I must start off by saying I have been waiting a long time for someone to finally come up with a definitive collection of the work of twins Paul & Barry Ryan. At last thanks to 7T’s Records its finally here & it doesn’t disappoint. The project has been lovingly overseen by Indie band member & journalist Bob Stanley of St. Etienne who is a big fan of the twins work which comes through in his essay on their work in the accompanying booklet. Which is crammed full of fascinating titbits, many of which I’d not been aware of before. So what does this new release comprise of, well the answer is a hell of a lot! There are 95 tracks spanning 5 separate discs each contained in their own cardboard sleeves inside a sturdy clamshell box complete with the aforementioned booklet. As with all Cherry Red releases the packaging quality is of a very high standard that always delights. The discs are broken down as follows: Disc1 Barry Ryan Sings Paul Ryan 11 tracks- Barry Ryan 12 tracks. Disc2 Barry Ryan 3 12 tracks Red Man 12 tracks. Disc3 Sanctus Sanctus Hallelujah 12 tracks Disc4 Barry Ryan Rarities 1968-72 19 tracks & finally Disc5 Barry Ryan Rarities 1975-79 17 tracks. Clearly I can’t give you a track by track critique, this would turn into a book! However here’s some observations & highlights to whet your appetite. When Paul decided he’d had enough of touring live (something he hated) in 1967 he chose to step back & concentrate on writing songs (mainly) for his brother. In 1968 he created what would become, in my view, the greatest Power Ballad of the 60’s (or possibly of all time) when he came up with the international No 1 ‘Eloise’. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love the song. I didn’t know until now that Paul wrote it after being inspired (& becoming rather obsessed with Richard Harris’s ‘MacArthur Park) & became determined to write his own epic. He certainly succeeded! And here I’d just like to profusely thank the compiler on this new release who has used the FULL version of ‘Eloise’ which starts & ends with what is best described as ‘maniacal’ laughing by Barry, a small thing you might think, but those few extra seconds just make the song even more perfect! Interestingly those vital seconds were missing on the original single release & on the Italian version on this compilation. The First album in the set as aforementioned concentrates on Barry singing his brothers songs, as indeed does the second album. There are gems galore to be found, obviously ‘Eloise’ but add to that ‘The Colour of My Love’ a hit in a cover version for Jefferson (Geoff Turton of the Rockin Berries) although surprisingly not for Barry in the UK as Polydor chose not to release it here. However he scored with it across Europe. In fact most of his subsequent hits were all in Europe with Germany being a particularly lucrative market for Barry where he remained very much a star for decades after giving up music in the mid 70’s to concentrate on his photography business. Track 6 ‘My Mama’ as the sleevenotes point out was another epic production to rival ‘Eloise’ which the twins mum, successful singer in her own right Marion Ryan must have been flattered by. Its a full blooded tour-de-force. Elsewhere ‘Love Is On The Way’ is an achingly beautiful song, followed by ‘What’s Been Sleeping In My Bed’ a curious song in many respects, but one which had me re-visiting it for its quirky melody. The second album simply titled Barry Ryan kicks off with a personal favourite ‘The Hunt’ yet another epic construction a No 22 hit. Where else in a rock song would your hear somebody crying out ‘Tally Ho’! In impassioned fashion! I don’t want to throw a lot of titles that may mean nothing to you if you are not familiar with the twins work, but other highlights include ‘No Living Without Her Love’ & ‘closing track ‘Where Have You Been’. Moving on to Disc3 & we are treated to a mix of songs from Paul & outside song-writers. It kicks off with the first recording of Cat Stevens classic ‘Wild World’ or as titled here ‘Its A Wild World’. It has a very fetching string arrangement & is an agreeable enough version, it just lacks the passion of Cat’s take. Highlights elsewhere are ‘Stop The Wedding’ ‘What Is Wrong With My Women’ & ‘Who Put The Lights Out’. The second album on Disc3 Red Man, opens with the title track, a hit in faithful Germany & France. Here in the UK it was un-issued in favour of ‘It Is Written’ a religious themed work that did no business at all The best track on the album in my view belongs to ‘All Thoughts Of Time’ a beautiful & tender ballad. The religious theme came to the forefront on Disc5 Sanctus Sanctus Hallelujah with the opening title track. This German only issued album saw Barry team up with band The Verge and move away from what had gone before & stray into heavier rock territory & produced some excellent songs like the fuzz guitar laden ‘Storm Is Brewing’ the single release ‘Cant Let You Go’ & melodic rocker ‘L A Woman’ (nothing to do with The Doors!). It showed Barry was quite at home as a rock & roll singer, not just a purveyor of big ballads. The final 2 discs that make up the compilation consisting of rarities from 1968 – 1979 are peppered with real gems, one of my favourites being ‘Love Is Love’ a song I’ve played a lot on the radio over the years. It was released as a single & reached No 4 in Europe, so I’m surprised it’s in the ‘rarities’ section, however I’m sure 7T’s have their facts straight. Its a magnificent epic song clearly reaching to be another ‘Eloise’ & whilst not quite succeeding is hugely enjoyable complete with Barry’s histronic vocals, it’s a real belter, love it. ‘Lay Down’ ‘Annabelle’ ‘Best Years Of My Love’ ‘Do That’ & ‘Give It All’ are some other personal highlights for me. As i said at the start of this review I’ve waited a long time for a retrospective of Paul & Barry’s work & this new release has repaid the wait. Thank you 7T’s for a great job. For those of you who never got past ‘Eloise’ this is what you missed. Do have a listen if you possible can. Enjoy.
Mick O’Dowd… Very interesting review Colin. I liked P&B because they were light weight and easy on the ear. When you mentioned Eloise the memories came flooding back, What a song and production.
