The Grass Roots, circa 1969
The Grass Roots originated in 1965 as the brainchild of the Los Angeles-based songwriter and produc er duo of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. Sloan and Barri had written several songs in an attempt by their record company, Dunhill Records, to cash in on the budding folk rock movement. One of these songs was “Where Were You When I Needed You”, which was recorded by Sloan and Barri and a now-forgotten lineup of studio musicians. Sloan provided the lead vocals and played guitar. The song was released under “The Grass Roots” name and sent, as a demo, to several radio stations in the San Francisco Bay area. Interest in the band grew; the problem was that there were no Grass Roots. The next step was to recruit a band to record under the Grass Roots name. They found one in a San Francisco group name “The Bedouins” and cut a new version with that band: Willie Fulton on lead vocals and lead guitar, Denny Ellis on rhythm guitar, David Stensen on bass guitar and Joel Larson on drums. In 1965, the Grass Roots got their first official airplay on Southern California radio with a version of the Bob Dylan song, “Mr. Jones (Ballad of a Thin Man)” with “You’re a Lonely Girl” on the B-side. This is today’s featured single.
“Ballad of a Thin Man” is a dark, menacing song originally released on Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited” album. The song seems to be about a conventional man (Mr. Jones) who walks into a room of bizarre counterculture types and does not “know what’s happening”. The opening line of the song, “You walk into the room, with a pencil in your hand,” appears to lend credibility to the idea that Mr. Jones is a journalist or music critic. Some say that Mr. Jones is Max Jones, a former Melody Maker critic. Others say that he is Jeffrey Owen Jones (1944-2007), who was a film professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology (and who interviewed Dylan as an intern for Time magazine just before the 1965 Newport Folk Festival). Other possible theories is that Mr. Jones is Brian Jones (1943-1969), then the rhythm guitarist for the Rolling Stones, or that Mr. Jones refers generically to the materialistic American family (“keeping up with the Joneses”). Even more debatable is the exact meaning of the song. It’s possible that the song is about a man coming to terms with his own homosexuality, which would explain several lines that appear to refer to phallic symbols (“a pencil in your hand”, “sword swallower”, “one-eyed midget”, etc.). The Grass Roots version is considerably shorter than the original version. The first verse is skipped, and Fulton sings the second, third, half of the fourth verse and the seventh verse. The piano which drives the Dylan version is replaced by an organ, and the percussion punctuates the sound much more clearly than on the original. The echo effects used on the track enhance the overall gloomy atmosphere created by the song. Overall the feel is of a good, though not top-of-the-line, folk rock song.
The B-side of this single, “You’re a Lonely Girl” turns out to be a hidden gem. It’s a minor-key rocker written by Sloan and Barri that has a melody not unlike the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction”. And it rocks just as hard, which shows the versatility of the Sloan-Barri songwriting team. It’s a grungy, garage rock tune with a surf-guitar riff in which the singer gloats about how his ex-girlfriend is a “lonely girl” since they broke up and by partying is just keeping up appearances. Although at the time the Grass Roots were little more than an amalgam of studio musicians, this song represents a creditable addition to their body of work.
The single (catalog #: 4013) was released in 1965 on Dunhill Records, a label that had been formed that same year. No picture sleeve was issued with the single. Although the single failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100 (peak position: #121), Dunhill Records was apparently interested in recording more Grass Roots songs, but the partnership between Sloan and Barri and The Bedouins ended when they wanted to record more blues-rock material than Sloan and Barri would allow. Fulton, Ellis and Stensen went back to San Francisco, with only Larson remaining behind to join a later Grass Roots lineup. In the meantime, a re-recording of “Where Were You When I Needed You” by the Willie Fulton incarnation of the Grass Roots became a Top 40 hit in mid-1966, but the album of the same name sank quickly, in part because there was no longer a band to promote it. Nevertheless, Sloan and Barri recruited a band called 13th Floor (Creed Bratton – lead guitar, lead vocals, Rick Coonce – drums, Warren Entner – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, Kenny Fukomoto – lead guitar, lead vocals) to be the third incarnation of the Grass Roots. Rob Grill replaced Fukomoto when the latter was drafted into the army. The band would have a string of Top 40 hits during the period 1967-72. They never had a number one hit (“Midnight Confessions” was their biggest hit, reaching #5 and an RIAA-certified gold record), but they have the distinction of having been on the Billboard charts for 307 consecutive weeks, still a record. They are also one of only nine artists to have charted twenty-nine or more Top 100 singles. Bratton left in 1969, to be replaced by not one member but three: Dennis Provisor (lead vocals, keyboards), Terry Furlong (lead guitar) and Brian Naughton (lead guitar). In 1971, Provisor, Furlong and Naughton all left and were replaced by Reed Kailing (lead guitar) and Virgil Weber (keyboards). In 1972, the band had it’s last two Top 40 hits: “Glory Bound” and “The Runway”. With subsequent offerings selling disappointingly (and some failing to chart altogether), it was clear that their time had passed. The Grass Roots broke up in the fall of 1975, and their last single, “Out in the Open”, was released in 1976. In the early 1980s, however, with interest in 1960s bands rising, Rob Grill reformed the Grass Roots (know thereafter as “The Grass Roots Starring Rob Grill”), and the band has played a steady schedule of live shows ever since.
Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton album cover
John Mayall was born November 29, 1933 in Macclesfield, England. His father was a guitarist and jazz music enthusiast and John was drawn to the sounds of American blues players such as Leadbelly, Albert Ammons, Pinetop Smith and Eddie Lang, and taught himself to play the piano, guitars and harmonica. Mayall served three years of national service in Korea, where, during a period of leave, he bought his first electric guitar. Back in Manchester, he enrolled in the Manchester College of Art and started playing with semi-professional bands. After graduation, he obtained a job as an art designer but continued to play with local musicians. In 1956, he formed the Powerhouse Four with college mate Peter Ward, which consisted of them and other local musicians with whom they played at local dances. In 1962, Mayall became a member of the Blues Syndicate. The band was formed by trumpeter John Rowlands and alto saxophonist Jack Massarik, who wanted to try a blend of jazz and blues in a vein similar to Alexis Korner. It also included guitarist Ray Cummins and drummer Hughie Flint. It was Alexis Korner who encouraged Mayall to pursue music full time and move to London, which he did in 1963. It was in London that Mayall formed the Bluesbreakers, which started playing at the Marquee Club. The lineup was Mayall, Ward, John McVie on bass and guitarist Bernie Watson (formerly of Cyril Davies and the R&B All-Stars). In Spring 1964, the Bluesbreakers had their first recording session, and with Martin Hart on drums, they recorded two tracks: “Crawling Up a Hill” and “Mr. James”. Shortly afterwards, Hughie Flint replaced Hart, and Roger Dean replaced Watson. This lineup backed John Lee Hooker in his 1964 British tour. Mayall was offered a recording contract by Decca Records in December 1964, but a subsequent live album and a single were commercial failures and the contract was terminated. In April 1965, former Yardbirds guitarist Eric Clapton replaced Roger Dean. The band began to attract considerable attention with their new guitar player. The Bluesbreakers signed with Decca again and in April 1966 recorded an album with the Mayall-Clapton-McVie-Flint lineup. In the U.S., two tracks from the album “Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton” (1966) were released as a single: “All Your Love” b/w “Hideaway”. This is today’s featured single.
