What's Going On (Taste song)

"What's Going On" is a 1970 song by the blues rock band Taste written by Rory Gallagher and produced by Tony Colton. The song was a major hit for Taste.

"What's Going On"
Single by Taste
from the album On the Boards
B-side"Morning Sun"
Released1970
Recorded1968
GenreRock
Length2:48
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)Rory Gallagher
Producer(s)Tony Colton

Taste's A-side, a driving rock song, and the B-side boogie "Morning Sun",[1] were taken from 1968 sessions for Taste's second album On the Boards and released by Taste's manager and Polydor without Gallagher's knowledge; going straight to No.1 in Germany, where the previous single "Born On The Wrong Side Of Time" had already been a hit, before Gallagher knew anything about it. By the time Gallagher had complained to Polydor the single had also entered the UK Top 10 and was unstoppable. Gallagher, who wanted to build the trio's image around serious blues music, not rock, was not happy with the record company having the say on the choice of "commercial" singles, and the other two members of the trio, John Wilson and Charlie McCracken, sided with Gallagher.[2] After this single Taste performed at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970, but Gallagher quit Polydor on the last day of the year and left Taste to work on solo projects.[3]

References

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  1. ^ All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide 0879307366 - Page 537 Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine - 2003 "Rock Before becoming a solo star, Rory Gallagher fronted the blues.rock trio Taste, which experienced reasonable ... moving from driving rockers ("What's Going On," "I'll Remember") and basic boogies ("Morning Sun," "If I Don't Sing I'll Cry") .."
  2. ^ Dan Muise Gallagher, Marriott, Derringer & Trower: Their Lives and Music 2002 0634029568- Page 11 "But again [Eddie] Kennedy released a single, "What's Going On," without Rory's knowledge. It had not been released in the U.K. but it went to number 1 in Germany before Rory found out. Eddie explained it away, "Oh, the Germans must have done it without permission but it's too late to stop it now, it's already in the Top 10." It seemed that Kennedy couldn't get a firm understanding of what it was that Rory wanted to establish."
  3. ^ Billboard - 1 Jul. 1995 - Page 12 "Helped along by the admiration of John Lennon, Taste signed to Polydor in 1967, and its second album, "On The Boards," was a worldwide best seller. After the famous Isle of Wight festival in 1970, Gallagher left Taste to release solo projects ."