Colin Bell… Mick, Thanks for the thumbs up! There’s some great material on here. I didn’t mention ‘Kitsch’ in my review, just not enough space! another ‘Eloise’ style classic, give that a listen if you’ve not heard it before
Merv Kennard… Eloise my favourite
Alan Esdaile… Wonderful. Love ‘Eloise’
Wendy Weaver… Marion Ryan, the Ryan twins mum, was a huge star in her own right
Colin Bell… She had a great voice, it was her idea the twins take up singing as neither were academic at school & left with no idea of what to do
Michael Grave… Fantastic Artist, and brilliant songwriting from his brother Paul. My favourites are, of course, Eloise, Love is Love, The Hunt, It is Written, and Magical Spiel. Does anyone know if this Box Set Compilation is remastered, and what the sound quality is like?
Colin Bell… Hi Michael, i wrote the review. Yes it has been re-mastered & the sound quality is excellent. They’ve (Cherry Red Records) obviously had access to the master tapes. I should just add I don’t work for them! My response to you comes from 55 years in the music biz. Thanks for your comment Colin
Jon McCallion… My mum always talked about growing up with Marion
Michael Grave… Thank you for establishing the audio quality is excellent on this compilation, Colin. I’ve now ordered it. I have various CDs of Barry Ryan, and this should hopefully top them all. I love Jimmy Webb’s compositions, and was knocked out when I first heard Richard Harris singing MacArthur Park, and his subsequent work with Jimmy Webb, who was a genius songwriter. I guess it was why I loved Eloise and Love is Love so much. The same high drama production values. Never again would I feel the same surge of adrenalin, until Trevor Horn unleashed his brilliant studio creations in the eighties.
Colin Bell… Hi Michael. No problem, I’m sure you’ll have much enjoyable listening. All the best. Colin
Firstly, a Happy New Year to all SMARTIES & indeed anyone else reading this review. I was hoping to put this in front of you just prior to Christmas, unfortunately with holiday postal delays my review copy arrived too late for that. But hey, like puppies Wizzard led by the wonderful Roy Wood are not just for Christmas! you can enjoy them all year round, especially if you get your hands on this new 2CD set from 7T’s Records. It’s the latest release in their ongoing ‘singles collections’ many of which have been reviewed in these pages. I have always made no secret of the fact I’m a huge fan of Roy Wood & all his work from The Move, Wizzard, collaborations & solo material. Most people i think are aware of the birth of Wizzard which came about in 1972 after Roy quit the fledgling ELO he had created with Jeff Lynne. Contrary to popular belief, however, there was no big bust up/row between Roy & Jeff who remain friends to this day. It was more to do with arguments with management (the infamous Don Arden) & other matters. And so lets get to the music…The new band made their live debut in August 1972 at Wembley as part of The London Rock & Roll Show. I saw them live for the first time some months later when they played Hastings Pier Ballroom on 9th February 1973 & here i must be scrupulously honest, they were a shambles, much to my disappointment. I can’t remember now whether i was the DJ/Compere on that occasion (i did several around then on The Pier, Gary Glitter & Chicken Shack & several others), it matters little as to whether i was there in an official capacity, or just there…but the band were clearly under rehearsed & all over the place, in stark contrast to when Roy appeared there several years earlier leading The Move. I was expecting a great night, including listening to them perform their debut hit ‘Ball Park Incident’, it was not to be. ‘Ball Park Incident’ kicks off Disc1 of this new release. It was to be the first of 6 Top 10 hits the band achieved, all naturally contained on this compilation. It was pretty obvious to all of us that loved The Ronettes, The Crystals etc that Roy’s vision of the sound of Wizzard owed a lot to Phil Spectors famous ‘Wall of Sound’ All the common tropes that made up that sound were to be found on all the big hits. Reaching their apogee in my view on (my personal favourite) ‘Angel Fingers’ (which you can view & hear at the end of this review). This is followed by the strangely named instrumental ‘The Carlsberg Special (Piano’s Demolished Phone 021 373 4472) composed by keyboard player Bill Hunt including his real phone number! Up next is arguably the bands best known and loved No 1 ‘See My Baby Jive’ which brings back fond memories of going to lunch regularly at Divito’s in St Leonards with Paul Casson back in 1973, Paul would always go straight to the juke box & play it…i even remember it was A3 on the selector…some things stay with you forever…the cheeky instrumental ‘B’ side ‘Bend Over Beethoven follows written by cellist Hugh McDowell. Then its on to the aforementioned personal favourite that is ‘Angel Fingers’ with its wonderful over-the-top production throwing in everything but the kitchen sink! ‘You Got The Jump On Me’ a rather strange offering follows written by bassist Rick Price, a rock stomper, its a bit of a mixed bag. Perennial Christmas classic ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ is up next & is shortly followed by the other winter release often forgotten now ‘Rock N’Roll Winter’ which features Roy’s then girlfriend the wonderful Lynsey De Paul on backing vocals. Another single that everyone seems to forget ‘This Is The Story Of My Love’ which only reached a lowly No 34 puts in a welcome appearance, its classic Wizzard & deserved to do much better. The first disc moves towards its conclusion with the gentle instrumental ‘Dream of Unwin’, a piece I’ve often used as a ‘bed’ on my radio programmes. Disc 2 starts with the excellent invitation of ‘Are You Ready To Rock’ A glorious confection of big band, swing, jazz & best of all some zany bagpipes! love it. It would be the bands last Top 10 hit reaching No 8. ‘Marathon Man’ an unremarkable instrumental, although featuring some fetching guitar, written by drummer Keith Smart follows, before Roy treats us to another homage to more early rock & roll shenanigans with ‘Rattlesnake Roll’. ‘Indiana Rainbow’ & ‘The Stroll’ credited respectively to Roy Wood’s Wizzard & Roy Wood’s Wizzo Band see the band take a more jazz orientated approach, but its apparent they are running out of steam. The penultimate track ‘Dancing At The Rainbows End’ sees Roy retreat to a more commercial production but it was too little too late and with little airplay and a planned tour cancelled the glory days were over. During their heyday in the early to mid 70’s Wizzard provided us with some classic Glam/Retro hits that will no doubt still be playing on the radio long after this presenter has left this earthly building & quite right too. Enjoy
Mick O’Dowd… I was at Wembley for their debut but can’t remember much about it. Screaming Lord Sutch had a bevvy of topless beauties and there was a lot of other big name r’n’r acts. Always loved Roy though and I last saw him in RW’s Army at Eastbourne.