“All Your Love” is a cover version of a song written by Willie Dixon and Otis Rush; Rush’s recording of the song was released as a single on Cobra Records in 1958. This version is somewhat different than the original: the tempo is slowed, and there is no saxophone. The piano has been replaced by Mayall’s Hammond organ, which remains in the background, as Clapton’s guitar-playing is the driving force on this track. The song is a slow blues tune in A minor. The main rhythm goes Am-Dm-Em. There is a Clapton guitar solo that begins 1 minute and 21 seconds into the track. At 1 minute and 48 seconds in, the second part of the solo begins, and the song sounds like an up tempo shuffle. This continues until about 3 minutes into the track, when we get a reprise of the beginning part as the tempo slows down again, which lasts another thirty seconds before the song comes to a halt. Mayall’s velvety vocals complement this arrangement of the song quite well, especially on the mono mix of the song, where his vocals echo resoundingly. On the whole, this track is not a bad introduction to the Clapton era Bluesbreakers.
The B-side, “Hideaway”, is a cover version of the Freddy King/Sonny Thompson composition. The late Freddy King recorded the song, and it was released as a single in 1961, peaking at #29 on the Billboard singles chart and #5 on the R&B chart. It is an instrumental song in which the rhythm changes quite often. The main chords are the E blues chords (E7/A7/B7). Again this song provides a good showcase for Clapton’s guitar talents, but at 41 seconds in, we also get a bass solo by McVie (and another one at 1 minute and 45 seconds into the track). Mayall’s Hammond plays a more prominent role on this track. Freddy King was a fairly substantial influence on Clapton – he covered all of King’s major hits – and he works his way through this song with a considerable flourish.
This single was released on Deram in 1966. No picture sleeve was issued with the single. The single and album would eventually become a critical success (Rolling Stone ranked it 195 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time), but soon after it was recorded, Clapton left to form Cream, and Mayall was left scrambling for a replacement guitarist. He eventually settled on Peter Green. Mick Fleetwood and Aynsley Dunbar replaced Flint on drums, and this lineup recorded “A Hard Road” (1967), another album that is considered a classic. Afterwards, Green left to form Fleetwood Mac, and Mayall replaced him with Terry Edmonds and Mick Taylor. By mid-1967, the Bluesbreakers became a six-piece band, with Mayall, Taylor, McVie, Hughie Flint or Keef Hartley on drums, and Rip Kant and Chris Mercer on saxes. By 1968, John McVie had left, and Taylor left in 1969 to join the Rolling Stones. By the time “Diary of a Band Vol. 1 and Vol. 2” (1968) was released, Mayall had retired the “Bluesbreakers” name, releasing albums in his name, although he would remain a prolific artist, averaging a studio album a year throughout the 1970’s. In 1984, Mayall revived the Bluesbreakers name for a lineup featuring guitarists Walter Trout and Coco Montoya. In November 2008, Mayall announced on his website that he was disbanding the Bluesbreakers to cut back on his heavy workload and to give him the freedom to work with other musicians.
External links:
John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers performing All Your Love live in 1987
UFO Too Hot to Handle picture sleeve
UFO was formed in August 1969 by Phil Mogg (vocals), Mick Bolton (guitars), Pete Way (bass guitar), and Andy Parker (drums). They took their name from the London club where they were spotted by Noel Moore, who signed them to Beacon Records. At first they were a hard rock/blues boogie band; their eponymously-titled debut LP (“UFO 1”, released in 1970) exemplified this early phase in the band’s development. [It contained such tracks as a heavy version of the Eddie Cochran classic “C’mon Everybody”.] Both the debut album and its follow-up, “Flying” (1972), were successful in Japan and Germany, but fared poorly in the U.K. and America. The second album contained longer tracks, like the 26-minute long title track, and could be classified as a cross between heavy metal and space rock. With the departure of guitarist Mick Bolton in January 1972, however, the band decided to change directions. For a time Larry Wallis replaced Bolton, and so did Bernie Mardsen. In June 1973, however, they recruited Michael Schenker of The Scorpions, and the band adopted a harder-edged sound. They switched to Chrysalis Records, which released their third studio LP, “Phenomenon” (1974). This album did not prove to be their breakthrough album in either the U.S. or U.K., but it did produce many fan favorites. Subsequent LPs “Force It” (1975) and “No Heavy Petting” (1976) increased their profile in America, and by now UFO was a success in the U.K. Keyboardist Denny Peyronnel was added to the lineup for “No Heavy Petting”, but he left the band in 1976. They replaced him with keyboardist and second guitarist Paul Raymond. This lineup of Mogg/Schenker/Raymond/Parker recorded “Lights Out” (1977), which is considered by many critics to be their magnum opus. It also contains today’s featured single: “Too Hot to Handle” b/w “Electric Phase”.
