Editing Nazz

{{Short description|American rock band}}
{{redirect|The Nazz|the comedy routine based on the story of Jesus Christ|Lord Buckley|other uses|Nazz (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name                = Nazz
| image               = The Nazz.jpg
| image_size          = 
| caption             = Nazz in 1968. Left to right: [[Carson Van Osten]], Stewkey, [[Todd Rundgren]], Thom Mooney.
| background          = group_or_band
| origin              = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| genre               = {{hlist|
 |[[Psychedelic rock]]<ref name="RamoneHerschlag2015" />
 |{{nowrap|[[garage rock]]}}<ref name="RamoneHerschlag2015">{{cite book|first1=Marky|last1=Ramone|first2=Richard|last2=Herschlag|title=Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oWpNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA76|date=13 January 2015|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-4516-8779-8|page=76}}</ref>
 |[[power pop]]<ref>{{cite book|author1=Patricia Romanowski Bashe|first2=Patricia|last2=Romanowski|first3=Holly|last3=George-Warren|first4=Jon|last4=Pareles|title=The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonee00patr|url-access=registration|year=1995|publisher=Fireside|isbn=978-0-684-81044-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonee00patr/page/695 695]}}</ref>
 }}
| years_active        = 1967–1969
| label               = [[Colgems Records|SGC]]
| associated_acts     = 
| website             = 
| current_members     = 
| past_members        = [[Todd Rundgren]]<br />[[Carson Van Osten]]<br />Thom Mooney<br />Stewkey
}}

T<!--- Do not try to "correct" by removing the definite article, see "name" section below ---->he '''Nazz''' was an American [[rock music|rock]] band formed in [[Philadelphia]] in 1967. The group was founded by guitarist and main songwriter [[Todd Rundgren]] and bassist [[Carson Van Osten]].<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor-first=Colin|editor-last=Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=890}}</ref> Drummer Thom Mooney and vocalist/keyboardist Robert "Stewkey" Antoni joined soon after. The group is best known for their debut single "Open My Eyes”, and "[[Hello It's Me]]".

During 1968 and 1969, the Nazz released two albums (''[[Nazz (album)|Nazz]]'' and ''[[Nazz Nazz]]''). Following the group's disbandment in 1969, a collection of archival recordings was compiled and released under the title ''[[Nazz III]]''. Rundgren later re-recorded a solo version of "Hello It's Me" that reached number 5 on the U.S. charts.

==History==
===Name and formation===
Nazz was formed in [[Philadelphia]] in 1967.<ref name=Rough>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&pg=PA712|page=712|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|first=Peter|last=Buckley |year=2003 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=9781843531050}}</ref> Vocalist/keyboardist Robert Antoni performed and recorded under the [[mononym]] Stewkey, which he said was a nickname he earned because he "was always stewed".<ref name=OpenAnt>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Open Our Eyes: The Anthology |others=Nazz |year=2019 |first=Kieron |last=Tyler |type=Booklet |publisher=Purple Pyramid Records}}</ref>

The band took its name from [[The Yardbirds]]' 1966 song "[[The Nazz Are Blue]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-nazz-mn0000377892/biography|work=[[AllMusic]]|title=The Nazz|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref><ref name=Rough/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ke2OAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA119|page=119|title=Went to See the Gypsy|first=Mark|last=Fogarty|year=2012|publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=9781105458668}}</ref> There also exists a 1952 monologue, "The Nazz", by the American Beatnik comedian [[Lord Buckley]],<ref>Evans, Paul. "The Nazz." [[Rolling Stone Album Guide#Third edition|The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]. Ed. Anthony DeCurtis and James Henke with Holly George-Warren. New York: Random House, 1992. 497.</ref> but Rundgren has said that none of the band members were aware of this.<ref name=OpenAnt/>