Colin Bell… Mick, There were some big names there, i didn’t see it, but i know some others were Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Fury & a certain new bloke in a silver suit we’d work with shortly afterwards………..
Gerry Fortsch… Mick, My Brother was with me at the gig, we paid for good seats but could not see a thing when we sat down so we pushed our way
Carol Anne… Loved Roy Wood & Wizard
Mick O’Dowd… I’ve managed to get a copy of the show on DVD
The latest band to feature in Cherry Reds 7T’s label ongoing ‘singles series’ release programme is those cheeky chappies in the White suits and caps The Rubettes. There is no doubt whatsoever, they will always be known for their 1974 No 1 European wide hit ‘Sugar Baby Love’. A record that divides most people between those who love it and those that loathe it! Whichever camp you were in at the time you certainly couldn’t ignore it! it was played constantly everywhere. The song actually had quite an interesting background. Written by established songwriters Wayne Bickerton & Tony Waddington it was originally intended as a possible GB entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. It was offered to both Showaddywaddy and ex Move lead singer Carl Wayne who both passed on it. So Wayne & Tony took a bunch of session musicians into the studio and recorded it. The distinctive and remarkable falsetto was provided by singer Paul Da Vinci. When the record subsequently took off (in it’s demo form) with a TOTP performance (with the band a last minute substitute for a planned Sparks slot) the band was shown with Alan Williams (one of the aforementioned session players) performing as lead singer, miming to Paul’s vocal, Paul due to contractual reasons, having already signed a solo deal with another Record Company (Penny Farthing). Alan would subsequently re-record the single with his (very similar) vocal and mime to that (as was BBC policy at the time) on further TOTP appearances. That is the SBL story and one i have a bit of an issue with, of which more later! It’s easy to think of The Rubettes as a ‘one hit wonder’ but it shouldn’t be forgotten that although SBL was an immense hit, they followed it with 3 more Top 10 hits ‘Juke Box Jive’ (No 3) ‘I Can Do It’ (No 7) & ‘Baby I Know’ (No 10) plus another 3 Top 30 entries with Foe-Dee-Oh-Dee’, ‘Little Darling’ & ‘You’re The Reason Why’, a respectable, if not lengthy chart history. Away from the hits the other tracks spread over this 2CD set don’t settle down into any particular ‘style’ for the band or direction’ as they wander from soft pop ballads, to several Country-tinged numbers, Doo Wop & Sha-Na-Na inspired rock & roll. It’s this lack of any discernable established solid style & progression that the listener/buyer can follow that probably formed the reason that saw their recording career stall within a couple of years. The material chosen to record is pleasant, yet unremarkable and somewhat random. Included are 3 solo singles issued by Alan & John Richardson (the bands drummer) which include a rather fetching version of the Goffin/King classic ‘Take Good Care Of My Baby’ originally a big hit for Bobby Vee, which stands out and could have stood a chance of success with some good promotion. Without going into protracted reasons which space doesn’t allow, the band have had acrimonious falling out’s over the years resulting in Court appearances and 2 versions touring, one led by Alan Williams and the other by Bill Hurd. Disc2 of the set contains tracks featuring Bill such as ‘Fools And Lovers’ & ‘Everybody Knows’ which offer an interesting contrast to Alan’s vocals. The compilation concludes with ‘Cherie Amour’ (not the Stevie Wonder song) with vocals traded between Alan & John and of all the later tracks that followed after their hit period this is i think the strongest example, with shades of SBL and proof that Alan can deliver a good falsetto. Which leads me to conclude this review with that ‘issue’ i mentioned earlier. As is the case with many groups of the 70’s & 80’s The Rubettes are often called on to make guest appearances on TV in Europe on ‘Retro’ shows, especially in Germany, Holland & France. Naturally the producers of these shows want them to perform SBL. So why nearly 50 years on do these TV performances ALWAYS have Alan STILL miming to Paul’s original vocal every bloody time?! Stop it Alan, use your own vocal or credit Paul! My old friend & stalwart member of many years of Manfred Manns Earth Band, Steve Kinch was a Rubette for 3 or 4 years in the late 80’s early 90’s. Steve if you happen to read this review….thoughts on this please? As ever, the compilation as you might expect from 7T’s, comes in a sturdy clamshell box complete with an interesting booklet full of info and photo’s. Enjoy. All together now….Ah…Ah…Ah…Ah…..La!…La!…La!….
Gerry Fortsch… I remember my mate Graham playing the drums and singing the high bit and he was so loud that he never needed a mike. Keep on Rocking in the Free World.
Merv Kennard… I seem to remember that Sugar Baby Love was written for Showaddywaddy but they turned it down.
Colin Bell… Yes true, full story in my review
Mick O’Dowd… Had a lot of respect for these guys. Made a few floor-fillers in their time!