“Lights Out” is such a great album that Chrysalis could have selected any 2 songs from the album at random and they would have had a single worthy of inclusion in this blog. But I think that the selection of “Too Hot to Handle” and “Electric Phase” for the single was particularly inspired. There are a total of 8 tracks on the LP, and “Too Hot To Handle” is the first track. It’s also the second shortest track on the album (clocking in at 3 minutes and 37 seconds), and it’s unusually economical for a UFO tune. We get a relatively simple, catchy riff (E/Esus4/E/A/Asus4/A/D/g/E), and some testosterone-driven lyrics (“Wink of an eye, the feelings ran high/A real rock and roll molest/But I ain’t no romance/And I ain’t no slow chance/Wont get no quick change”). The three-guitar attack works well on the song, and while it’s structure is not atypical for a pop song, there’s still ample opportunity for Schenker to strut his stuff, especially during the instrumental break that starts 1 minute and 30 seconds into the track and continues for about 45 seconds. The Way/Parker rhythm section really clicks on this track, especially Parker, whose drumming provides a solid backbone to the track, including the inspired use of a cowbell. It’s an appropriate song to lead off the album, since it’s not only the single and a much more pop-ish, catchy tune than anything else on the LP, but in addition it sounds like an opening gambit that whets the listener’s appetite more than anything else.
The B-side of the single, “Electric Phase”, on the other hand, rather than being the short, catchy song that “Too Hot To Handle” is, has the feel of an extended jam (even though the running time of the song is a relatively modest 4 minutes and 20 seconds). The way it’s built around a monotonous, hypnotic riff and a much heavier guitar sound than the A-side, and the 47-second instrumental break that seems to be a journey to nowhere in particular distinguishes it from the more radio-friendly songs off the album like “Too Hot to Handle” and the title track (even so, it’s not that intimidating compared to some of their longer tracks). The lyrical content is much more ponderous: “On the wires I can hear you comin’ /With a rush and a strummin’/This electric phase ain’t no teenage craze/In your house a phone is ringin’/Just a hot touch that keeps lingerin’/You said loving’s easy only if you please.” “Electric phase” seems to refer to the song’s protagonist’s excitement at hearing his significant other on the phone; the analogy is an interesting one, if not entirely original (e.g. “Shock Me” by Kiss, released the same year). The song reminds me of other rockers with hypnotic melodies, like “Round And Round” by Aerosmith (also a B-side). In the context of the LP, it’s a welcome change of pace from the more subdued “Alone Again Or”, which precedes it, and dovetails nicely with the more epic “Love to Love”, which closes out the album. Schenker’s axemanship is creditable, is it is throughout the album, and Mogg’s vocals are particularly inspired, in my opinion.
The single (catalog #: CHS 2157) was issued by Chrysalis Records with a picture sleeve. We get the song title in big letters, above the UFO logo. As the picture shows, the original release of this single was on colored vinyl (red). The label is puke-green in color, with the track listing across the top and the Chrysalis logo across the bottom.
External links: UFO performing Too Hot to Handle live
UFO performing Electric Phase live in 1998
Love Like a Man single (DM 299)
Ten Years After started life as a band in the Nottingham/Mansfield area of the U.K. called The Jaybirds, which was formed in late 1960. The original lineup featured Ivan Jay on lead vocals, Alvin Lee on lead guitar, Leo Lyons on bass guitar, and Pete Evans on drums. By 1962, Ivan Jay left the band and Alvin Lee assumed lead vocal dutirs. Pete Evans was replaced by Dave Quickmire in 1962, and Ric Lee replaced Quickmire in August 1965. Chick Churchill joined the band as keyboardist in 1966. In November 1966, the band changed its name to Ten Years After, in honor of Elvis Presley’s breakthrough year of 1956. They became the first clients of the Chrysalis Agency, and soon secured a residency at the Marquee. They also received an invitation to play the Windsor Jazz Festival in 1967. This led to a recording contract with Deram (a subsidiary of Decca). In October 1967, their self-titled debut album was released. After touring Scandinavia and the United States, they issued their second album, “Undead” (1968), a live album which contained “I’m Going Home”. This was followed by their second studio album, “Stonedhenge” (1969), which contained “Hear Me Calling”. In July 1969, they appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, the first event in which rock bands were invited to play, and played at the Woodstock festival in August 1969. Around this time, they also released their third studio album, “Ssssh” (1969), which was their first hit album in the U.S. During 1970, the band released “Cricklewood Green”, their fourth studio album, and the single off the album, “Love Like a Man” b/w “Love Like a Man” (live) became their only entry on the U.K. Singles Chart (peaking at #10). This is today’s featured single.
“Love Like A Man” is, in many ways, the quintessential Ten Years After song: almost nonsensical lyrics and relatively simple riffs combined into an extended blues-rock jam. There is one riff repeated throughout the chorus that is the main musical motif running through the song, although there is a much shorter riff played during the chorus (D-A-E, in 4/4 time). On the album version, after the third verse (“You are the woman/You can’t deny”), slightly more than two minutes into the song, there is an extended instrumental break which includes a rather lengthy guitar solo (beginning about three minutes into the song). After the guitar solo, the song gets quiet, as Alvin Lee’s guitar is accompanied only by the light percussion of Ric Lee, before we get a reprise of the song’s opening accompanied by a fourth verse (“I’ll tell you something/I think you know”). After the final verse, the chorus is repeated as the song fades out. The single edit of this song presumably cuts out much if not all of the guitar solo, resulting in a tighter-sounding pop song rather than an extended blues-rock jam.
The B-side of this single is somewhat unusual for two reasons: (1) it is a live version of the same song on the A-side of the single (recorded at the Fillmore East earlier the same year), and (2) the B-side must be played at 33 1/3 RPM instead of 45 RPM because of it’s over 8-minute length (making it probably the first single to be issued with different playing speeds for the A and B sides). And it is fortunate that the B-side features an unedited version of the track, because this rendition of “Love Like a Man” features a blistering guitar solo that is even better than the one on the studio version of the track. Other than that, the song is structurally similar to the studio version. Overall, this is a great, classic track, and a staple of early and mid-1970’s progressive rock stations.
This single (catalog #: DM 299) was issued on Deram Records in June 1970. No picture sleeve was issued with this release (although the paper sleeve issued with the record clearly shows the Deram logo, as can be seen in the accompanying image). The band moved in a more commercial direction with their next album, “A Space in Time” (1971), which also contained their biggest hit, “I’d Love to Change the World”. They moved to Chrysalis Records for their next studio album, “Rock & Roll Music to the World” (1972). They released a double live LP, “Recorded Live” (1973), and another studio album, “Positive Vibrations” (1974), but by this point, Ten Years After was going through the motions, as Alvin Lee had already released two solo albums. Ten Years After broke up in 1974, and they would not be heard from again until 1983, when they reunited to play the Reading Festival. They reunited again in 1988 for a few concerts, and for the Eurowoodstock festival in Budapest in 1994. In 2003, they reconvened on a more permanent basis, releasing two new studio albums, “Now” (2004) and “Evolution” (2008), as well as a new double live album, “Roadworks” (2005), but with Joe Gooch replacing Alvin Lee on lead guitar and vocals.
