The Left Banke

The Left Banke only remained together in their original incarnation for a brief, golden moment, but that moment has lived on through the decades. Brooklyn-born keyboardist/composer Michael Brown was a teenage prodigy with a classical background that profoundly informed his graceful, poignant pop songs. The angelic-voiced Steve Martin (no, not that one) was perfect for Brown’s baroque-pop paeans to lost innocence and unrequited love, making early singles “Walk Away Renee” and “Pretty Ballerina” as heart-stoppingly beautiful as anything on, say, Pet Sounds. Unfortunately, internal strife soon overtook the band, devolving to the point that briefly in late 1967, there were two different Left Bankes battling over the name. (Brown's apostate lineup, which released the flop single "Ivy Ivy," featured folksinger/actor Bert Sommer and future comic superstar Michael McKean.) Without Brown, The Left Banke limped along for a couple of years, releasing a second album and a handful of singles. Brown formed the very similar Montage, 1970s art-poppers Stories (who after his departure scored a solitary hit with "Brother Louie") and cult favorite power-poppers The Beckies. Since the late '70s, Brown's been a baroque-pop J.D. Salinger, remaining mostly incognito even as his legendary band gains new fans every year.