Steve Kinch… Hi Colin, I think you’ve very accurately summed it up. Re: the “issue” – As you know, much of what the public sees and hears in the pop world is not entirely honest I don’t think The Rubettes are any worse than many other “pop” artists. I did quite a few TV shows with the Rubes… I don’t think TV producers would be interested if the band said, “We want to use this new re-recording”. It’s a sad fact of life that with manufactured pop groups, it’s all about the money and little to do with musical integrity.
Colin Bell… Hi Steve, thanks for the reply and insight about The Rubes, yes it’s a sad fact as you say regarding ‘manufactured bands’ It so happens i knew Paul Da Vinci back when SBL was recorded & he was a helluva nice guy who deserves his due recognition.
Well guys. that’s been a couple of very nostalgic hours for me this morning, returning to the carefree times of the early to mid 70’s when i was plying my trade as a mobile DJ all over the south of the country. This new collection from Cherry Red Records 7T’s pop label is the latest in their catalogue of ‘singles collections’. What i like about these particular compilations is they arrive in a sturdy clamshell box with each CD in its own cardboard sleeve accompanied by a glossy booklet detailing the tracks, and with a wealth of nostalgic photos of the band and 45 record covers (i remember so well). I’m guessing most people don’t realise Mud were around a long time before hitting the big time in 1973. Formed in 1966 by lead vocalist Les Gray & guitarist Rob Davis, they were joined by Dave Mount on drums & Ray Stiles on bass. For the next 6 or so years they toiled away with no commercial success recording singles for CBS such as 1967’s ‘Flower Power’. It all changed for them in 1973 when they joined Mickie Most’s hit factory that was RAK Records & writers Nicky Chinn & Mike Chapman started penning their hit singles. Chinn & Chapman were incredibly prolific turning out hit singles for Suzi Quatro, Arrows, Smokie, Racey & Sweet amongst many others. As I’ve previously written in other reviews/articles the early 70’s saw pop & rock separate and go in different directions. Some ‘pop’ groups from the 60’s attempted to get more ‘serious’ with a ‘heavier’ sound such as The Tremeloes (and failed). Mud did the opposite, they became a completely unpretentious pop band, maybe the least pretentious one of all. listening to this collection, the tracks running in chronological order (another plus in my book, as you can hear a band develop) is a real nostalgic trip for me. Disc 1 kicks off with their debut hit ‘Crazy’ from early 1973 which is guitar heavy & could easily have been a Sweet single (maybe Nicky & Mike had intended it to be), it’s the same with their follow up hit later that year ‘Hypnosis’ it is again leaning towards a more ‘heavy’ sound. Both were respectable hits clocking in at 12 & 16 respectively. Then closing 1973 things lightened up considerably with their hat trick of hits with ‘Dynamite’ a much lighter singalong party number which did even better chart wise finishing up at No 4. This established the bands template to come. Their next release in early 1974 would be their first No 1 (of 3) & the one everybody will always remember, the ultimate party anthem,’Tiger Feet’. Now here i must pause for a second & thank Les & the boys from the bottom of my heart for ‘Tiger Feet’. I loved doing all the 100’s of gigs i did across, clubs, ballrooms, disco’s, army bases, private parties etc etc back then. However, there was one category pf booking i loathed….weddings!….whenever the agency i got the majority of my gigs from booked me for a wedding gig my heart would sink…Trying to keep everyone amused & on their feet at a wedding where ages range from 2 year old toddlers to 80 year old grannies was never something i looked forward to! If you put a record on for the younger element, the ‘oldies’ would sit & grumble & vice versa when you put Glenn Miller on for them. To the rescue came a little stack of trusted guaranteed across the age range floorfiller’s headed (in my case & no doubt several of my fellow DJ’s) by Mud’s ‘Tiger Feet’ & suddenly all the guests were on their feet singing & dancing themselves silly (the booze & orange squash had probably kicked in as well by then! thank you Mud you covered many a sudden lull in proceedings over the years! Anyway, back to this compilation, hot on the heels of ‘TF’ came the next hit in the shape of ‘The Cat Crept In’ a No 2 record where some of us would delight in changing the lyrics, singing the cat crept in *******! and crept out (my colleagues will no doubt be right with me..). Then came a personal favourite in ‘Rocket’ a number 6 to further a fantastically successful 1974 for the band. ‘Rocket’ brought together all the ‘classic’ Mud tropes, the matching suits, the ‘Mud dance’ & was the record that gave vent to Les’s inner ‘Elvis’ lead vocal (you can witness all this at the end of this review in the attached video). The ‘Elvis’ voice would also be put to further good effect and chart success with ‘Lonely This Christmas’ the bands second No 1 (remember the TOTP edition with Les singing to a ventriloquist dummy on his lap) ending 1974 in spectacular fashion for the band. ‘The Secrets That You Keep’ kicked off another successful year for the band in February 1975, followed by their 3rd No 1 ‘Oh Boy’, a cover of the old Buddy Holly/Crickets number. All these hits plus more you will find on Disc1. By Disc2 the band finished their time at RAK with the release of ‘One Night’ which marked a decline, peaking at a lowly No 32. With a switch to the Private Stock label the bands fortunes sprang back up with the release ‘L’L’ Lucy’ a No 10 for them written by their prime hit writers the aforementioned Chinn/Chapman. This was followed by further chart success with ‘Show Me Your A Woman’ a No 8 that would be their penultimate chart success, the final hit being ‘Lean On Me’ closing 1976. There’s a rather good version of The Mindbenders ‘Groovy Kind of Love’ also on Disc2 which was the first release to be attributed to Les as a solo single, which reached No 32 in February 1977. Mud then moved Record Companies yet again to RCA where they recorded ‘Slow Talking Boy’ a John Kongos song (remember him for He’s Gonna Step On You Again’) but further chart success eluded the band & to all intents and purposes with personnel changes and further label moves it was realistically the end for Mud. Disc3 rounds up the remainder of the bands work as Mud & various side projects for RCA & other labels and opens in lively fashion with rocker ‘Beating Round The Bush’ which is a perfectly fine effort but lacks that ‘magic’ ingredient that gave the band their early success. To be honest the band are sounding tired and out of touch, let’s not forget by now Punk was ruling the world. Covering their contemporaries Showaddywaddys version of ‘Under the Moon Of Love’ doesn’t help in the relevance stakes either. There are some brighter moments scattered throughout Disc3, a cover of Dobie Grays’s ‘Drift Away’ is quite pleasantly passable, but that’s a song you take on at your peril, when Dobie did such an amazing job. So, to summarise, the final disc is probably for completists only. Disc1, as i said earlier brought back a big silly grin to my face and Disc 2 was also very entertaining. I last saw Les quite by chance when visiting my cousin Viv in Portugal in the 90’s, where he had settled a stones throw from the bar run by Viv & her partner. We enjoyed a drink and a natter about the ‘good old days’ for a pleasant hour or so. Sadly, Les went on to develop cancer after leading his version of Les Gray’s Mud for many years, always a great frontman, he passed away in 2004. As always, this new compilation comes well presented in a sturdy clamshell box, complete with aforementioned booklet. I’ve had a very enjoyable mornings reminiscence. Mud have now left the building. Over to you. Enjoy.
