RARE EARTH RECORDS
But not all of the bands and artists signed by Motown Records were African-American. Not long after I got to college, the cover of the Smokey Robinson song “Get Ready” by a band called Rare Earth was released. While they were not the first white band signed by Motown, they were the first to have a hit. Originally called the Sunliners, Rare Earth had previously released an album on Verve Records called Dreams/Answers in 1968. When they were signed by Motown Records, the company was starting a new label for white acts. The band jokingly suggested Rare Earth Records, and to their surprise, that is what Motown named the label.
(April 2015/1)
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The next year, Crystal Mansion became one of the bands added to the roster of the Motown Records subsidiary Rare Earth Records that featured white acts. This album, The Crystal Mansion has virtually the same name as their 1969 album Crystal Mansion and is the one that I have. Bandmembers for this 1971 release are – in the order given on the back cover – Rick Morley (percussion), Sal Rota (organ, piano, vocal), Ronnie Gentile (guitar), Mario Sanchez (conga, vocal), Bill Crawford (bass), and Johnny Caswell (vocal, piano). Under his real name, former bandmember David White Tricker appears courtesy of Bell Records and co-wrote three of the songs.
(August 2015)