The band's official name on all records and press materials is simply "Nazz", without the [[definite article]]. However, the group also sometimes called themselves "the Nazz". Rundgren stated that "We were formed in the late sixties, so most every band was ''the'' something. It was always 'the This' or 'the That,' so we were looking for something kind of simple and iconographic, I guess."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kjellmer |first1=Göran|last2=Aijmer|first2=Karin|title=A wealth of English: studies in honour of Göran Kjellmer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5HhaAAAAMAAJ|year=2001|publisher=Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis|isbn=978-91-7346-398-0}}</ref> In the song "Loosen Up", a member  introduces the group as "the Nazz, from Philadelphia."<ref>{{cite AV media notes| title = Nazz III| others= Nazz| year = 1970| type = Audio| publisher = SGC Records}}</ref> Conversely, in a 2019 interview, Mooney and Antoni stated that "Nazz" had always been the correct name.<ref name=StewMoonInt/>

The group's original managers Jack Warfield and Jerry Bartoff owned a record store in downtown Philadelphia, and the band first rehearsed in a storage room above the record store.<ref name=StewMoonInt>{{cite web |author=Rundgren Radio |title=Interview with Stewkey Antoni and Thom Mooney of Nazz Dec 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b23JwnL4-7c |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=13 August 2022 |date=January 16, 2020 |archiveurl=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/b23JwnL4-7c |archivedate=December 6, 2021}}</ref> The group's first major concert had them opening for [[the Doors]] on June 18, 1967.<ref name=OpenAnt/>

In [[Phoenix, Arizona]], another band called Nazz was formed at about the same time that Nazz was formed in Philadelphia. This group released only one single before moving to Los Angeles and renaming themselves [[Alice Cooper (band)|Alice Cooper]].<ref>[https://alicecoopersingles.jimdofree.com/pre-alice-cooper-related/the-nazz/ The Nazz] ''Alice Cooper - The Singles Website''. Retrieved 2021-03-03.</ref>

===''Nazz''===

{{listen
| filename     = Nazz - Open My Eyes.ogg
| title        = "Open My Eyes" (1967)
| description  = Excerpt from the debut record by Nazz.
}}

The Nazz were approached at a [[Holiday Inn]] bar by manager/publicist John Kurland, who was looking for an act to manage and thought they looked like a band. After hearing them play in their space above the record shop, Kurland bargained with Warfield and Bartoff to buy the Nazz out.<ref name=OpenAnt/> Kurland and his assistant Michael Friedman marketed the Nazz in a teen magazine along with bands like [[the Monkees]]. However, the band preferred the heavier rock sounds of [[The Who]] and [[Cream (band)|Cream]].<ref name=StewMoonInt/> Since they actually played in both styles there may have been some conflict among fans about their image.

The band members often complained that Kurland restricted the number of concerts they played; Thom Mooney said in a late 1968 interview that "We haven't played a lot of dates yet, as our management didn't want us overexposed."<ref name=OpenAnt/> In a 2019 interview, however, Mooney challenged this complaint by the band, saying that they did have a reasonably loaded tour schedule and that the only reason management did not book them at more shows was because they could not play at bars, being underage.<ref name=StewMoonInt/>

The group signed with SGC Records, which released ''[[Nazz (album)|Nazz]]'' in October 1968.<ref name="Larkin"/> There was talk of putting the album out on the [[Colgems Records|Colgems]] label, but the band objected to this as they did not want to be seen as another Monkees, who recorded for Colgems.<ref name=OpenAnt/>

===''Nazz Nazz'' and ''Nazz III''===
An attempt at recording in England in January 1969 was cut short when the [[Musicians' Union (United Kingdom)|Musicians' Union]] found they had not obtained proper permission to record in the country, though before returning to the United States the Nazz did a shopping spree to update their wardrobe, building their definitive look.<ref name=StewMoonInt/><ref name=OpenAnt/> The Nazz then recorded their second album in Los Angeles in late 1968 and early 1969. Sources have claimed the album was originally called "Fungo Bat", but Rundgren, Stewkey, and Mooney have all said "Fungo Bat" was just a [[working title]].<ref name=StewMoonInt/><ref name=OpenAnt/> (A [[fungo bat]] is a special [[baseball bat]] used only for practice; it is not intended to hit pitched balls.)