Terry Tollan… I did Les Grays 50th birthday party entertainment
Pert Fortsch… Still played by the Hairy Monster. “Lance Collins Retro Roadshow”
Lance Collins… And our clients love to hear it. Last week we kicked off with. You + Me =Love The Undisputed Truth. Followed by Nanu Nanu Daddy Dewdrop. After the gig had people asking where they could find them to download
Mick O’Dowd… As you so rightly say Colin, us DJ’s owed them a great deal in providing floorfillers. Along with the Mud Dance(fingers in your belt loops now!) they provided good clean pure pop! Remember working with them on The Pier and they were a nice bunch of guys as well. The memory button was well and truly pressed when reading this review.
Colin Bell… Mick, as i was writing it i thought i know 3 colleagues who will no doubt be nodding in agreement as the memories came back!
Judy Atkinson… That was a great trip down memory lane
Alan Esdaile… I always remember the gig posters they had, a warning sign with the words ‘Mud On The Road’!
TEENAGE GLAMPAGE! (Can The Glam 2) Various Artists
Released this Friday (17th( is this eagerly anticipated follow up to the original ‘Can The Glam’ compilation, as previously reviewed in these pages. With it being a critical & commercial success, the boys at 7T’s Records have trawled the archives to bring you this follow up 4CD box set featuring a further 80 tracks from the early to mid 70’s when Glam Rock reigned supreme. Featuring big hitters, the also ran, the obscure & a wedge of tracks making it onto CD for the first time. Roughly 4 hours of foot stomping that takes you back to those heady days of platform shoes, outrageous make-up, insistent drums & memories of my Dad looking askance at Steve Priest of Sweet on Top Of The Pops & muttering darkly ‘what is that?!’ Pouting lips, swastika armbands & glitter make up on men were definitely alien in his world! As is pretty obvious it is a play on Sweet’s hit ‘Teenage Rampage’ that forms the title of this new compilation & that track kicks off Disc2, However, lets not get ahead of ourselves. Disc1 starts off with a track i confess i don’t ever recall hearing before, from UK Jones, a pseudonym for writer Mike Berry who had a hand in many one off 70’s singles. There are many shouts of ‘hey hey’ abounding & as you progress through this compilation you realise just how ubiquitous that drum sound that Mike Leander & the now disgraced GG came up with for ‘Rock & Roll Parts 1&2 was, as it seems to appear across so many varied tracks from so many bands jumping on the Glam bandwagon. Track 2 featuring the ‘B’ side to Lieutenant’s Pigeon ‘Mouldy Old Dough’ entitled ‘The Villain’ sounds like something The Glitter Band might use to warm up. Up next is a track i remember fondly, being Harley Quinne (another Cook/Greenaway creation) with their version of the old classic rocker ‘New Orleans’ a record i spun many times at Disco’s at the time. Big names featured on this first disc include T Rex, Wizzard, Mott The Hoople & Geordie. It’s good to hear ‘Ball Park Incident’ as opposed to the usually compiled ‘See My Baby Jive’ & also the 3rd hit single from Geordie with ‘Can You Do It’ which was the record that did well for them in Australia & brought lead singer Brian Johnson to the attention of AC/DC where some years later he would become their new lead singer. I remember supporting the band around the time they released this single on Hastings Pier, great live band. On to Disc2 as aforementioned this kicks off with Sweet to be followed by Ricky Wilde with his teenybopper anthem ‘Teen Wave’, incorrectly billed here as Kim Wilde’s older brother, he was/is in fact her younger brother (a rare mistake from this label!) Ricky was signed to Jonathan King’s UK Records & JK was convinced he could make him the next Donny Osmond, it never happened though & Ricky became much more successful writing & producing big hits for his sister. Next up is the obscure band Buster with a great bouncy number entitled ‘Superstar’. Adrian Baker, the man behind the band would go on to fame and chart success in the future with Gidea Park, notably with his cover of the 4 Seasons ‘Sherry’. Well known names on Disc2 come in the shape of Brotherhood of Man, Slik, Don Fardon, The Glitter Band & Cozy Powell. Don Fardon’s cover of Geordies ‘Don’t Do That’ is rather good as is The Glitter Band’s reworking of the old Exciters hit ‘Tell Him’. Amongst the lesser known names an honourable mention goes to Big John’s Rock N Roll Circus with ‘Lady Put The Light On Me’ a record favoured by Johnny Mason on his CHR radio show where i have heard it played several times. As ever, sadly i don’t have the space to comment on every track contained in this compilation, however on the remaining Discs 3 & 4 you will find the likes of John Paul Young, Chicory Tip, Mud, Barry Blue, Bay City Rollers, Hello, Kenny & Suzi Quatro all names you will be familiar with. But scattered amongst these big names you will find a plethora of unfamiliar gems, which for me is always the source of the greatest enjoyment, discovering obscure tracks new to me even after all these years. I commend to you the likes of Hush, Method, Snaps, The Times & Rosetta Stone all acts previously unknown to me that i have enjoyed making the acquaintance of whilst listening to this release. The whole collection comes housed in 4 separate card sleeves contained within a sturdy clamshell box complete with a 32 page colour booklet showing sleeve covers & with notes on each track giving a wealth of information & invaluable trivia to enthusiasts like myself. All those who invested in the first Can The Glam compilation will not be disappointed with this follow up edition. Enjoy
Colin Bell… Forgot to mention in my review there is a track on the compilation by the band Fancy, which was produced by Mike Hurst with lead guitar from Ray Fenwick, 2 guys who i know many local musicians are well acquainted with!
