Gloomy Tunes: Michael Brown, “Walk Away Renee”

I can remember exactly where I was the first time I heard “Walk Away Renee.” It was a rainy day at summer camp, and while we were sitting in our bunks, reading comic books and getting antsy, and the song came over the radio on WABC. It immediately caught my ear—the harpsichord and strings, the slightly echoed, despondent voice, the way the cymbals crashed into the chorus , even the flute that seemed to come out of nowhere, this I knew was a song made for rainy days. After I served my Wel-Met sentence, and was returned to civilization, I bought the single. and yearned for the time when I could have my own Renee to moon over, or a “Pretty Ballerina,” the more wintery song released in December. (I later discovered that both these songs are about the same woman, one of his band member’s girlfriend.) The album, “Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina” was one of my first lp purchases, which I played until it was nearly white from wear. And then, nothing. The band, like so many others from my youth (come back, Crazy Elephant, all is forgiven!), disappeared. (Brown did attempt to keep the Left Banke going, assembling a new band that included Michael McKean (Laverne and Shirley, Spinal Tap) on guitar.

Stories, his next band, had a #1 hit with their cover of Hot Chocolate’s  “Brother Louie,” but other than the occasional keyboard groove or string arrangement (both prominent on the single) , their album didn’t appeal. Brown receded;  “Renee” or “Ballerina” would show up occasionally on a soundtrack, but nothing new. It took the release of “There’s Gonna Be A Storm,” a collection of the complete recordings, to revive my interest. Then I came  across a copy of “The Beckies” 1976 release, which was a real revelation. It was one of those albums I couldn’t believe I missed.I was Brown version of Power Pop, cloaking his melodies in crunchy guitars and sprung rhythms. We’re including “One Of These Days” which, if the word was fair, would have been a hit.

Rounding things out are the Four Tops’ version of the “Renee” (good, but lacks the delicate melancholy of the original), and  and  the Eels’ letter-perfect rendition of “Pretty Ballerina” from their “Live At Town Hall” Eels with Strings album.

Steven Mirkin

Steven Mirkin’s diverse career has taken him from politics to pop culture to high art, offering him a front row seat to some of the most fascinating events and personalities of our time: writing speeches, fundraising appeals and campaign materials for Ed Koch, John Heinz and independent presidential candidate John B. Anderson; chronicling the punk/new wave scenes in New York and London; interviewing musicians such as Elton John, John Lydon and Buck Owens; profiling modern masters Julian Schnabel, Paul Schrader and Jonathan Safran Foer; and writing for TV shows including 21, The Chamber, Let's Make A Deal, and Rock Star: INXS.