Nicolette Larson ~ Lotta Love 1978 Disco Purrfection Version

I feel a very special relationship to this song, the intelligent lyrics, the plaintive vocals of Nicolette Larson against a lushly produced musical track warms my heart every time I listen to it. I remember hearing it on WKBW Buffalo after the sun went down and the station came alive, and disappeared when the sun came could not get WKBW during the day in Quebec City, it was the only english Top 40 US station that maintained my connection to the US after moving up here to attend college. I almost passed out when I found this Promo 12“ version in Toronto at Peter Dunn’s Vinyl Museum on Yonge St along with the Doobie Brothers “What A Fool Believes“ disco version. I could not wait to get home and play it. I started working on this about five years ago, but it never advanced, so I let it sit and after a few years of tries, I dumped the file and started new this past week, and it finally came together. The punched up kick drum and bass on this 4:19 Promo Disco Version really make this one pop, and I’m glad I can finally put this out there. I hope y’all like it. Larson was born July 17, 1952 in Helena, Montana. She attended high school in Kansas City while working as a waitress and administrative assistant before she turned her attentions to creating a career for herself as a singer, something she dreamed of doing since she was a child. While working in a San Francisco record store, she donated her off time to the Golden Gate Country Bluegrass Festival as support staff member and she began to showcase her considerable voice in the Bay area. Her first paid gig was in Vancouver, British Columbia got her work with Hoyt Axton and doing background vocals for Commander Cody on his LP, “Tales From The Ozone“ and then opened for Joan Baez in 1975. She joined forces with Emmylou Harris who put her in touch with friend Linda Ronstadt. One night when Linda and Nicolette were hanging out singing harmony for each other, Neil Young happened to call Linda to ask her if she could recommend a female singer for backgrounds. Linda quickly replied “Nicolette Larson“ to which Young replied that since he already had three other recommendations from business associates that had given him the same name, he might as well gieve her a chance. Soon, Linda, Nicolette and Neil were jamming on the songs that Neil Young was preparing for his new album tentatively titled “Tonight’s The Night“. While he did not tape any of those sessions, he enjoyed the camaraderie. For his follow up LP, “American Stars N’Bars“, he got Nicolette and Linda to come over and jam with him, but did not reveal until afterwards to the women that he had professionally recorded their vocals and they unwittingly became “stars in the background“ billed as Bullet. Nicolette got her record contract with Warner Brothers and a credit as a backing singer for the Doobie Brothers LP “Minute By Minute“ that spawned the #1 pop hit “What A Fool Believes“ in 1979, produced by Ted Templeman. Templeman then helmed Nicolette’s eponymously titled LP that contained her cover of Neil’s “Lotta Love“. That song is her defining moment, and she never repeated that success, the official follow up was “Rhumba Girl“ (which plays a lot on Stingray 70’s channel) did not even make top 40. I remember hearing “French Waltz“ a few times on the radio. Further waxings did nothing to increase her popularity on the charts. In 1983, she joined a touring production of “Pump Boys & Dinettes“, a country western musical that led to a new recording contract with MCA Nashville. With duet partner Steve Wariner she went Top 40 country with “That’s How You Know When Love’s Right“. Larson suffered from liver failure and succumbed to complications that arose and she died December 16, 1997. In 2006 Rhino Records released “Live At The Roxy“, a concert performance that was recorded in 1978 and promptly shelved. In the short time Larson was here, she garnered immense support from the rock community, that attended her funeral and celebrated her talent with tribute albums.