Will Cornell… I didn’t know ya’ll had K-Tel albums over there too! And if you miss the days of the “Tribute Album”, in the 90s we had the tribute to the K-Tel album, awful 70s earworms done by 90s alt-rock stars like Smashing Pumpkins, et al. As they say in the liner note, the K-Tel albums culled only the best radio hits of the day and were one or two cuts plus or minus, the equivalent of “Beatles ’65”. So what if your Aunt Martha gave them to you for your birthday, why wade thru a whole album of Terry Jacks when all you wanted was “Seasons in the Sun”?
Alan Esdaile… Yes the K-Tel albums were very popular in the UK, Will but the quality wasn’t so good. Also a similar compilation range called ‘Ronco’.
Will Cornell… I remember Ronco well. When I worked at Hastings/Western Merch (stores and company name, not your fair city) as a budget music buyer, K-Tel stuff, 6 months or so after they were on TV, became part of what we could sell in stores, and cheaper than the TV price. They actually had some good stuff on occasion. Indeed, give or take a few cuts here and there and a typical KTel album with the hideous cover art, were one of two cuts above or below “Beatles ’65” as far as having great songs. The Motown compilations much the same, but with K-tel they stretched across multiple labels. And face it, did you really want a whole album by that band that did the “oog-ah-sogg-ah” version of “Hooked on a Feeling”? No, you wanted just that song on an LP alongside other songs by similar artists.
Well no prizes for guessing what this latest offering from Cherry Red’s 7T’s label is all about. Over 2 years in the planning and compiling this retrospective of the early to mid 70’s UK Glam phenomenon is represented here in 80 tracks across 4 CD’s blending the Major acts with the forgotten, also rans and in respect of this reviewer the never heard before! (which after 50+ years in the business is some sort of record in itself). So lets dive in and see a sample of what’s on offer. The whole collection kicks off with the Shepperton Flames and a track called ‘Take Me For What I Am’ which is real proto Glam being recorded as early as 1969, it’s a stomper that stitches on screaming fans (think start of Sweets Teenage Rampage) and has a ‘hook’ that’s driving me crazy because i’ve heard it elsewhere but just can’t place it…infuriating! Whilst still puzzling over this, next up is a band that is far removed from the whole Glam scene it’s 60’s comedic/cabaret band The Barron Knights no less, well known for their p**s take medleys of famous bands. But lo and behold this track ‘You’re All I Need’ is a straight stab at the genre and sounds very like something The Glitter Band would have released, even down to the lead guitar which sounds remarkably like my old late mate Gerry Shephard (lead guitarist with the GB) it’s actually very credible. The first of the heavy hitters puts in an appearance next it’s the curly tressed demon fairy Marc Bolan with what was probably in hindsight the epitome of T Rex with ‘Metal Guru’. Another unlikely band puts in a look with Vanity Fare familiar to all with their 3 60’s pop hits. Here they make a reasonable but ultimately forgettable foray with a Georgio Moroder song who normally comes up with a hit but not in this case. The compilation’s title pun ups the heavyweight entries once more with another old mate Susie Q with what else but ‘Can The Can’. Chicory Tip, Alvin Stardust, Arrows, Geordie and Barry Blue with ‘Do You Wanna Dance’ are the other well known tracks mixed in with the aforementioned also rans with interesting entries from bands American Jam Band, Cardinal Point & Rock Rebellion to name but 3. Disc2 Begins with that most hard hitting of Glamster bands Slade, with a track from their glorious 1974 album Old New Borrowed And Blue the stomping ‘We’re Really Gonna Raise The Roof’ followed by a band named Lemming and a track ‘Father John’ which is a rather bizarre mixture of the Glitter Band & The Rattles! and speaking of The Rattles, we all remember ‘The Witch’ and when i saw The Casuals listed with ‘The Witch’ i thought what?!! but as it turns out it’s a different song with the same title. But having once compered a concert on Hastings Pier which featured The Casuals and satanic rockers Black Widow on the same bill nothing would have surprised me…I was rather taken with another 2 bands unknown to me Big Boy Blue with ‘Getting Hungry’ and The Washington Flyers and ‘The Comets Are Coming’ both respectable efforts. The more familiar names are scattered throughout with Mud ‘The Cat Crept In’ (a guilty pleasure of mine!), Mungo Jerry, The Glitter Band & The Damned. Disc3 starts with the wonderfully named Micky Moonshine (an alias for Paul Curtis) and a track ‘Baby Blue’ where ‘Micky’ sounds like Alvin imitating dear old Les Gray imitating Elvis! this is fun! it’s a shame some of these also rans never quite made it…this is followed by a band named Catapult where the song title ‘Teeny Bopper Band’ says it all. The first of the name bands arrives next with Blackfoot Sue…no not that song!! but a track entitled ‘You Need Love’ which was their (unsuccessful) 6th single release. Next up is the guys in those ubiquitous White caps The Rubettes with ‘Juke Box Jive’ where the lead singer actually sings the lead vocal unlike on monster hit ‘Sugar Baby Love’ where he lip synced to a more accomplished singer (don’t get me started on that farce….) Moving on….Interesting entries come from bands Go Go Thunder, Fifth Form & Bilbo Baggins. Other big names showing up on this disc are Showaddywaddy, Hello, Barry Ryan, & The Bay City Rollers all with lesser known tracks than the usually compiled, making