External links: Ten Years After performing Love Like a Man live at the Marquee
Leaving Here b/w White Line Fever picture sleeve (BUY 9)
Motörhead was formed in 1975 after Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister was sacked by his previous band, Hawkwind, for spending five days in a Canadian prison for drug possession. Lemmy decided to form a new band, to be called Bastard, but their manager, Doug Smith, suggested that they use a different name, so Lemmy chose the name Motörhead, the name of the last song he wrote for Hawkwind, and a British slang term for a speed freak (and the subject of the song). The first version of the band had Lemmy on bass and lead vocals, Larry Wallis (formerly of the Pink Faries) on lead guitar, and Lucas Fox on drums. They played their first gig at The Roundhouse in London, and after ten gigs, they became the supporting act for Blue Öyster Cult at the Hammersmith Odeon. After several more gigs, the band landed a contract with United Artists in 1976. By now, Fox was deemed unreliable and was replaced by Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. During the first recording sessions for United Artists, Motörhead recruited a second guitarist, “Fast” Eddie Clarke, but Larry Wallis quit, and the idea of having two guitarists was dropped. The band recorded a version of “Leaving Here” for their debut album, “On Parole”, but United Artists refused to issue it. Jake Rivera, a casual acquaintance of Lemmy’s and co-founder of Stiff Records, offered to have Stiff Records issue “Leaving Here” as a single (with “White Line Fever” on the B-side) as BUY 9. No formal agreement was signed and the band paid for studio time while Rivera paid all other expenses. United Artists intervened, causing Stiff to shelve distribution, but the single was issued in France on Skydog Records and in Sweden on Blitz Records. This is today’s featured single.
“Leaving Here” is a 1963 song written by the Motown songwriting team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland, Jr. (Holland-Dozier-Holland). It was written at the beginning of their partnership, and was released as a single by Eddie Holland. The original version peaked at #76 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Who recorded two versions of the song in 1965, but they didn’t get an official release for decades. The Byrds released a version of the song. This is what inspired the Motörhead cover version. “Leaving Here” starts with a three chord riff repeated twice in dramatic fashion by Clarke’s unaccompanied guitar before the rhythm section joins the melody. About 30 seconds into the track, Lemmy’s vocals begin: “Hey, fellows have you heard the news/The women in this town are being misused/Seen it all in a dream last night/You’ll be leaving this town ’cause you don’t feel right/’Cos I’m leaving, leaving here”. About one and a half minutes into the song, there is an instrumental break that includes a brief guitar solo, and the very end of the song features a very brief bass guitar solo. Overall the song is a pretty straightforward heavy metal tune, without any real hint of the blistering speed metal which would make the band famous. Nonetheless, “Leaving Here” is a good introduction to the band.
The B-side of the single, “White Line Fever”, is an original composition (credited to Clarke, Lemmy and Taylor) which opens with a drum fill, followed by a relatively simple riff, before Lemmy’s vocals begin. “White Line Fever” is also the title of a Merle Haggard song, but while the earlier song is about traveling, Motörhead’s white line fever is drug-related: “We can move around now/You know it’s so good/But I know you wouldn’t come clean now,baby/Even if you could”. The reverb used on Lemmy’s vocals complement the song well, allowing him to rise above the bass-heavy sludge that is the Motörhead wall of sound. The lyrical theme that resurfaces in many of the band’s songs, in which the protagonist is on the road to self-ruin but is unwilling or unable to change his behavior, is here, and is deployed fairly effectively, as Lemmy notes that white line fever is “a slow death”. This is a worthy addition to the Motörhead catalog.
This single (catalog #: BUY 9) was issued on Stiff Records in early 1977, but was not commercially released due to legal action by United Artists. If released, it would have gotten a picture sleeve (shown here on the left). The single was issued in France (on Skydog Records, catalog # MH001, black on white sleeve) and Sweden (on Blitz Records, MH001, purple on white sleeve). The tracks were included on two Stiff Records compilations, “A Bunch of Stiff Records” (catalog # SEEZ 2, released on April 1, 1977) and “Hits Greatest Stiffs” (catalog # FIST 1, released on September 16, 1977). The single did eventually see release as part of a box set of the first 10 Stiff singles, released in 1979 (and limited to 5000 sets), and both tracks were on the “Stone Deaf Forever!” CD box set. Not too long after this single was recorded, Clarke and Taylor wanted to call it quits, and they agreed to perform one last concert a the Marquee Club in April 1977. Ted Carroll of Chiswick Records showed up backstage and offered Motörhead two days at Escape Studios to record a single. Instead of recording two tracks they recorded eleven unfinished tracks, eight of which were released on the “Motörhead” LP in November 1977, which reached #43 in the U.K. They were signed to Bronze Records in 1978, for which they recorded a single (“Louie Louie”/”Tear Ya Down”), and eventually another full-length album, “Overkill” (1979). They released another album later that year, “Bomber” (1979), which reached #12 in the U.K. The next album, “Ace of Spades” (1980), provided what many consider to be the definitive Motörhead anthem in the title track and became the first Motörhead album to reached the Top 10 in the U.K., peaking at #4. Their first live LP, “No Sleep ’til Hammersmith” (1981), reached #1 in the U.K. and provided a Top 10 single, a live version of “Motörhead”. The following album, “Iron Fist” (1982), was another U.K. Top 10 album, and the last album with the Lemmy-Clarke-Taylor lineup. Eddie Clarke left following the release of this album, leading to his replacement by ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson for the “Another Perfect Day” (1983) album (U.K. #20, U.S. #153). Robertson only lasted for one album, and the band returned to the twin lead guitar concept by recruiting Würzel and Phil Campbell (ex-Persian Risk). This lineup recorded “Ace of Spades” for the comedy series “The Young Ones”, after which Taylor left the band, leaving Lemmy as the only remaining member from the “classic” Motörhead lineup.
