's nothing embarrassing at all about "admitting" that "the osmonds can kick ass ...." - HA! Not too many bands that have been in the business for 50+ years, let alone ones that can play as many instruments, while doing a variety of dances ... and singing everything from perfect harmony to pop to country to rock n' roll .... they've done it all.
Good to know. I'd like to see a video or list of the ones who don't cover one eye.
Yes, their dance routines were fierce! And they didn't come away from them looking winded -- even today you can see videos of Donny keeping up with much younger dancers on songs like "Yo-yo!"
Mike Portnoy is a big fan of the album too and it's on his top 20 albums from 1972 list. He's covered the song (lead vocals & drums) with Neal Morse. Paul Gilbert played the solo. They've also played it live.
Having loved The Osmonds for 50 years of my life and still loving them. It's wonderful to hear your say on the crazyyyy horses album. The Osmonds really never got the music writing, song writing acclaim they deserve. Soooo happy to have and still do love This wonderful family 💜🇬🇧. Thanks for your view 😉
Had to reupload this. YT didn't process the last one at full resolution so I had to delete it and start again. Sadly all your awesome comments went away with it so if you guys could re-comment on this one that'd make my day. Thanks everyone!
Was wondering why the thumbnail seemed so familiar. Great video like usual Mike!!
I tried watching it yesterday but It said that I couldn't watch it on my phone
Here's what happened. I uploaded it last night. Went home and people were saying it's only in 360p. I hadn't done anything different with this upload so I was confused but thought it would eventually process at a higher resolution. I waited hours but no change. So I contacted YT and the lady was cool but said it might take a day or two to fix the issue. By then I already had like 3000 views so I thought it was better to leave it up and let the problem get solved. Well 10 minutes later everyone was telling me it was saying "Video can't be played on this device." Then MY phone was telling me that. So I just went to bed hoping that meant they were fixing it. Woke up and nope, still not available. So I had to purge the comments and views and just reupload. Now it seems to be working so it was YT's issue. :( Long story. haha.
@@TheArtofGuitar that’s what happened! I tried watching it but couldn’t. That’s why the video was not familiar but only the thumbnail.
No comment Mike. Actually that was a comment?!?!
At last the world is catching up. 🙌🙌 I’ve been an Osmond fan for 51 years. Not only is their music incredible, they are all round performers and genuinely lovely people. Thank you Osmond family for all the forever memories. 🙏😘
I’ve never heard the whole album, but I have defended the song Crazy Horses for years! That thing rocks as hard as Nazareth!
It's a really good album. A fine balance of rock and pop.
Always thought that The Osmonds had more to do with the invention of pop/metal than they're given credit for. Apparently they were big fans of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.
Like nazareth? Really? I disagree.
It's one of my favorite LPs, even though the song "Crazy Horses" is not a personal favorite.
It's really a fantastic album from start to finish. And while I like the song "Crazy Horses," it's actually not among my favorite tracks on the album.
I was 14 when I bought this album. I was (and still am) a huge Osmond Brothers fan. This album was so different from their other albums. My friends and I were blown away by the sound. I'm glad to see some younger people experiencing it and really loving it.
Crazy Horses is an amazing hard rock song! Also, listen to "My Drum" by the Osmonds from Phase III album. Killer riff rock!
Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin is an amazing hard rock song. Crazy Horses by the Osmonds is not.
I had the Phase III album and was fortunate enough to see them at the state fair in Milwaukee when I was a kid in 73 or 74’ . It’s very rare that anyone comes out of the closet on these guys but I’ll always be a huge fan. Merrill was my favorite because he had that rockn roll voice that just sounded so cool. I’m sure it was Crazy Horses that got me into them, but if you want to hear more of the rock thing listen to Traffic in My Mind off of the Plan album. Also, I have to credit them for being the ones who introduced me to r&b and Motown because they used to cover all that stuff….
Phase Three is a great album. Minus one or two songs. Down by the Lazy River is fun
Paul Gilbert covered My Drum on his Burning Organ solo record.
@@rhazkinz78 Traffic In My Mind is definitely their best rock song.