it more interesting. The final Disc4 starts with the 3rd hit scored by Kenny the No 12 ‘Baby I Love You, OK!. This is followed by another band like the aforementioned Barron Knights you wouldn’t expect to find on a Glam compilation, this time it’s Paper Lace with a decent Mitch Murray/Pete Calendar song ‘So What If I Am’ which is a damn sight more listenable than the excruciating likes of ‘Billy Don’t Be A Hero’…well that’s my opinion…Interesting bands to discover on this disc are Dancer with ‘Hate Generator’ and i was rather taken with a band called Shabby Tiger and their track ‘Devil Rides Tonight’ amongst several other unfamiliar names to me. There are less well known artists putting in apppearances on this last disc in the collection but John Paul Young, Andy Bown, Johnny Wakelin & Slik all get a look in. There is a wealth of interesting information complete with photo’s on each artist in the accompanying 40 page all colour booklet and the whole collection has been remastered for optimum sound quality. If you’re a fan of the genre and you would like to extend your knowledge beyond the obvious Sweet, Bowie, Bolan you will find plenty to discover and savour here. I had the pleasure of working with 2 of the artists (on the same bill) featured on this compilation on Hastings Pier back in the early 70’s…..great days! Enjoy.
I have looked forward with great pleasure to this release for some time. At last, released this Friday is a comprehensive overview of one of the finest UK vocal harmony bands we ever produced. Much has been written about White Plains over the years and much of it has been wrong, So let’s finally put the record straight..pun intended! In 1969 a group of session singers, hit songwriters and additional touring musicians were coming to the end of their successful run. This collective was The Flowerpot Men forever immortalised with their big hit of summer 1967 ‘Let’s Go To San Francisco’. Later that year, on 25th November to be exact,. they played a gig on Hastings Pier where i first met them. Their glorious harmonies were as good live as i had hoped, they were a class act. After ‘San Francisco’ they had more modest success with subsequent records and by 1969 with ‘flower power’ now passe the band had reached the end of it’s natural life. At this point the members consisted of man of many voices & hit records Tony Burrows, plus Pete Nelson, Robin Shaw, Ricky Wolff & additional touring musicians lead guitarist Robin Box & drummer Roger Hills. In March they released their final single ‘In A Moment Of Madness’ written by serial hitmakers Roger Cook & Roger Greenaway. Another great piece of work albeit commercially unsuccessful. By Autumn it was clear the band had reached the end of the road and on the 28th of October 1969 they entered the studio for the final time and recorded 3 tracks before finally disbanding. All their material had been released on Decca’s ‘progressive label’ imprint Deram. Head of A & R at Decca was Dick Rowe, the man forever remembered for being the guys who passed on signing The Beatles. However Dick was not slow when it came to spotting the worth of recordings under his nose. Having listened to those final 3 songs recorded by the now defunct Flowerpot Men he spotted hit potential. All 3 songs were Greenaway/Cook compositions and comprised ‘Today I Killed A Man’ ‘You’ve Got You’re Troubles’ (a previous hit for The Fortunes) and ‘My Baby Loves Lovin’. Loathe to sit on this potential hit material, at his instigation ‘My Baby Loves Lovin’ was released in January 1970 under the name of White Plains (named after the district in New York). By February the record was a Top 20 hit in both the UK & the USA. So what in fact was the last recording made by the Flowerpot Men became the debut hit for White Plains. With a swiftly re-assembled group made up of past Flowerpot Men minus Ricky Wolff who had other commitments they appeared on Top Of The Pops with Roger Greenaway standing in for Ricky, together with Tony Burrows, Robin Shaw & Pete Nelson. Simultaneously Tony Burrows was enjoying hits as lead singer with Brotherhood Of Man & Edison Lighthouse, given this workload after promoting ‘My Baby Loves Lovin’ Tony quit. Ricky Wolff returned and together with Pete Nelson took the lead on all subsequent releases. Phew! I hope i have now made the history clear once and for all! And now to this splendid 3CD box set. Disc1 contains their self titled debut album which naturally includes ‘My Baby Loves Lovin’ and the follow up hit from April 1970 ‘I’ve Got You On My Mind’ nestling alongside some beautifully constructed songs including ‘When Tomorrow Comes Tomorrow; ‘Taffeta Rose’ ‘In A Moment Of Madness’ (incredible harmonies), ‘Sunny Honey Girl’ (a hit for Cliff Richard), the previously mentioned ‘You’ve Got Your Troubles’ & the exquisite ‘Summer Morning’, The disc contains 2 bonus tracks and one of them is what i consider to be one of their finest ever tracks in ‘Gonna Miss Her Mississippi’ which was the bands 7th single release and while it didn’t fare well at the time it still stands up today as an object lesson in how to produce a top rate vocal harmony track, and one that is damn catchy, why it didn’t do well with the record buying public is a mystery to me. Disc2 finally sees a full release on CD for the bands second album ‘When You Are A King’ which of course features the title track that was another hit for the band and a memorable one, a glorious confection in a strange time signature that is still played regularly on the radio. The other big hit contained here is ‘Julie Do You Love Me’ the bands cover version of American Bobby Sherman’s hit in the USA. Other standout