No Smoke Without Fire album cover
Wishbone Ash had its roots in a band called Empty Vessels, which consisted of bass guitarist/vocalist Martin Turner, guitarist Glen Turner and drummer Steve Upton. Empty Vessels changed their name to Tanglewood and moved to London, where Miles Copeland offered to become their manager. Glen Turner quit, and in October 1969, the band needed a new guitarist. Turner and Upton narrowed their choices to two candidates, Andy Powell and Ted Turner. It was suggested that they try both guitar players to see what it would sound like to have twin lead guitars. A new name was chosen, and after band members wrote several suggested band names on two pieces of paper, Turner picked a word from each list: “wishbone” and “ash”; thus the band was rechristened Wishbone Ash. The band would incorporate elements of folk, progressive rock and classical music into their music. They opened for Deep Purple in 1970, and after jamming with Andy Powell during a sound check, Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was impressed enough to recommend them to producer Derek Lawrence, and helped them secure a deal with Decca/MCA Records. The first album, “Wishbone Ash” (1970), was a success, and spawned a single, “Blind Eye”. “Pilgrimage” (1971), which focused on folk and acoustic music rather than the blues rock that dominated the first album, also did well, reaching #14 on the U.K. charts. Next came the promotional EP “Live From Memphis” (1972). With their third studio album, “Argus” (1972), the band reached their commercial (and arguably creative) peak, as the album went gold and was named by readers “Album of the Year” in the year-end issue of Sounds magazine. The band was now a headline act and gaining international popularity. “Wishbone Four” (1973) was their follow-up to “Argus” and their first album without producer Derek Lawrence (they decided to produce the album themselves). It was a departure from the previous album, with none of the twin-lead guitar and folk harmonies of “Argus”. Sales paled in comparison its predecessor, and Ted Turner would leave the band after the subsequent tour, shortly after the release of the “Live Dates” (1973) live double album. Laurie Wisefield was recruited to replace Turner, relocated to America, and released their fifth studio album, “There’s The Rub” (1974), which featured more of a soft rock sound. The band continued this trend with “Locked In” (1976). Their next album, “New England” (1976), featured a mix of hard and soft rock songs, and was more popular than its predecessor, although the band did not achieve the level of commercial success they had with some of their previous albums. “Front Page News” (1977) did even better, becoming their most successful album since “There’s The Rub”. After years of experimental albums, Wishbone Ash would return to their roots with “No Smoke Without Fire”, which was also the first Wishbone Ash album produced by Derek Lawrence since “Argus”. This album also spawned the single “You See Red” b/w “Bad Weather Blues”. This is today’s featured single.
Although “No Smoke Without Fire” was touted as a “back to their roots” album, “You See Red” seems to retain many of the elements of its immediate predecessors. Featuring funky, tightly interwoven guitar melodies, harmony vocals by Turner, Powell and Wisefield, and a rhythm section that provides a solid backbone without being overpowering, Derek Lawrence has produced a radio-friendly song that is eminently suitable for release as a single. The song is built around a simple yet catchy riff, which is repeated as Turner sings about a man who has been cuckolded: “When a days work is done/And you’re down on the ground/You come home just to find/That she’s not around/You see red, you see red/When she takes you for a fool”. The album version of this song runs 5 minutes and 48 seconds, and this allows for several different sections. About 2 minutes and 20 seconds into the song, when Turner sings “So you drink your gin/And drown your sorrows”, this signals the beginning of a bridge that runs about 45 seconds, which provides a softer-sounding counterpoint to the harder-edged sound of the rest of the song. This is followed by an instrumental break featuring a guitar solo, then a reprise of the opening lyrics, but at first accompanied only by Upton’s drum, and then by a subdued-sounding guitar, before both guitars chime in one final time before the song’s coda, which features a few more chords, and then a drum fill which quickly fades out. Overall, “You See Red” was an ideal choice for the lead single (as well as the lead track on the album).
The B-side of this single, “Bad Weather Blues”, is a non-album track, and is live version of a Powell/Turner/Upton/Wisefield composition. It’s a rocking blues boogie tune that is a throwback to the band’s early days, and is about a man returning home after spending time in prison: “Well, I been away/I said I been away for so long/Tell me, have you/Have you done me wrong?” Even as the song’s protagonist asks this, he acknowledges his own infidelity, as he admit that he “done laid this high-class babe out in the hay”. Still, he wants to “shake the dust” from his shoes and return home. Wishbone Ash was likely a good live band, as they could feed off the energy of a crowd, and in the middle of this song, there’s a spirited exchange with the audience as Turner urges them to sing along and to sing louder. Although blues-rock in this vein was already old hat even in 1978, this song is a pleasant upgrade from the sort of filler that usually ends up on the B-side of many singles. Although it clocks in at 8 minutes and 36 seconds, it’s not tedious at all, and ends just as you’re really getting into it.
This single (catalog #: 12 MCA 392) was issued as a 12-inch single by MCA Records in 1978. I’m not sure what the label looked like, but I suspect it was MCA rainbow logo with clouds and blue sky in the background. Although “Bad Weather Blues” was originally a non-album track, it was one of the bonus tracks on a CD reissue of “No Smoke Without Fire” (a CD which, according to the official Wishbone Ash website, has now gone out of print).
After the release of “No Smoke Without Fire”, Wishbone Ash went on hiatus for about a year before reconvening to record “Just Testing” (1980). Pressured by MCA to come up with more commercial material, the band considered recruiting a new singer and restricting Turner to playing bass guitar. Turner soon quit the band, and was replaced by John Wetton (ex-King Crimson). Ostensibly, Wetton was also to be the new lead vocalist, but he only sang lead vocals on one song on their next studio album, “Number the Brave” (1981). All other songs were sung by Claire Hamill, who would permanently join Wishbone Ash on the 1981 tour. Wetton subsequently left the band and was replaced on bass by Trevor Bolder (ex-Uriah Heep). Wishbone Ash was dropped by MCA Records after this album and moved to Castle Records for “Twin Barrels Burning” (1982) an album which featured a New Wave of British Heavy Metal-influenced sound and peaked at #22 in the U.K., becoming their highest-charting album in years. Trevor Bolder left the band in 1983 and was replaced by Mervyn Spence (ex-Trapeze). Wishbone Ash switched to I.R.S. Records for “Raw To The Bone” (1985), which was another heavy metal album, with a sound similar to that of it’s predecessor; nevertheless it failed to chart in the U.K. Not long afterwards, Laurie Wisefield quit. In 1986, Spence quit and was replaced by Andy Pyle (ex-Kinks).
