"
Avenging Annie" is the sole single released by
Andy Pratt. This song, from the viewpoint of a "mythical heroine," (and based partially on
Woody Guthrie's "The Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd" as interpreted by
The Byrds), is sung by Pratt mostly in
falsetto, accompanied by cat, piano and guitar (both forwards and backwards).The song rides on Pratt's classically-influenced piano through the painful story of his first marriage, which he reworks as an American Outlaw West fantasy reminiscent of
Bonnie and Clyde, or
Annie Oakley. At the end, the heroine finds "peace and release" on her own.
In June 1973 the single reached the top 15 on
WRKO-AM in Pratt's native Boston, but peaked at number 78 on the
Billboard Hot 100, spending ten weeks on the chart.,
Billboard, June 30, 1973.
The record, produced by
John Nagy with additional production suggestions from Clive Davis, went to number one in
New Orleans and
Providence.
Rick Shlosser played drums on the record.
Prior to the release of the record, a pirate tape circulated through Providence and was frequently aired on Brown University radio as one of the most requested songs. This is what led to an official overproduced recording, which lacked the punch and power of the original pirate tape of 1971.
The song was covered by
Roger Daltrey on his 1977 album
One of the Boys; it later appeared on all three compilations of his solo...
Read More