*Crazy horses*- one of the greatest - and underated Rock songs of all time.
In the words of JM...you cannot be serious.
Totally understandable you fell in love with Crazy Horses. Such a fantastic rock album. Inspirational even today, though it was released in 1972. Some of the things going on there were way ahead of their time.
Once the Osmonds went full throttle with the Donny & Marie Show, their music as a band suffered because many simply pushed them aside. Imagine where their music could have gone.
I've stopped this about 3/4 of the way through and I am going over to spotify to listen to this album. I will let you know if it is a waste of time or not. God I can't believe I'm about to listen to an Osmond album at 55 years old
Better late than never ;)
I’m dumbfounded … watched all the cheesy shows as a kid ( I’m 54 ) but never knew they can rock like this
Same!
Welcome! :)
Their fans range in age (it's generational since they've been in the business for more than 55 year), so it really isn't that strange to be 55 - Ha! I think that most of their songs can be found right here on UA-cam. I would recommend not only the "Crazy Horses" album, but also their concept album, "The Plan." Oh, and there are also some videos from live appearances (just plug in the song titles) and a really awesome video that someone literally just posted. The latter is called "We All Fall Down" and it's from the "Crazy Horses" album. You can not only see them rock out (vocals and instruments), but they threw there karate routine into this video. Awesome !!!!
I've loved the Osmonds since I was 6 years old. Jay is singing lead in this song; he's also the drummer (in all of their other songs). Merrill, who sings second is this song, is the lead singer and also plays base guitar. Wayne plays lead guitar and Alan plays rhythm guitar. Donny was on the keyboard. These guys always played their own instruments, wrote most of their own songs, other than the bubblegum stuff, and Merrill is still performing. He just did a tour in the UK, and he's going to have a show in Vegas soon. Donny also has an upcoming Vegas show. Jay wrote and is producing a musical. Marie is also still performing. You're young and just discovering them, and that's cool, but back in the 70's Osmond Mania was a real thing, especially in the UK :-).
Coming from the same background, listening to The Osmonds " The Plan" album, as a young teenager, I thought it was as good as any band in the hard rock genres. Great conceptual album, crunchy riffs, rocking melodies. I'm not a Mormon , nor have I ever bought into any religion, but the album stands on it's own, even without that agenda in the forefront. Merrill's great lead vocals and the band's trajectory were sidelined by the father's decision to focus on the Donny and Marie popularity. If you liked Crazy Horses, you should check out The Plan. Good music.
Traffic In My Mind is a killer blues rock song, and I love the progginess of Mirror Mirror and Movie Man. It's a great album.
The Plan is my favorite album!
I love The Plan, perhaps the greatest Mormon psych-rock concept album ever, if not the only one. I've been stumping my music nerd buddies for decades by playing "Traffic In My Mind" and having them try to guess the band.
I would also contend that "Let Me In" is their finest piece of balladry, a gorgeous melody, beautiful classic Osmond harmonies and a smart lyric that does a great job of balancing right on that knife's edge of romantic vs devotional love.
VERY well said and agreed whole-heartedly!
"Down by the lazy river" is like McCartney and Wings' "Junior's Farm." Crank it up!
Well said, and a keen observation on your part.
Reminds me of Wings’ ‘Girls School’ - good track
Yeah, that's always been one of my favorite Osmond Brothers songs.
One of my favorites and one of their best !!!!!!!!
Meryl has a great voice he was more or less the lead vocalist of the group. He has a lot of range and was into Zeppelin. Listen to the album The Plan by the Osmonds.....
He has and I believe still has one of the most interesting voices in the business. It's got that magic that pulls you in.
After they were signed to their first record contract, the boys were sent to Muscle Shoals where their rock voices were born!
I met Meryl a few years ago on one of his solo "rock" tours.
What a great guy!
I've been hugged by an Osmond!
And at the age of 13, I got to witness the Crazy Horses concert in person, down front and center. It was amazing . Wore my white jumpsuit and purple sued belt and all . The year was 1972. It was amazing and the place went crazy!