In 1987, I.R.S. Records wanted to launch a subsidiary label of all instrumental music (dubbed No Speak), but founder (and ex-Wishbone Ash manger) Miles Copeland felt he needed a high-profile act to successfully launch the label. He convinced the original members of Wishbone Ash to reunite for the first time in 14 years for “Nouveau Calls” (1987), an album which drew a mixed reaction from fans but which marked a resurgence in the bands popularity, as the band played large venues for the first time since the late 1970’s. “Nouveau Calls” had all instrumental music, but the follow-up, “Here to Hear” (1989) had vocals, thus becoming the band’s first studio album with vocals to feature the original lineup since “Wishbone Four”. After this album, Steve Upton retired from the music industry. The band used session drummer Robbie France on some tracks on the upcoming album but eventually settled on Ray Weston before the release of “Strange Affair” (1991). Later in 1991, the band decided to continue without Martin Turner, and again enlisted the services of Andy Pyle. Ted Turner left in 1994, ending his second tour of duty with the band.
In 1995, Andy Powell, the only remaining original member, restructured the band. Roy Weston was gone, and Andy Pyle was dismissed; he formed a completely new lineup with guitarist Roger Filgate, bassist/vocalist Tony Kishman, and drummer Michael Sturgis. The band, which had originally been an equal partnership of all the members, was now essentially his business venture, with the other members being hired help. This lineup released one album, “Illuminations” (1996). Martin Turner filled in for Kishman during the 1995-96 25th anniversary tour of the United States. In 1998, Powell formed a completely different lineup, with bassist Bob Skeat, guitarist/vocalist Mark Birch, and drummer Ray Weston. Two albums of techno and dance music were release in the meantime, “Trance Visionary” (1996) and “Psychic Terrorism” (1998) (the former was a surprise hit, reaching #38 on the U.K. dance chart). The band released an all-acoustic album in 1999 called “Bare Bones”. In 2001, Mark Birch was replaced by Ben Granfelt. The following year, they released “Bona Fide”, their first studio album of all-new material in six years. In 2007, Weston quit and was replaced by Joseph Crabtree, who played on their next studio album, “Power of Eternity” (2007).
Pictures of Matchstick Men single
Status Quo began life in 1962 when schoolmates Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster (both students at Sedgehill Comprehensive School in Catford, U.K.) formed a freakbeat band called The Scorpions. They changed their name to The Spectres, and in 1963 they added drummer John Coghlan. They began writing their own material and in 1965 they met Rick Parfitt; he and Rossi became friends and they made a commitment to continue to work together. In 1966, The Spectres signed a five-year contract with Piccadilly Records. The Spectres released three singles (two in 1966 and one in 1967); all three were commercial failures. By 1967, the band had discovered psychedelia and changed their name to Traffic (later to Traffic Jam), to avoid confusion with Steve Winwood’s Traffic. By this point the band’s lineup included organist Roy Lynes and they released the single “Almost But Not Quite There”, which also flopped. In late 1967 they changed their name to The Status Quo (shortened to Status Quo in 1970), and in early 1968 they released to psychedelic-flavored “Pictures of Matchstick Men” b/w “Gentleman Joe’s Sidewalk Cafe”. This is today’s featured single.
“Pictures of Matchstick Men” opens up with a four-note riff (D/F/C/G) repeated twice (the first time the lead guitar is the lone instrument; the rest of the band enters the second time. The same four chords are used during the verses. The opening riff is quite memorable – it’s very difficult to forget once you’ve heard it – and no doubt this is one of the reasons why this track is probably Status Quo’s best-known song. But “Pictures of Matchstick Men” also owes much to its use of phasing. The lead guitar (played by Rossi) and bass guitar (played by Lancaster) play the same melody throughout most of the song, at first in unison but in slightly different tempos. As a result, the lead guitar and bass guitar fall out-of-phase, resulting in a dissonant, aural strangeness not unlike flanging (but using a different tactic to achieve the result). This sound is augmented nicely by Roy Lynes’ wah-wah organ. The lyrical content is rather weird (telling the tale of a man who is haunted by visions of a face until he is driven to distraction), and, one suspects, LSD-influenced: “When I look up to the skies/I see your eyes a funny kind of yellow/I rush home to bed I soak my head/I see your face underneath my pillow/I wake next morning, tired, still yawning/See your face come peeping through my window”. According to Rossi, the song was for the most part written in the bathroom: “I wrote it on the bog (i.e. toilet). I’d gone there, not for the usual reasons – having a crap and what have you – but to get away from the wife and mother-in-law. I used to go into this narrow frizzing toilet and sit there for hours, until they finally went out. I got three quarters of the song finished in that khazi. The rest I finished in the lounge.” It seems a rather inauspicious beginning for such a classic song, but I suppose it’s plausible. In any case, this is probably about as psychedelic you could get on a pop single in 1968. As other fans have noted, the song is a tour-de-force that seemingly transports the listener into another world, and it’s as colorful as the band’s Carnaby Street clothing.
The B-side of this single, “Gentleman Joe’s Sidewalk Cafe”, was good enough that it was originally slated to be the A-side of the single, but then the A-side and B-side were swapped. In any case, this song is not without it’s appeal. It opens with a melancholy melody, which soon launches into a mid-tempo pop song, in which the protagonist frets about the possibility of losing his significant other: Hey Joe, have you seen my baby here?/Oh we used to share a table every night/Hey Joe, she’s the only girl who’s ever/Meant anything at all/If I lose her I lose all”. The melody is much simpler than the one employed on “Matchstick Men” – only three chords are used, and the song doesn’t use any psychedelic effects like phasing. Once again, Roy Lynes’ organ is put to good use, and it’s much more conspicuous than it was on the A-side. Overall, I liked the song – it remains somewhat of a fan favorite – even if the line about in which Rossi sings “Under a table we’d choose, she’d take off her shoes/And rub her feet against mine” was a bit too corny for me. Interestingly enough, the label on the single lists the track as “Gentlemen Joe’s Sidewalk Cafe”, even though all the discographies I’ve encountered have it listed as “Gentleman Joe’s Sidewalk Cafe”.
