The first album by the Stephen Stills–led band, Manassas, stands as one of the most underrated records of all time. There’s one great track after another for the full four sides. One of those classics is called “It Doesn’t Matter.” It established a blueprint for the Stevie Nicks–Lindsay Buckingham edition of Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, and every other country-rock-blues-based band, many of which achieved multiplatinum success. My love for this song led me to, well, Wikipedia, where I learned about the man who cowrote the catchy tune with Stills: Rick Roberts. Who? Rick Roberts, one of the mainstays of an underachieving band that attained intermittent success, Firefall.
Rock lore states that if Firefall hadn’t succumbed to mismanagement, infighting, and heaven knows what else, they could’ve sold out arenas and stadiums like their contemporaries. Instead, they fizzled and received an unfairly minimal amount of radio play. Unfortunately, they settled for a double when they should’ve been credited with a grand slam.
Here’s a partial list of wonderful Firefall numbers featuring hummable melodies, sweet harmonies, sharp guitar licks, and tasteful production, all neatly wrapped into radio-friendly hooks: “Livin’ Ain’t Livin’,” “No Way Out,” “Cinderella,” “You Are the Woman,” “Mexico,” “So Long,” “Just Remember I Love You,” “Even Steven,” and “Strange Way.” But the gateway tune for me was “It Doesn’t Matter.”
The Manassas album has never been surpassed for its outstanding musicianship and pioneering country-rock-soul-Latino adventurism, but I’m partial to the Firefall rendition of IDM. Every time I hear it, I think of Nicks-Buckingham and a world of other professional musicians, sitting at home studying its composition so they could copy it and make the big bucks that eluded Rick Roberts and his brethren.
Give it a listen, and let me know if you agree.