Due to tensions which emerged during the recording of the album, Van Osten left shortly after it was completed. The Nazz then played a few shows as a trio, with temporary bassists filling Van Osten's slot, before Rundgren quit as well.<ref name=OpenAnt/> At this point, the Nazz's second album had still yet to be released. At Stewkey and Mooney's request, the planned [[double album]] was shortened to a single LP before being released as ''[[Nazz Nazz]]'' in May 1969.<ref name="Larkin"/> Much of what was cut was piano-based Rundgren material, influenced by singer/songwriter [[Laura Nyro]] - a far cry from the group's original [[The Beatles|Beatles]]-[[The Who|Who]]-[[the Yardbirds|Yardbirds]]-[[Cream (band)|Cream]] derived sound.<ref name="Larkin"/> For a short time the Nazz continued as a duo, touring with support musicians now covering for both Rundgren and Van Osten, before formally dissolving.

In a 2002 interview Rundgren said of the Nazz's career: "It was brief and very intense. I've made peace with it, but a lot of potential was wasted. I don't really blame any single person for that. I had a hard time focusing on the band, I continued to develop myself as a songwriter and a performer. Eventually everyone would feel like a [[backup band]] - I was writing the songs, producing the records. As time went on my presence was bound to distort the thing."<ref name=OpenAnt/>

''[[Nazz III]]'' was released in May 1971, over a year after the break-up. It consists primarily of material that was cut from the second album.

==Solo careers and legacy==
[[File:Todd Rungreen.jpg|thumb|left|Todd Rundgren, mid-1970s]]

Rundgren had a successful career as a solo artist and with the band [[Utopia (American band)|Utopia]]. His biggest solo hit was an up-tempo version of "Hello It's Me", from his 1972 ''[[Something/Anything?]]'' album, which peaked at #5 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] on 22 December 1973.

Van Osten largely dropped out of music, and worked for decades with [[The Walt Disney Company]] producing comic books and other media.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Wuzzles Production Cel Setup with Master Production Background {{!}} Lot #97396|url=https://comics.ha.com/itm/animation-art/production-cel/the-wuzzles-production-cel-setup-with-master-production-background-walt-disney-1985-/a/7207-97396.s|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Heritage Auctions|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q7Rd2waEIs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/2Q7Rd2waEIs |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Carson Van Osten – Disney Legends Ceremony – 2015 D23 Expo|date=19 August 2015|access-date=25 December 2015|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Stewkey and Mooney reconnected and played with [[Fuse (band)|Fuse]] for a brief period using two names, Fuse or Nazz, depending on where they were gigging. Mooney would leave again, and Fuse evolved into "Sick Man of Europe", and later (without Stewkey) [[Cheap Trick]].<ref>{{cite web| title =Nazz biography| work =Technicolor Web of Sound| url =http://www.techwebsound.com/playlistdetail.cfm?artist=381|access-date=2014-09-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title =Cheap Trick line-up history| publisher =Classicwebs.com| url =http://www.classicwebs.com/cheaptrk.htm| access-date =2014-09-01| url-status =usurped| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20141024144442/http://www.classicwebs.com/cheaptrk.htm| archive-date =2014-10-24}}</ref>

The Nazz proved influential on the emerging genre dubbed [[power pop]], which featured melodic pop songwriting with a more aggressive performance style.<ref name="Earles">{{cite web|last=Earles|first=Andrew|url=http://magnetmagazine.com/2002/09/07/power-pop-the-70s-the-birth-of-uncool/|title=Power Pop: The '70s, The Birth Of Uncool - Magnet Magazine|date=September 7, 2002|website=magnetmagazine.com}}</ref> They gained wider recognition thanks to the inclusion of "Open My Eyes" on ''[[Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968|Nuggets]]'' (1972), an anthology of American 1960s [[garage punk]] and [[psychedelia]] compiled by musician [[Lenny Kaye]]. The three Nazz LPs were reissued by [[Rhino Records]] on LP in 1983 and subsequently on CD with bonus demo and outtake tracks. In 2009, Spectra Records released three albums by Nazz. They were ''Nazz vs. Toddzila,'' ''13th and Pine'', (compilation) and ''Hello It's Crazy Me''.

