Precious and Few
| "Precious and Few" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the Australian single | ||||
| Single by Climax | ||||
| from the album Climax Featuring Sonny Geraci | ||||
| B-side | "Park Preserve" | |||
| Released | December 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:43 | |||
| Label | Carousel/Rocky Road Records | |||
| Songwriter | Walter D. Nims | |||
| Producer | Larry Cox | |||
| Climax singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Precious and Few" is a song recorded by American group Climax which became a major North American hit in early 1972. The song was written by the band's guitarist, Walter D. Nims.
Background
 |
The original recording in 1970 was produced and arranged by Nick D'Amico (Nicola Marcello D'Amico). It was recorded at Sound City Recording Studios in Panorama City, California and engineered by Joseph Leahy. There was never a demo recording before the 1970 recording nor before the 1971 recoding, which rose to #1 in Cash Box on February 26, 1972.
Background voices on Climax's 1972 hit record were arranged by Tom Bähler and sung by Jeanne Sheffield, Debbie Clinger, Mitch Gordon and Tom Bähler.
The hit record was sung by Sonny Geraci.
Nick D'Amico played piano on both the original recording and the version that became a hit.
Chart performance
"Precious and Few" spent three weeks at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and hit number one on the Cash Box Top 100. It also reached number six on Canada's RPM 100.
Weekly charts
| Chart (1971–1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Go-Set | 29 |
| Australia Kent Music Report | 26 |
| Canadian RPM 100 | 6 |
| Canadian RPM MOR Playlist | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 6 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Record World The Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Record World The M.O.R. Chart | 3 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1972) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Canada | 28 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 30 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 48 |
| U.S. Cash Box | 31 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Cover versions
The song has been covered by several artists:
- In 1972 by Andy Williams, the Lettermen, Ray Conniff and Terry Baxter
- In 1973 by Pilita Corrales
- In a Spanish version in 1995 by Barrio Boyzz titled "Entre tú y yo"
- In 1998 by the Company.
See also
References
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (January 1, 1997). "Various Artists - Have a Nice Day, Super Hits of the '70s". In Bogdanov, Vladimir; Erlewine, Michael; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Unterberger, Richie; Woodstra, Chris (eds.). AllMusic Guide to Rock. San Francisco: Miller Freeman, Inc. p. 1074.
- 1 2 Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (October 15, 1996). "Born To Be Mild: Soft Rock". Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 30–32. ISBN 031214704X.
- ↑ Casalena, Em (2025-09-15). "3 Bands Who Made It Big in 1972 (And Then Disappeared Without a Trace)". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ↑ "discogs.com". discogs.com. 1971. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ↑ FabulousFlipSides. "Fabulous Flip Sides In Memoriam – Sonny Geraci – Outsiders / Climax". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ↑ "The Music Issue". clevelandmagazine.com. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- 1 2 Cash Box Top 100, Cash Box, February 26, 1972. p. 4. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- 1 2 "RPM 100", RPM, Volume 17, No. 4, March 11, 1972. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ↑ Ed Nimmervoll, "Go-Set National Top 40", August 5, 1972. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. July 17, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
- ↑ Climax - Chart History - The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed November 16, 2016.
- ↑ Climax - Chart History - Adult Contemporary, Billboard.com. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Billboard Top 40 Easy Listening", Billboard, March 4, 1972. p. 46. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- ↑ "The Singles Chart", Record World, March 11, 1972. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
- ↑ "The M.O.R. Chart", Record World, March 4, 1972. p. 21. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Top Pop 100 Singles", Billboard, December 30, 1972. p. TA-20. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Top Easy Listening Singles", Billboard, December 30, 1972. p. TA-22. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Top 100 Singles of 72", Cash Box, December 30, 1972. p. 36. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Climax – Precious". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ↑ "Cover versions of Precious and Few written by Walter D. Nims | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.