The Friends Of Distinction - Real Friends (1970)

The Friends of Distinction are an American vocal group best known for their late 1960s hits, "Grazing in the Grass", "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", and "Going in Circles".
The Friends of Distinction were discovered by American football player Jim Brown, who also discovered Earth, Wind & Fire, and were signed to RCA Records, and formed in 1968 in Los Angeles with original members Floyd Butler, Harry Elston, Jessica Cleaves, and Barbara Love. Butler and Elston had worked together in The Hi-Fi's in the mid 1960s, often opening for Ray Charles. Other members of the Hi-Fi's were Marilyn McCoo and Lamont McLemore, who would later co-found The Fifth Dimension.
It's the summer of 1969, and the whole world is joyfully singing, "Grazing in the grass is a gas, baby, can you dig it!" The Friends of Distinction's debut single was a made-for-radio pop masterpiece that captured the ebullience of that last summer of the '60s in its three minutes of harmonic exuberance. While the group never quite reached those heights again, the Friends did produce a small body of work in their brief lifetime that has held up well. Three hit-singles were taken from this album, "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", "It Don't Matter to Me" and "Long Time Comin' My Way".


01.  "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely"  (Poree, Peters, Scarborough)  - 3:23 
02.  "Lady Mae"  (A. Poree, G. Poree, Peters)  - 4:55 
03.  "It Don't Matter To Me"  (D. Gates)  - 3:22 
04.  "My Mind Is A Camera"   (Poree, Peters)  - 3:55 
05.  "Out In The Country"  (J. Peters)  - 4:50 
06.  "Any Way You Want Me"  (J. Griffin, R. Royer)  - 3:15 
07.  "Crazy Mary"   (Poree, Peters)  - 4:59 
08.  "Just A Little Lovin'"   (Mann-Weil)  - 3:31 
09.  "Long Time Comin' My Way"   (Elston, Evans)  - 2:40 
10.  "On & On"   (Poree, Peters)  - 3:50 

Credits
Performer [The Friends Of Distinction Are] – Charlene Gibson, Floyd, Harry, Jes
Performer [Musical Instruments] – Hollywood's Musical Friends Of The Friends
Arranged By [Vocals] – Jerry Peters
Engineer [Recording] – Hank McGill
Photography By [Liner Photo] – Tony DeMaria
Technician [Recording] – Dennis Smith, George Graves, Kent Tunks, Pat Ieraci, Pete Abbott, Rick Ruggieri, Steve Francisco
Producer – Ray Cork, Jr.

Notes
Illustration [Cover] – Dave Wilcox
Design [Album] – Frank Mulvey
Genre - Funk, Soul
Recorded in RCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California.
© 1970 RCA Victor Records, New York, N.Y.