I love Crazy Horses, and the lyrics of the title track are about environmental issues so it's way ahead of its time. They said that this was the kind of music they always wanted to play but the label kept insisting on the bubblegum pop.
Their father (their manager) wanted them to stay bubblegum. He really like it when they were on Andy Williams. If they had had a REAL manager they would have been more of a rock band - they were talented!
Petri said it so I don't have to.
Actually, environmental issues were a concern in the early 70s--hence, the birth of Earth Day in 1970 and the infamous "weeping Native American" PSA on its first anniversary.
They were a good rock band. Bar non.
@@erestube You are correct...Old "iron eyes'' indian commercials were the best. I LMFAO every time i saw those people throw trash out of the car window at his feet...HILARIOUS.
That whole album is killer. So is the Plan the following year. This is such a great hard rock track. I still love this.
Mike, I listened to this based on your recommendation and am blown away by how good it is. Thank you!
Bravo standing ovation to you brother for recognizing Phenomenal phenomenal talent of the Osmond brothers. Please check out the Osmonds PHASE III album. It’s more “groove rock” then Crazy Horses but it’s BAD ASS just the same!
I remember in the late 80's Dweezil Zappa raving about what a great singer Donny Osmond was.
Crazy Horses is a great album with all original songs written by the Osmonds. Love the Phase II album too.
Phase III, I believe.
@@billyword1349 yes it's Phase lll
@arinco Phase lll
LOVE that album.
The brother singing is Meryl Osmond and I think he really was always the “lead” singer for the Osmonds whenever a real rocking vocal was needed. Donny sang on a lot of the more pop stuff. I’m 56 yrs old and my parents would only allowed the Osmonds or John Denver be played in the house or on family roadster trips. Then I turned 12, heard Toys in the attic and Zep 2 at my friend Brian’s house, and never looked back!!!
@@docsavage8640 I agree. And the Osmonds were extremely talented.
Not knowing any better I got totally into these guys and knew all their names an what instruments they played. When Duane Allman died I misheard it and thought Wayne had died. Then someone set me straight and simultaneously discovered they rarely played their own instruments. I was outraged but it turned me on to the Allman Brothers.
Actually, Donny sang lead on only a small handful of Osmonds songs, and EVERYTHING you're thinking of is Donny's SOLO songs. The reason everyone overlooks the Osmonds, is because they think (for ex.) PUPPY LOVE is an Osmonds song, which couldn't be farther from the truth.
Donny recorded 'Go away Little Girl'. The Osmonds we're sitting around listening to records, and when that came on they HATED it. But Donny recorded it.
So, moral of the story, DONNY has solo albums,
THE OSMONDS, (Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, and Donny) had MERRILL as their lead.
Extra fact: Donny didn't even sing on TWO of their albums, CRAZY HORSES, and THE PLAN.
Sorry about the capital letters, just kinda fed up with warped view of the Osmonds lol. I kinda consider myself Osmonds protector and straighten out facts all over UA-cam.
Hope you have a good day,
Sammy.
Jay Osmond sang lead on Crazy Horses, not Merrill. Merrill was usually the lead singer, but not this time. Donny sang more leads as he got more popular, and then also did his own songs and those with Marie.
@@terryadcock3574 they both sang on Crazy Horses.
I worked a show Donny Osmond back in 1989. I never saw so many women lined up before the show in my life. Young and old they were crazy for him. We were told not to speak to him but he was so nice and spoke to everyone. Great memory.
Crazy Horses is like Tommy Shaw singing for Deep Purple.
Got to see Tommy a week ago - was blown away by how the dude was handling 67. ZERO problem. Sounded as great (voice and guitar chops) as he did 30 years ago.
Its been over 20 years....give it a rest. Dennis just put out his final album and Styx just released a great new one, too. Plenty of lane for everyone. Tommy Shaw can still bring it.
Wow! I just bought the album on iTunes. How have I never heard of this album before? Amazing. Thanks for the video ... and the introduction to another aspect of the Osmond's.
