Denny Doherty :: Watcha Gonna Do

dohertyWatcha gonna do? – often heard when people appear to be shit out of luck or otherwise down and out. But this time it was the title of Denny Doherty’s first solo album after The Mamas and the Papas quietly disbanded in 1968 following the release of The Papas & The Mamas. Mama Cass had found solo success with “Dream a Little Dream of Me” while Papa John released his own country rock opus John, The Wolfking of L.A. and his ex-wife (the band’s other Mama) Michelle began a successful acting career. As for Denny, he said to Rolling Stone’s Ben Fong-Torres in 1971, “I just sat around, and in the interim I got a thing from ABC/Dunhill President Jay Lasker saying I owed this amount of money for no project. So I said ‘Whatever’s right,’ and did an album.” As is the case with most cult albums, Watcha Gonna Do was recorded so the man could get his money.

The big question though was how Denny’s robust voice would fair without his former bandmates rich harmonies? Though a Canadian native, Denny instinctively turned to an American inspiration for his solo debut — country-and-western; which by 1970 was becoming the go-to muse of rock musicians who were going back to the land and finding their roots. Gram Parsons’ famously deemed it “cosmic American music” (though he later infamously denounced country-rock as a “plastic dry-fuck”) and Denny found himself in good company amongst The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds and his former partner John Phillips.

Paired with ABC/Dunhill’s staff producer Bill Szymczyk they gathered an ad-hoc group of Los Angeles’ finest studio musicians including staff writer Eddy Fischer along with Eric Hord on guitars, Gabe Lapano on piano, Bryan Garofolo on bass, Russ Kunkel on drums, and the “Big E” himself: Buddy Emmons on pedal steel. Denny’s label mate Barry McGuire sat in acoustic guitar and harp while Jimmie Haskell added accordion and string arrangements. The band was then complimented by an eight-person vocal chorus giving the group a full and rich sound on the album. Szymczyk later said of the sessions “It was almost like a Grateful Dead thing: ‘Come on, let’s all play and make a record.’”

Denny Doherty :: Watcha Gonna Do  

Denny also played 12-string guitar on the recordings, further connecting the wobbling line between his folk roots and pop sensibilities. Although the album was a contractual obligation he made the best of the situation by throwing what he called “a contract party” — or as Garofolo infamously described it: “a real bitchin’ time! A little bit of drinking, and a little bit of taking. Lots of laughing and smiling!” The opening title track sets the tone for the LP as Emmon’s otherworldly playing pairs with a gospel choir crying take heed build in climax of urgency for the earth conscious song. Eddy and Barry joined Denny and his girlfriend Linda Woodward to write “Tuesday Morning” which is delivered in a hazy, stoned, mantra-like monotonous tone that rambles through the days of the week. Though one has to wonder if it was written as hippie’s nod and wink to The Mamas and Papas hit “Monday, Monday”. . .

That said, The Mama & Papa’s were revisited on the album with Denny’s hypnotic solo take on “Got A Feelin’” which was originally inspired by his relationship with the then-Mrs. Phillips (Fleetwood Mac were not the only ones to have inner band love turmoils) and released on the bands 1966 debut If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. Michelle later said “the affair between me and Denny really created a lot of hits”. Here, Jimmie Haskell’s technicolored string arrangement paired with Denny’s gripping vocal add an immense amount of tension to the revisited version. The album closes with a devout medley of The Beatles “Here Comes the Sun/Two of Us”, Denny’s homage to The Fab Four who jump started his career in pop rock after he abandoned his folk roots in 1965.

When Watcha Gonna Do was released in February 1971 it was a adorned with a cover of Denny laying lonely in a forgotten bathtub in the middle of a field; a subtle nod to an artist going out on his own as The Mamas and the Papas’ If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears featured the band happily squished into a bathtub. In five short years things had changed and Denny’s solo debut was well-received by fans and critics alike.

In March 1972 Denny returned to the studio with a young, soon-to-be-famous rock duo by the surnames of Becker and Fagen who were two staff writers for for ABC/Dunhill. Walter Becker later quipped in 2000 that they filled “probably the last songwriters’ jobs ever” and they were paid, a somewhat fair at the time, salary of $125 a week for the sessions that lasted through May of that year. Though they remained unreleased for four decades the nautical themed (proto-yacht rock) pairing of songs “Sail the Waterway” and “Giles of the River” are now featured on the deluxe release Of All The Things: The Complete ABC/Dunhill Masters, now available via Real Gone Music. words / d norsen

Denny Doherty :: Still Can’t Hear The Music

3 thoughts on “Denny Doherty :: Watcha Gonna Do

  1. As good as the best albums from the 70’s. As underrated as Bill Fay and Terry Melcher’s 1st ones….

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