Representative Albums: "The Rembrandts," "Greatest Hits," "Untitled"
Representative Songs: "I'll Be There for You," "Just the Way It Is, Baby," "Rollin' Down the Hill"
Biography
Even though they became best known for recording "I'll Be There for You," the theme song to the smash NBC sitcom Friends, the Rembrandts were actually rather successful back in 1990 with their self-titled debut album, which produced a Top 20 hit in "Just the Way It Is, Baby." The duo of songwriter Danny Wilde and Phil Solem, both originally in the Los Angeles band Great Buildings, forged a Beatles-tinged brand of pop/rock with ringing guitars and fresh harmonies that found favor with radio programmers across the country, as well as Friends co-producer Kevin Bright. The Rembrandts were invited to record a theme song for the show, which they completed in three days; after the show became a hit, radio demand for a full-length version was overwhelming, and one was added to 1995's LP at the last minute. While the song was an instant radio smash, topping Billboard's airplay chart for eight weeks, it was never released as a retail single, which makes its overall chart peak of number 17 somewhat deceptive. LP, meanwhile, went platinum. The band followed in 1998 with Spin This, this time under the name Danny Wilde & the Rembrandts. During the new millennium, and five years after their biggest hit, Wilde and Solem picked things up where they left off for a classic and rejuvenated rock sound on 2001's Lost Together. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
The Rembrandts are an American popular-rock musical band formed by Phil Solem and Danny Wilde in 1989. They had previously worked together as members of Great Buildings in 1981.
Before the foundation of The Rembrandts, Solem and especially Wilde were well-regarded music industry veterans. Wilde was a member of 1970s cult recording act The Quick, and had released several mildly successful solo albums in the 1980s. As well, Wilde and Solem had together been in the well-reviewed (but commercially unsuccessful) power-pop quartet Great Buildings, a band which released one album for CBS in 1981 before dissolving.
After establishing themselves as The Rembrandts in 1989, Solem and Wilde recorded a self-titled album largely in Wilde's home studio. From this album, the group had their first success during 1990 with "Just the Way It Is, Baby", which scored at number 13 on the Billboard singles chart. The self-titled album scored number 88 on the album charts.
The next album Untitled, of 1992, featured the minor successes "Johnny Have You Seen Her" and 'Chase the Clouds Away". Another track from the album, "Rollin' Down The Hill", was used in the movie Dumb & Dumber.
"I'll Be There for You," the theme for the situation comedyFriends, scored #1 the Hot 100 Airplay chart for several weeks before being released as a single and peaking at #17 U.S.Billboard charts. The single has been released in other countries, including the UK, where it scored number 3 in 1995 and number 5 in 1997. The success of Friends has caused a greater awareness of the band, and to greater sales of their recorded albums. The song was also featured on the Friends Soundtrack album.
In 1997, the duo split, with Solem returning to Minneapolis to concentrate on his band Thrush. In 1998, Wilde released the album Spin This, credited to "Danny Wilde + The Rembrandts". But by 2000 Solem and Wilde reunited, and in 2001 released the album Lost Together as The Rembrandts.
In 2005 the band released an album of re-recorded favorites called Choice Picks. There are two versions of Choice Picks, one released through Awarestore which features the new track "Chasin' Down A Rainbow". The other version was released on the Fuel 2000 label, with the new track "Don't Give Me Up".
In 2006, Rhino released a collection called The Rembrandts' Greatest Hits, a 20 song career-spanning retrospective that included material from the lone Great Buildings album, Apart From The Crowd.
The duo continues to write new songs and tour, while also working on material and producing for other artists, including Plain White T's, Katie & Katie, Gin Blossoms, Evan & Jaron, and Glen Phillips (Wilde) and Catchpenny, Christo Savalas, and The Melismatics (Solem.)