Awesome album! The Osmonds were a little before my time but this is gold. 'Life is hard enough without goodbyes' is the standout for me.
I discovered the song ‘crazy horses’ about a year ago and was as blown away by it as you, listen to it still, but I must admit I thought it must have been a one off (though a great one). You’ve made me want to hear the whole album, which I will do right now.
You should do a livestream listening party for the album so we can all hang out and experience it together.
Great idea 👍
I second that 👌
Count me in!
Lead singer, Merrill Osmond, is still performing live at age 69. He still loves rock. His voice has matured to a deep, gravelly sound and sounds even greater singing rock!
I think he re-released Medicine Man a few years ago. LOVE it!
Merrill could literally open a phone book and sing out the names and addresses .... and I'd listen - Ha! He's also one of the sweetest human beings I've ever had the pleasure of meeting ... several times.
I swear that if Merrill opened a phone book and literally just sang out the names and addresses, I'd listen! His voice is simply amazing. He can sing the most beautiful ballad and than rock out with the best of them. I even love his vocals on the two 'country' albums the four original brothers recorded in the 80's, and I'm not what you would call a 'country' fan.
I appreciate them most for their INCREDIBLE harmony with each other-they really had/have talent.
How weird...Only had this same conversation with a fellow muso two days ago. Crazy Horses kick started my love of heavy rock years ago. Easy to see why and I'm glad it wasn't just me.
I saw the Osmonds live back in 1972! They were great! Jay Osmond drum solos were fantastic!
I remember reading somewhere that even Rick Waksman of YES was into Crazy Horses and defended the Osmonds as well. I actually enjoy Back on the Road . The rif is simple but catchy
That's a pretty strong testimonial.
Yup, and even Paul McCartney has given them the credit they deserve. As for "Back on the Road Again,' that's another favorite of mine.
There's a collaboration for you!
My friends thought I was crazy when I told them I used to tell them how I love this because it gets down like the immigrant song by led Zeppelin. People should understand sometimes you can be a hardcore thrashing metal player but can get an inspiration from a r&B song you just have to like music itself and not just one genre.
Very much agreed. It just goes to show that there are gems out there, if you keep an open mind and know where to look.
After this video came out two years ago I went to listen to it and man, this album fucking rocks!!! It has become a huge influence and to me it’s amazing that it’s teaching me more about songwriting than any album that came out in the last 20 years.
Thank you for this!
Wow. I've just been out exploring based on your insight. HEAVY MAN! ;) No joke. The Osmonds can rock!
I had to laugh a little when I watched this :) I'm 59 and bought this album when it was originally released. It was always a favorite. So to hear you discovering it now, so many years later, is pretty cool. What I like is that, as a young musician, you can appreciate all the incredible versatility and talent the Osmonds Brothers have collectively as a band and as individual artists. Rock On!!
And yes Mike, where have you been? I bought this album when it came out. I was 8 years old. It is what made me become a guitarist. (i had not been exposed to Zep, Purple and other early 70's hard rock artists at that point. But i discovered "hard rock" on this album and The Osmonds "Phase III" lp. Phase III is not the heavier content that Crazy Horses was, but My Drum is a zeppelinesque bone crusher!
Glad to see the brothers finally recognized for the versatile rockers they were. Check out another underappreciated album, "The Plan." Their label, MGM Records, didn't know what to do with it so it was released with minimum promotion. An underappreciated magnum opus that I've always considered one of my favorite albums -bar none- of all time.
Never turn your back on different forms of music. Be open and listen. Pleasant surprises out there. The Osmonds are definitely talented, and contributed to the music scene.
So cool that you discovered this album. It was one of my first albums back in the 70's and every song is solid. I still have the LP. "Hey, Mr Taxi" is one of my favorite tracks.
I love this album! Also, The Plan, and The Proud One. The whole Osmond family are very talented. I've been blessed by meeting a few of them.