What’s really interesting about “Matchstick Men” is that in spite of how memorable it is, and in spite of its status as their first hit (it reached #12 in the U.S., and #7 in the U.K.), it’s not really representative of the Status Quo sound. The band itself never really took “Matchstick Men” seriously (which is perhaps why it almost ended up on the B-side). Nevertheless, they would dabble in psychedelia on their first full-length LP, “Picturesque Matchstickable Message from the Status Quo” (1968) and also on their second album, “Spare Parts” (1969), but they would struggle to repeat the success of “Matchstick Men”. In the 1970’s, they would reinvent themselves as a rock-blues boogie band (the aforementioned Rick Parfitt was now in the fold as the band’s rhythm guitarist, having joined the band in 1968; Roy Lynes had left the band in 1970). With this new direction, they went on to record 50 chart hits in the U.K. “Down Down” became their first and only #1 hit in the U.K. in 1975; they would eventually sell over 118 albums worldwide. They were less successful in the United States, where “Matchstick Men” remains their only hit.
The single (catalog #: 7001) was issued in the United States by Cadet Concept Records, a blues/jazz/folk label started by Marshall Chess, the son of Chess Records founder Leonard Chess. It was a subsidiary of Chess Records, and was arguably a vehicle for the Rotary Connection, a pet project of Marshall Chess which featured the late Minnie Ripperton on lead vocals (long before her salad days as a solo artist on Epic Records). Apparently, the label also secured U.S. distribution rights for U.K. bands, as shown by the fact that they issued “Pictures of Matchstick Men”, which was also the first single issued by Cadet Concept. It features the standard Cadet Concept label design – gray with black print, with “Cadet” printed in pink and “Concept” printed in orange, both words printed with a swirl-style font across the top of the label. The track name and artist are printed on the bottom; publishing information is on the left side, and the catalog number and track length are on the right side. Cadet Concept also issued “Messages from the Status Quo” (catalog #: LPS-315), their first U.S. full-length LP, in 1968.
The Status Quo performing Pictures of Matchstick Men on TV
Send Me No More Letters picture sleeve
Trapeze was formed in March 1969 by vocalist John Jones and guitarist/keyboardist Terry Rowley (both had previously been in a band called Montanas). They rounded out the lineup with Mel Galley (lead and bass guitar), Glenn Hughes (bass guitar), and Dave Holland (drums). In the new band, Jones would function solely as a lead vocalist, and Rowley would primarily function as the organist. The band was soon signed to the Moody Blues’ newly founded Threshold label (in fact, they were the first act added to the roster). Initially, the sound of the band was like a harder-edged version of the Moodies themselves, complete with lush melodies, psychedelic interludes, and hook-laden romantic ballads. Moody Blues bassist John Lodge had much to do with this musical direction, as he recruited Galley, Hughes and Holland, and produced their debut album, “Trapeze” (1970). In advance of the album, however, Trapeze released a single in late 1969: “Send Me No More Letters” b/w “Another Day”. This is today’s featured single.
“Send Me No More Letters” is a good example of the early sound of Trapeze. It starts off with a minor-key melody played on a piano, soon accompanied by Jones’ melancholy vocals: “It’s your smile, all the while/Keeps me dreaming of today/In your eyes, summer flies/Winter comes and slips away”. Although the guitars chime in about 25 seconds into the track, the overall feel of the track is restrained, as the band crafts a forlorn-sounding love ballad. The chorus of “Send me no more letters/And perhaps I might feel better/If you make me no more promises today” is quite catchy, and you might soon find yourself singing along with the music if you give it a listen. Although there is the sense that Hughes, Galley and Holland are somewhat restrained by the material that they are playing, Holland pounds the drums as hard as could be allowed on a melodic pop ballad. This song is good, but it’s also clear that there is the potential for a much harder rocking band with the trio of Hughes, Galley and Holland than the original configuration of the band allowed.
If “Send Me No More Letters” shows a hard rock band trapped playing melodic, psychedelic-tinged pop, “Another Day” is even more restrained. Whereas the lyrics of “Send Me No More Letters” seem personal – dealing with the subject of a relationship gone bad – the lyrics of “Another Day” are much more abstract and universal: “Do you feel like putting everything off ’til tomorrow/Perhaps the time will quickly pass way/Your views will change and rearranged/You conscience living, find another day”. The song starts with and acoustic guitar, soon joined by a bass guitar and organ, then by Holland’s drums about 30 seconds into the track. The song is notable for the harmony singing on the line “[t]roubles rising through another day” with Jones and Hughes singing together. On this track, Rowley’s organ seems to play a more prominent role; while it provides a solid backbone on “Send Me No More Letters”, on this track is seems much more noticeable. Both these tracks appeared on the bands debut album, released the following year.
This single (catalog #: TH-21001) was issued by Threshold Records in 1969, a U.K. subsidiary of Decca Records established that same year. I’m not sure what the label looked like, but I suspect it was the white label with the magenta Threshold logo on the top. As far as I know, no picture sleeve was issued with this release in the U.K., but the French release did, and is pictured here. In 1970, Jones and Rowley would return to Montanas, and the trio of Hughes, Galley and Holland would carry on, with Galley taking over lead vocal duties. This lineup released two albums: “Medusa” (1970) and “You Are The Music…We’re Just The Band” (1972). The band would tour the U.K. and in the southern United States; its commercial success was minimal up to this point. In 1973, Hughes would leave Trapeze to join Deep Purple, which resulted in renewed interest in the three albums Trapeze recorded with Hughes and an augmenting of the band’s fan base. Soon the band was playing small arenas, and by 1974 Pete Wright was recruited to replace Hughes and Rob Kendrick was recruited, giving the band a second guitarist. This lineup recorded two albums: “Hot Wire” (1974) and “Trapeze” (1976). The lineup of Hughes, Galley and Holland would reunite briefly in 1976, but Hughes left before anything came of this reunion. Galley and Holland would reform Trapeze in 1978, once again with Pete Wright on bass, joined this time with new lead vocalist/guitarist Pete Goalby. In late 1979, Dave Holland joined Judas Priest, and was replaced by Steve Bray. When Pete Goalby left to join Uriah Heep in 1981, Galley formed a new lineup, with Bray returning as drummer and adding Mervyn “Spam” Spence (bass guitar, vocals) and Richard Bailey (keyboards). This lineup toured once in 1982 before Trapeze disbanded that same year. The trio of Hughes, Galley and Holland reunited briefly in 1991 (augmented by keyboardist Geoff Downes) and 1994 (augmented by guitarist Craig Erickson). Mel Galley died of esophagus cancer on July 1, 2008, ending any possibility of another reunion of the classic Trapeze lineup.
