Decades in obscurity, Beau Brummels front man surfaces to remind us what the fuss was all about: "As lead vocalist of the Beau Brummels, San Francisco's answer to the British Invasion, he sang the 1965 hit 'Laugh Laugh.' That record and the subsequent 'Just a Little' were his high water marks on the charts, but the Brummels went on to record cult-classic albums such as 'Triangle' and 'Bradley's Barn,' and Valentino's haunting vocals made him a famous talent in record industry circles. He sang the scratch vocals on the original recording of Randy Newman's self-titled premiere album in 1968, although Newman overdubbed his own vocals later.Too cool. I hope it works out for him.
More than just San Francisco's first rock star, Valentino could transform a song with the sound of his voice. That skill is evident on his new CD, the first solo album of his 45-year career. Valentino and his longtime collaborator John Blakeley struggled for nine years to release 'Dreamin' Man,' a masterpiece shot through with the sort of artistic confidence and depth of character that takes a lifetime to accumulate.
'He's like a Van Morrison,' says Blakeley, a producer and arranger who played with Morrison in the '70s. Valentino's 'got a personal musical style I've never heard anybody even come close to.'"
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