tracks are ‘Home Lovin Man’ ( a hit for Andy Williams) ‘Julia Ann’ ‘Carolina’s Coming Home’ & I’ll Go Blind’, The 12 tracks of the album are augmented by 9 bonus tracks, including ‘Step Into A Dream’ familiar as the theme used in a Butlins TV commercial, also notable amongst the bonus tracks are ‘I Cant Stop’ & the poignant ‘Dad You Saved The World’. Disc3 scoops up 11 tracks, 3 making their first apperance on CD. The firsr 4 recorded under the name Crucible for a 1972 film ‘Extremes’. The following 4 are the aforementioned tracks making their debut on CD recorded under the name Zenith. The compilation comes to a close with 3 tracks from a mid 70’s different line-up of White Plains. Although Disc3 is fine and in rarity terms a gift to collectors and an interesting listen it will probably more likely appeal to die hard completists. The First 2CD’s are the real meat and for my money the essential listening. White Plains were an unpretentious pop band who made some of the best harmony pop ever recorded and i’ve long extolled their virtues to anybody that would listen! If you are into the genre and have never had a proper listen now at long last 7T’s Records have given you that opportunity, for which i am truly grateful. The packaging, accompanying booklet and the sound quality of the recordings are all first class as you would expect from this label. Enjoy.
THE COMPLETE SINGLES COLLECTION Hello (2CD set 7T’s Records)
Following in the footsteps of 60’s footstompers The Dave Clark 5 the 4 lads that formed Hello also came from Tottenham, North London.
They were Bob Bradbury (lead vocalist/guitar), Keith Marshall (lead guitar), Vic Faulkner (bass) & Jeff Allen (drums). All born in 1956 they got together as 12 year olds in 1968 calling themselves ‘The Age’ In 1970 they briefly took on their agents daughter Caroline who became their lead singer and were billed as Caroline Hall & The Age. During that year they performed in front of The Queen at the Albert Hall and made an appearance on popular ITV kids show ‘Magpie’. In early 1971 Caroline left and the 4 lads went it alone attracting the attention of Argent member and songwriter Russ Ballard and also gaining an experienced music business man David Blaylock as their manager. Their debut single was going to be Ballards ‘Can’t Let You Go’ but they were pipped to the post by Barry Ryan’s recording of the song which became a minor hit for him. Instead they released another Ballard composition ‘You Move Me’ in April 1972, a lightweight uptempo pop song which got them on TV’s ‘Lift Off’ (remember Ayshea?). It failed to trouble the charts but it got their faces into the ‘teenybopper’ mags that were popular then like Record Mirror. Their second single in October 72 was another Ballard song ‘C’Mon’ another straightforward upbeat. lightweight pop ditty, with a touch of ‘Crazy Horses’ guitar work. However this too failed to chart for the 4 new school leavers. In May & June of the following year their profile was greatly increased when they became a regular support act for their labelmate and then king of Glam Rock Gary Glitter. This is when i first remember them from, as myself & Chris Gentry were working with Glitter at that time. Their next single was going to be Dyna-Mite but this ultimately went to Mud and Glitter’s producer Mike Leander was brought on board to fashion a hit sound for the band. The influence of Leander/Glitter was evidenced on their next release’s ‘Another School Day’ & ‘C’Mon Get Together’, neither of which gave them their breakthrough. The band then fell back on an industry favourite by looking for a previous hit record they could revamp in their style. They chose the catchy ‘Tell Him’ a hit for The Exciters & Billie Davis. The single released in August 1974 proved a slow burner but eventually by November it rose to peak at No 6. At last they had a hit, the follow up continued the Glitter connection with The Glitterband’s lead guitarist Gerry Shephard penned ‘Game’s Up’, this however only ‘bubbled under’ the charts for a few weeks in the UK, but was more successful across Europe, especially in Germany (where the band remained popular for years). In May 1975 the band tried another re-tread of a previous hit. This time they chose the Amen Corner/American Breed song ‘Bend Me Shape Me’, however unlike ‘Tell Him’ this failed to repeat the trick and only became a moderate hit in Germany. It was beginning to look a downward slope when the band were handed what would become their ‘magnum opus’ the Russ Ballard composed ‘New York Groove’. Released in August 1975 it took a while again but rose into the Top 10 in October. It’s now probably the main song/reason the band are remembered for, finding it’s way onto dozens of compilation’s and being successfully covered by Ace Frehley of Kiss fame. Despite valiant attempts the band couldn’t come up with another hit and by 1976 they were becoming (along with many others) an anachronism as Punk arrived sweeping away all that remained of the pop rock/glam bands. The band would limp on til the end of the 70’s changing labels in the process but eventually called it a day. This new 40 track compilation from 7T’s Records brings together all their singles for the first time together with a couple of bonus solo tracks by drummer Jeff Allen. It comes complete with a detailed booklet and some nostalgic record cover images. Unlike other Glam Rock band’s, Sweet being the best example. Hello didn’t really evolve or move away from their lightweight roots, which leaves this release, in my view, with a somewhat limited appeal and as such will probably be best enjoyed by completists and lovers of the Glam Rock years.
Colin
