Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina is the debut studio album by the American baroque pop band the Left Banke, released in January 1967. Named after its two hit singles, “Walk Away Renée” and “Pretty Ballerina”, it peaked at number 67 on the Billboard Albums chart. Although the album was not widely popular upon its initial release, and fell into relative obscurity for a time, it is now viewed as a definitive example of baroque pop music.

It’s been dark and chucking down with rain for weeks. I’m having a big Left Banke moment and I’ve been playing “I’ve Got Something On my Mind” on guitar all week and attemting the keyboard part too (LOL).

It’s hard to believe that these incredibly clever songs were written by Michael Brown (15) and sung by Steve Martin Caro (16). Impeccable harmonies.

Pretty Balerina is very musically clever and uses teh Lydian mode. A besotted Michale Brown wrote it about the then bass player’s girlfriend (see also Walk Away Renee). Things must have got complicated.

A bit like the Zombies, they burned brightly and quickly at the time and only got recognition after they had long broken up. All of the original members have now sadly passed.