I usually try to stay clear of static videos, but it is highly unlikely that there is ever going to be any video footage of this group of, essentially, lesser lights (aka cast-offs) from reasonably famous bands, performing the two minute funk masterpiece, Apricot Brandy.
Originally, these guys were marketed as a supergroup, as they had ties to Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Iron Butterfly and Buffalo Springfield. The reality was that the public didn’t care. If you are going to market a band as a supergroup, you should at least have one recognizable face – or at least an attractive one. This band had neither and the album quickly had its corner sniped and was tossed unceremoniously into the discount bin.
There one golden moment for Rhinoceros is this song, which is the only reason I have held onto this album. The funny thing is is that they got to make two more albums. Besides Apricot Brandy, this has to be some of the most unlistenable schmaltz from the sixties – it makes the worst of Blood Sweat and Tears sound like Beethoven. I guess the record company felt that the public was wrong in their dismissal of Rhinoceros, and decided to teach us a lesson by releasing two more albums even more unlistenable than the first – obviously as punishment for not supporting the first album.
The second and third albums skipped off the edge of the discount bin and went straight to the garbage…where they belonged. It should also be noted that any chance these guys had of actual success was negated when management declined an offer to perform at Woodstock. Joni Mitchell could recover from missing out on Woodstock. These bowl cuts, not a chance.
It is probably for the best, though, that they missed Woodstock, as it would have given the poor quality ‘brown acid’ circulating there a run for its money.