The debut album from the Michael Brown led project (The Left Banke, Stories). Contains a bonus disc featuring 13 previously unissued demos from the band.

When the lone album by The Beckies was released in 1976, what should have been a beginning quickly became the end of the band’s story. With little to no promotion from Sire Records, the album sank under a wave of changing fashion and sounds.

—Daniel Coston, from his liner notes

After forming The Left Banke, Montage, and Stories, the world became familiar with the brilliant songwriting of Michael Brown. Post-Left Banke, Brown was introduced to singer Scott Trusty by a mutual friend. They collaborated on a Trusty solo single in 1970 just before Brown formed Stories. Reconnecting with Trusty a few years later, Scott introduced Michael to a few Kansas City musician friends who had just relocated to New York—Jimmy McAllister and Gary Hodgden (soon to be rechristened as Gary West)—and the new collective quickly began writing and recording songs in a loft space. Known as “Brown’s Band,” the demos soon found their way to Seymour Stein, and The Beckies (renamed after Hodgden’s wife) had a home.

Sadly, as happens, the lack of live performances and promotions saw their debut sink without a trace, but those who heard it loved the power pop and lush Brown and Hodgden compositions. A bit of a holy grail for those in the know, the album found folks scouring the used bins for a copy of The Beckies.

Now, nearly 40 years after its original release, the original album (and more!) returns on Good To Know: The Beckies Story. The original 11-track album appears on the first disc, while the second contains 13 previously unissued songs from those original demo sessions—displaying the band’s dynamics in a way the way their eventual album sometimes hinted at.

Remastered by Grammy-winning engineer Michael Graves, Good To Know: The Beckies Story also contains new liner notes from set co-Producer Daniel Coston, featuring interviews with remaining band members telling the story of The Beckies and their post-Beckies journeys. Good to know, indeed.

2-CD Track List:

Disc 1:

1. Right By My Side (Etude)
2. River Bayou
3. Midnight And You
4. Fran
5. Other Side Of Town
6. Song Called Love
7. Can’t Be Alone
8. River Song
9. On The Morning That She Came
10. One Of These Days
11. Run Jenny Run

Disc 2:

1. Blue Monday (Demo)
2. She Wrote A Song (Demo)
3. Song Called Love (Demo)
4. Day Break (Demo)
5. Do I (Demo)
6. Baby Oh Baby (Demo)
7. Lonely Times (Demo)
8. Good To Know (Demo)
9. Caroline (Demo)
10. River Song (Demo)
11. River Bayou (Demo)
12. She Wrote A Song (Demo Version 2)
13. Blue Monday (Demo Version 2)

Disc 2 previously unissued