Longbranch/Pennywhistle

The duo Longbranch/Pennywhistle, who made one obscure self-titled album in 1969, are remembered primarily for featuring a pre-<a href="spotify:artist:0ECwFtbIWEVNwjlrfc6xoL">Eagles</a> <a href="spotify:artist:3vMWY1bUrmYoSoEWLiQWOZ">Glenn Frey</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0I7UnRLIdCD310ZBgeuqh5">J.D. Souther</a> (who of course went on to write much material for <a href="spotify:artist:0ECwFtbIWEVNwjlrfc6xoL">the Eagles</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1sXbwvCQLGZnaH0Jp2HTVc">Linda Ronstadt</a>). <a href="spotify:artist:3vMWY1bUrmYoSoEWLiQWOZ">Frey</a> had moved to Los Angeles from Detroit, where he had played with <a href="spotify:artist:485uL27bPomh29R4JmQehQ">Bob Seger</a>, and hooked up there with ex-Texan <a href="spotify:artist:0I7UnRLIdCD310ZBgeuqh5">J.D. Souther</a>. The two attracted attention in the burgeoning Southern California country-rock scene via gigs at the Troubadour club and were signed by Amos Records. Their lone LP was produced by <a href="spotify:artist:6nUcMkLeIkY6By8FS5vj0V">Jimmy Bowen</a> and featured a wealth of outstanding session musicians, such as <a href="spotify:artist:2RAajwxQybgx0iIibcGHLo">James Burton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:30CKw91YOH49ow02aqBg1g">Buddy Emmons</a>, Larry Knechtel, <a href="spotify:artist:5OGnIiN0VDdkwDTSXF0b56">Joe Osborn</a>, Jim Gordon, <a href="spotify:artist:1CPwHx5lgVxv0rfcp7UXLx">Ry Cooder</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:5THBJK4ynnBnn5uvIamir1">Doug Kershaw</a>.

Longbranch/Pennywhistle is a pleasant yet unthrilling album of modest harmonized early country-rock. Pre-echoes of the sound of <a href="spotify:artist:0ECwFtbIWEVNwjlrfc6xoL">the Eagles</a> and 1970s mellow Californian rock can be heard, and <a href="spotify:artist:0I7UnRLIdCD310ZBgeuqh5">Souther</a> would re-record one of the better songs, "Kite Woman," for his early-'70s solo debut. The album sold little and the duo broke up in mid-1970. However, <a href="spotify:artist:3vMWY1bUrmYoSoEWLiQWOZ">Frey</a> was soon playing in <a href="spotify:artist:1sXbwvCQLGZnaH0Jp2HTVc">Linda Ronstadt</a>'s band and forming the nucleus of <a href="spotify:artist:0ECwFtbIWEVNwjlrfc6xoL">the Eagles</a>, to whom <a href="spotify:artist:0I7UnRLIdCD310ZBgeuqh5">Souther</a> would frequently contribute as a songwriter. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi