Feature Photo: Public Relations, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Anytime we publish an article about Three Dog Night, it receives a tremendous response, which tells us one thing: people loved that band. Of course, they are one of my favorite bands of all time. I grew up listening to them. Not just the big hits on the radio, but as a teenager in the 1970s, I purchased every single album they released. So I thought it was time to basically go back and run through every single one of their Studio albums and just write a little bit about the records, give some helpful information, and some commentary about each one of their albums. So we start with their debut album…..
Recorded in Los Angeles during the summer of 1968, the album (also known as “One”) was produced by Gabriel Mekler. The album featured the vocal talents of Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron, backed by an impressive lineup of musicians who too often did not get the credit that they should have gotten. These fantastic musicians played with an intense spirit that balanced the perfect blend of rock and soul grooves that sounded perfect on the radio. They were their own Wrecking Crew. The band included Michael Allsup on guitar, Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards, Joe Schermie on bass, and Floyd Sneed on drums. Originally formed in 1967, the group had initially gone by the name Redwood before settling on Three Dog Night, a name referring to an Australian aboriginal expression.
The album made a strong commercial impression, reaching the Top 20 on both the U.S. and Canadian album charts. While the first two singles from the album, “Nobody” and “Try A Little Tenderness,” achieved only moderate success, it was the third single, “One” (a cover of Harry Nilsson’s song), that became their breakthrough hit, reaching number five on the Billboard charts in 1969. The album brilliantly showcased the group’s versatility and talent for interpretation, featuring songs from an impressive array of songwriters including Traffic, The Beatles, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Randy Newman, and Neil Young.
Three Dog Night’s debut album included several songs that would later become part of their live repertoire, and notably contained their version of “Your Song,” making them one of the first major acts to record an Elton John composition well before he achieved his own breakthrough in America. This pattern of identifying and covering songs by up-and-coming songwriters would become a hallmark of Three Dog Night’s career, helping to introduce audiences to writers like Harry Nilsson, Laura Nyro, Randy Newman, and others.
The album title has often caused some confusion among fans. Gary Burden designed the album’s cover art, which initially displayed only the band’s name. Following the success of the single “One,” the title was added to capitalize on the song’s popularity. Nevertheless, the album is not officially titled One; it is simply Three Dog Night.
Three Dog Night’s self-titled debut album made a remarkable commercial impact upon its release in 1968, peaking at an impressive number eleven on the Billboard 200 chart and reaching number seventeen on the Canadian Albums Chart. The album’s commercial success was further validated when it was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 15, 1969, for sales exceeding five hundred thousand units, and nearly four decades later, was awarded Platinum certification on August 5, 2008, recognizing sales of over one million copies.
While the album’s first single “Nobody” barely made a dent on the charts at number one hundred sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100, the second single “Try a Little Tenderness” performed considerably better, reaching number twenty-nine in the US and number nineteen in Canada. However, it was the third release, “One,” that became the album’s breakout hit, climbing to number five on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number one on Record World Singles chart, and performing strongly internationally with a number four position in Canada and number sixteen in New Zealand.
While many fans remember the hits, the album’s first two tracks have become cult favorites among many hardcore fans who bought the individual albums. The album’s opening track, “Nobody,” is a real scorcher, followed by another smoking rock and roll song called “Chest Fever.”
CD Track Listings:
- “Nobody” 2:19
- “Chest Fever” 3:25
- “I’ll Be Creeping” 3:30
- “Don’t Make Promises” 3:00
- “Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad” 3:12
- “It’s For You” 2:15
- “Let Me Go” 3:55
- “One” 3:00
- “Try A Little Tenderness” 4:05
- “Heaven Is In Your Mind” 3:07
- “Find Someone To Love” 2:00
“Nobody”
Lead Vocal – Cory Wells
Written by Beth Beatty, Dick Cooper, and Ernie Shelby
“Chest Fever”
Lead Vocal – Cory Wells
Written by Robbie Robertson
And, of course, we need to include the two big hits…
“One”
Lead Vocal – Chuck Negron
Written by Harry Nilsson
“Try A Little Tenderness”
Lead Vocal – Cory Wells
Written by Jimmy Campbell, Reginald Connelly, and Harry M. Woods
Another choice deep track
Don’t Make Promises
Lead Vocal – Chuck Negron
Written by Tim Hardin
Check out more Three Dog Night articles on ClassicRockHistory.com Just click on any of the links below……
10 Most Rocking Three Dog Night Songs
Top 10 Three Dog Night Love Songs
Top 10 Three Dog Night Deep Tracks
10 Three Dog Night Songs We All Loved
Top 10 Three Dog Night Albums
Three Dog Night: Underappreciated Hitmakers
In A Classic Rock Year, Three Dog Night’s Joy To The World Was No.1
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Three Dog Night 1968 Debut Album Review article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2025