Welcome to the party!!! These guys are amazingly talented musicians and writers... and if things had gone a little differently for them, rock was where they were headed and likely would have thrived!!! But the music machine sent them down the pop road, for better or worse. Regardless, this album as well as "The Plan" highlight their incredible musical chops that some of us found 45 years ago, but new fans like you are always welcome!!!! 🤘
A friend of mine had tickets to see Donnie Osmond at the Palms (big auditorium at Crown Casino) in Melbourne. So I went along. The mast majority were Snr/middle aged women, who must have had pictures of Donnie on their bedroom walls back in the day.
The concert started with a punchy video montage and lightshow that would have been at home at a Michael Jackson show. From the moment Donnie and his band started - the crowd were completely into it.
I'm a musician and had no idea about Donnie Osmond, being too young to remember any appearances on TV. I watched on. I was a little in shock at the very specific crowd demographic.. anyway, Donnie sang SPOT ON all night - I mean, not one bad note. He had very good range however never at any point looked like he was on the edge of losing a note, or control over his voice. He played guitar, drums and I think saxophone during the concert as well. All in all it was a rocking show , full of humour and always with a relaxed but extremely high level of musicianship. It stayed with me for years actually. The funny thing was Donnie looked in amazing shape and I was expecting some old guy. He may be old but he has really looked after himself. The concert was impressive on every level.
Collectively, the Osmonds can play 28 instruments...highly skilled at every single one of them. That includes their older brothers Tom and Virl, who were born deaf.
I saw him at the Palms, when he sang Puppy Love a fan rushed the stage, and security tried to stop them. Donny said "let her come" the whole crowd surged to the side of the stage where Donny was sitting singing. I was second last row in heels, and about 45 yrs old. I saw middle stage was bare as everyone rushed to Donny. I ran for my life right down the isle to centre stage where l remained for the rest of the concert. I even got to rub his leg as he sang and danced right in front of me. I'm bad, sorry, Deb.
Completely agree with all your comments, It was an epic.
Yeah Mike, where have you been?
Check out their album, “Phase 3”: the song, “Business” has one of the coolest riffs ever…very soul or R & B inspired.
The Osmonds were always underrated but the Donny and Marie Show really blew their chances at the rock stardom that the older brothers were wishing for.
Agree!!! Business and My Drum! Check it!
They didn’t blow it, their dad did that for them!!! Even Donny said he didn’t want to, but he dad was an ex-army sergeant and what HE SAID….GOES!!! He started them and then ended them. Donny is the only one who stuck it out. In the later 70’s dads accountants stole close to 100 million dollars from them and instead of filing for bankruptcy, they pulled up their big boy pants, and went back on the road to pay everyone back that they owed money to. Leaving their wives and kids at home to do it. I remember Donny saying in an interview, that he and Marie each, were to get paid $50,000 a show and never seeing a penny of it!! 1976-79 that was A LOT OF MONEY!!! Losing $100 million in the early 70’s would be almost equivalent to a BILLION dollars………..Wow……….poor guys, got screwed by their dad!
Yeah, I usually mention "Crazy Horses" and "The Plan" as their best albums, but "Phase 3" is also a great LP! Other great tracks on that album are: Down By the Lazy River and My Drum (rock), as well as It's You Babe and Love Is (ballads).
Old as hell so yes, I hear the album the first time around, but recently have been relistening to it here, which lead me to you. Thanks for acknowledging this diverse and interesting record. Favorite on the record is "We All Fall Down" You have the rifts down perfectly.
I fell in love with The Osmonds because of your last video and I found Crazy Horses!
I was 6 years old the year that album was released. I, too, remember the Osmonds as a pop group from the '70s. About 5 years ago, I saw someone else mention that Crazy Horses song, so I checked it out here on UA-cam. I was equally shocked. Admittedly, I've never heard the entire album. Guess I need to change that.
Hands down, Crazy Horses was my favorite song as a kid. I wore their album-cassette tape out playing that song. I agree, it was WAY underrated as a true rock classic song.
I'm 61 freaking years old, grew up with the Osmonds and even I missed this song too ... must have been caught up with the Bee Gees or something. Holy crap, what a find. New sub, great channel. Thanks much!