In 2011, [[the Bangles]] recorded "Open My Eyes" on their album ''[[Sweetheart of the Sun]].'' The next year, [[King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard]] also recorded a cover of the song, for the ''Nuggets: Antipodean Interpolations Of The First Psychedelic Era'' compilation. {{clear}}

==In popular culture==
* "Open My Eyes" and "Wildwood Blues" by the Nazz are featured on the soundtrack of ''[[The Mad Room]]'', a 1969 horror movie directed by [[Bernard Girard]].<ref>Michael Weldon. ''The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film''. London: Plexus, 1983, p. 444</ref>

== Members ==
* [[Todd Rundgren]] – guitar, backing and lead vocals, keyboards
* [[Carson Van Osten]] – bass guitar, backing vocals (died December 22, 2015)
* Stewkey – lead and backing vocals, keyboards (died October 9, 2023)<ref>{{AllMusic|id=mn0000377892|label=The Nazz}}</ref>
* Thom Mooney – drums, occasional backing vocals, percussion

==Discography==
===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Information
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Nazz (album)|Nazz]]''
*Released: October 1968
*Label: [[Colgems Records|SGC Records]] – SD 5001
*Reissued by [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]] – 1983 (LP/Cassette) & 1988 (CD)
|-
|1969
| ''[[Nazz Nazz]]''
*Released: May 1969
*Label: [[Colgems Records|SGC Records]] – SD 5002
*Reissued by [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]] – 1983 (LP/Cassette) & 1988 (CD)
|-
|1971
| ''[[Nazz III]]''
*Released: July 11, 1971
*Label: [[Colgems Records|SGC Records]] – SD 5004
*Reissued by [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]] – 1983 (LP/Cassette) & 1988 (CD)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/atlantic/miscdist.html#sgc |title=Miscellaneous Atlantic-Distributed Labels |publisher=Bsnpubs.com |date=2005-09-25 |access-date=2014-08-22}}</ref>
|}

===Compilation albums===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Information
|-
|1984
| ''Best of Nazz''
*Label: [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]] – RNLP/RNC 116 – 1984 (LP/Cassette) / R1-70116 1989 (CD)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/warner/rhino/02rhino100.html |title=Rhino Album Discography, Part 2 |publisher=Bsnpubs.com |date=2004-07-25 |access-date=2014-08-22}}</ref>
|-
|1998
| ''Thirteenth and Pine''
*Label: Distortion Records
|-
|2002
| ''Open Our Eyes: The Anthology''
*Label: [[Sanctuary Records]]
|-
|2006
| ''Nazz Nazz – Including Nazz III – The Fungo Bat Sessions''
*Label: Castle Music
*Contains both ''Nazz Nazz'' and ''Nazz III'' albums on 2 CDs and many unreleased tracks
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
|-
!rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2" style="width:250px;"| Title
!colspan="2"| Chart positions
!rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
!width="30"|[[Billboard Hot 100|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100]]
!width="30"|[[RPM (magazine)|CA ''RPM'' Charts]]
|-
|| 1968
|align=left| "Open My Eyes"
| 112
| –
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|''[[Nazz (album)|Nazz]]'' 
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1969
|align=left| "[[Hello It's Me]]"
| 66<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/nazz|title=Billboard Hot 100 - Nazz|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=December 5, 2017}}</ref>
| 41<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5920.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - March 24, 1969}}</ref>
|-
|align=left| "Not Wrong Long"
| –
| 90<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5963&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5963.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5963|title=RPM Charts -April 28, 1969|website=[[Library and Archives Canada]]|date=17 July 2013|access-date=December 5, 2017}}</ref>
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Nazz Nazz]]''
|-
|align=left| "Some People"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/009 |title=The Nazz - Some People / Magic Me - SGC - USA - 45-009 |publisher=45cat |access-date=2014-08-22}}</ref>
| –
| –
| style="text-align:left;"|''[[Nazz III]]''
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Todd Rundgren}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:American power pop groups]]
[[Category:Garage rock groups from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American psychedelic rock music groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1967]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1970]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records artists]]
[[Category:Todd Rundgren]]
[[Category:1967 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Philadelphia]]