PARIS was a power trio that included former Fleetwood Mac singer/guitarist Bob Welch, former Jethro Tull bass player Glenn Cornick, and former Nazz drummer Thom Mooney. Formed in 1975, following Welch’s departure from Fleetwood Mac, Paris released their first of two albums in January of ’76. As a major part of Fleetwood Mac for 4 albums, including such classics as “Hypnotized”, “Bermuda Triangle”, and “Sentimental Lady” – a track he’d lady re-record and have a hit as a solo artist. Anyway, Paris debut album would be a heavier, blues based – rockier album, Zeppelin influenced rather than more in tune with the Fleetwood Mac stuff. Glenn Cornick was a fitting heavy bass player, having played on the first few Tull albums, as well as Wild Turkey. Rockers like “Black Book”, “Religion”, “Nazarene”, and “Rock Of Ages” – all really good tracks, that should’ve appealed to those in to Zeppelin, Mountain, and perhaps Deep Purple. I love the recording on this record, produced & engineered by Jimmy Robinson, who’s later credits also included early Sammy Hagar, Detective, and Yesterday & Today. Check out cuts like “Narrow Gate” – with a number of changes, and Cornick’s bass sound jumping out, as well as “Beautiful Youth”, which sounds like it would’ve fit nicely on a previously Fleetwood Mac album, which makes sense as Welch wrote everything here.
Paris didn’t crack the Top 100 at the time (#103 in the US), I haven’t found much else on it, and there was no single from it. The band would release a follow up later than year with Hunt Sales replacing Mooney. Welch would later go on to a successful solo career, releasing a number of albums, and having a few it singles. When Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the R & R Hall of Fame in 1998 Welch was omitted, which was shameful,, IMO. Welch passed away in 2012, Cornick passed in 2014, Mooney took part in a one-off Nazz reunion for Rundgren Radio in 2019. The Paris album has been reissued a few times on CD, so shouldn’t be hard to find, and is well worth checking out.
PARIS, Capitol ST- 11464. The world of heavy metal boogie
gets a new power trio featuring guitarist- singer -writer Robert Welch, lately of Fleetwood Mac, with bassist -keyboardist Glen Cornick, an original member of Jethro Tull. The buzzsaw gui- tar leads and oh- so- cosmic lyrics remind one of the early Deep Purple at its most rambunctious. Best cuts: “Beautiful
Youth,” “Narrow Gate,” “Nazarene.”
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