So I’m a older guy, but the Osmonds Phase 3 and Crazy Horses are fairly good rock albums. Thank you for shouting out for this album. Even The Plan has some moments
"Hold Her Tight" will rock the hack out of anyone in today's live concerts!
There is a video on UA-cam of Donny singing Hold her Tight, playing guitar around 2009. He's fab.
Im 57 and that is one of my all time fav lp's, I always blow away friends when I say Osmonds kicked ass then they hear it and go wow!
The most underrated talent! 50+ years and still a fan!
"Crazy Horses" was a stone-cold killer track. When that song was played at the Xmas school disco in 1972, the crowd of 13/14-year-old kids went berserk.
It was up there with "Elected", "The Jean Genie" and "Solid Gold Easy Action." Even the late great Alex Harvey covered it.
That song was MADE for teenage air-guitarists!
@@viennapalace Spot on. I can still see my long-dead school friend Nicky playing an imaginary guitar to this great track.
One of the things that fascinates me as a younger rock fan is how some bands or songs were much more popular in some countries or regions than others. Based on the fact that you included T. Rex, I have to assume you're from the UK, but I didn't know that our American boys in Alice Cooper had a big hit there with "Elected"!
Congratulations Mike on discovering what we die hard Osmond fans have known for 50 plus years. The Osmonds are just the best! I loved them so much growing up in the seventies. They are so unique and just the most genuinely kind people. No other band tops them in my book. I'm just sad that we all had to grow older and they've all retired. Well most all. Thanks for posting this.
Crazy Horses was always a guilty pleasure for a younger me, never wanted to admit just how much it rocked!
Right on!! I had this when it was first released. Glad it is getting some love.
I heard Ozzy Osbourne say that was one of his favorite songs in an interview many years ago. I thought it was funny that Ozzy liked the Osmonds since their names rhymed lol. I’m 56 btw fwiw✌🏻💙🙏🏻
56 huh? Their youngest member, Jimmy, is now 57!
Glad you finally recognize this amazing work! It’s been one of my favs for decades.
Listen to their next album “The Plan” It was very rock oriented. You would love it. Before the album came out, Alan Osmond took the demo to rock radio in LA to have them listen. They played some cuts on the radio and the audience loved it and called in and wanted to know who it was. They had some guesses like Led Zeppelin and some other acid rock bands. It was awesome. They could not believe it was the Osmonds.
I really appreciate your professional breakdown of a song I have been familiar with for over 50 years. I have always loved it, but will actually hear it differently than I have before, and that, my friend, is a good thing.
Always loved Crazy Horses....the only Osmonds song I liked as a kid....just stuck the album on Spotify to check it out.....the first song riff is a ringer for The Immigrant song...mental...!!!!
Interestingly complex and wonderful music recorded by technically gifted musicians.I'm blown away by the heaviness of the riffs.The clever melodies intertwined with fantastic vocals and harmonies. The rhythm section has a flavor of Ginger Baker and John Paul Jones if they were playing in Iron Butterfly.
My Aunt lived in L.A., as did my cousin Michael Lloyd, who was in a band at that time, with another gentleman named Mike Curb. Name of the band was "Mike Curb Congregation", (think "Burning Bridges" from Kelly's Hero's & "Spirit in the Sky). They both broke off into Producing & have had.. you know... a little success.
This being the case, they'd meet people from time to time, and my Aunt & Michael, knowing I was a musician, would send me some of the most awesome albums out there, before release.
You guessed it. This was one of them. It really stunned us at the time, the range this talented family could go. Wore out the needle on my old record player. And having it before anyone else ever got to hear it? Always had a special experience attached to it, I'll never forget.
Great post, really enjoyed your entire experience with, "something old becomes new, once again"- Thanks! Because.. yeah.. it was kinda like that.
One more thing - LOVE that you discovered the Osmonds via Crazy Horses, but it's important to remember that great music and talent comes in many forms....not just hard rock. ;-) There are songs in literally every genre that blow me away.
Let the Reason be Love stands with some of the great ballads. Yo Yo harkens back to Motown bands.
Down By The Lazy River is an absolute favorite too!!!