Glenn Hughes performing You Are The Music, We’re Just The Band in Sweden in 1996
Better by You Better Than Me b/w Waitin' for the Wind picture sleeve
Spooky Tooth was formed in October 1967 in northwest England. Mike Harrison (lead vocals) and Greg Ridley (bass guitar) had been in a band called the V.I.P.s since 1963; Luther Grosvenor (lead guitar) joined the band in 1967. Frank Kenyon (rhythm guitar), Keith Emerson (electric organ) and Walter Johnstone (drums) rounded out V.I.P.’s lineup. After four years, the V.I.P.s released several singles but enjoyed no tangible success. Three-sixths of V.I.P. – Harrison, Ridley and Grosvenor – forged ahead, recruiting drummer Mike Kellie, and the band was renamed Art. The quartet released one album on Island Records – “Supernatural Fairy Tales” (1967) – before adding American Gary Wright to the lineup on organ. The addition of Wright coincided with the band being rechristened as Spooky Tooth. The group built a following by playing numerous gigs, and released its debut album, “It’s All About”, in 1968, and is an album of psychedelic music similar to Traffic. Several non-album singles were also issued, such as “The Weight” and “That Was Only Yesterday”. In 1969, they issued “Spooky Two”, their second studio album and what is considered by many critics to be their crowning achievement. This album also spawned the single “Better by You, Better Than Me” b/w “Waitin’ for the Wind”, which is today’s featured single.
“Better by You, Better Than Me” features a simple, hypnotic riff (which is echoed by the organ) containing some rather dark lyrical content in which the protagonist harps on his inability to articulate his thoughts: “You can find a way to be my passion/You listen to the blood flowin’ in my vein/You hear the teaching of the wind/Tell her what I’m like within/I can’t find the words my mind is dim /It’s better by you better than me”. Gary Wright’s organ serves the same function as a rhythm guitar during the first minute or so, and about 1 minute and 19 seconds into the track, we get an interesting bridge in which a chord is strummed on an acoustic guitar, accompanied by Wright’s ever-present organ: “You can tell what I want it to be/You can say what I only can see/Its better by you better than me”. This is followed, about 25 seconds later, by a third lyric, which contains the apocalyptic conclusion: “Guess Ill learn to fight and kill/Tell her not to wait until/They’ll find my blood upon her windowsill.” This is followed by a reprise of the bridge, which this time lasts almost a minute and takes us to the song’s fade-out. This song, of course, was covered by Judas Priest on their “Stained Class” (1977) album; the song was the subject of the famous 1990 “subliminal message trial” in which Judas Priest was involved in a civil action that alleged they were responsible for the suicide attempts of two young men in Reno, Nevada.
The B-side of the single, “Waitin’ for the Wind”, starts off with an unaccompanied 33 second-long drum rhythm, followed by a three-chord melody from Gary Wright’s organ, accompanied by Ridley’s bass, and then Harrison’s vocals: “Lonely is the night/Now that darkness has fallin’/Nothing seems right/And the world is callin'”. The song has an interesting rhyme structure. The first four lines go ABAB, as you can see, but in the second set of lines, only the second and fourth line rhyme. The second verse follows the same pattern. The organ melody changes slightly in the second part of each verse as well, before the chorus of “Hang on/Don’t ever go/Life’s here/I know”, where the lead guitar finally chimes in. It’s a mournful, minor key melody, and the interplay between the verses, in which the music sounds restrained, and the chorus, in which the damn seems to burst and the music thunders forth, is quite good. As is the case with “Better by You, Better Than Me”, there is no instrumental break; instead, the chorus is repeated for the final minute, including the fade-out. It’s hard to say what constitutes a suitable single for a progressive rock band like Spooky Tooth – their songs are hardly laden with catchy hooks or pop-laden melodies, but it’s fair to say that the A and B sides here could easily be reversed. In fact, “Waitin’ for the Wind” was the A-side of Spooky Tooth’s previous single (with “Feelin’ Bad” on the flip). Bands like Bad Company and Foreigner would distill the blues rock of Spooky Tooth into a more commercially viable product, but for fans of the genre, this is definitely worth checking out.
This single (catalog #: 6014-007) was issued by Island Records in the U.K. and A&M Records in the U.S. A picture sleeve was issued with the single in the U.K. and it just features the band name and track listing against a background that resembles record grooves. I’m not sure what the label looked like, but I assume it would have been the pink Island Records label for the U.K. release and the tan A&M label for the U.S. release. The second Spooky Tooth album would also be Mike Ridley’s last with the band: he joined Humble Pie in 1969 and was replaced by Andy Leigh, who recorded “Ceremony” (1970) with the band. The album received mixed reviews, and Gary Wright left the band after its release. Andy Leigh was replaced by Alan Spenner, and Wright was replaced by Chris Stainton. The band also added a third guitarist, Henry McCullough. All three of the new members were part of Joe Cocker’s Grease Band, and this lineup recorded “The Last Puff” (1970). This was not enough to keep the band afloat, and Spooky Tooth disbanded after this album was released. However, Harrison and Wright re-formed Spooky Tooth in September 1972. The new lineup included Mick Jones (guitar, vocals), later of Foreigner, Chris Stewart (bass, vocals) and Bryson Graham. This time, Harrison and Mick Jones would be co-lead vocalists. After the release of “Witness” (1973), Val Burke replaced Chris Stewart on bass. This lineup recorded “You Broke My Heart, So I Busted Your Jaw” (1973), a moderately successful album. After this release, Mike Harrison left the band, and was replaced by Mike Patto. Spooky Tooth recorded one more album, “The Mirror”, before breaking up again. In 1998, the classic lineup of Harrison, Ridley, Grosvenor and Kellie (minus Gary Wright) reunited briefly for an album, “Cross Purpose” (1999). The death of Mike Ridley in 2003 quashed the possibility of any further reunions of the original lineup, but Mike Harrison, Gary Wright and Mike Kellie (augmented by newcomers Joey Albrecht on guitar and Michael Becker on bass) reunited in 2004 for two concerts in Germany. These performances were captured in the DVD release “Nomad Poets” (2007).
The 2004 incarnation of Spooky Tooth performing Better by You, Better Than Me
Waitin’ for the Wind
Whole Wide World picture sleeve (BUY 16)
Few labels put together as interesting a roster of artists as Stiff Records did in the late 1970’s; this applied not only to the more enduring legends associated with the company such as Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello, but also to those whose success was more ephemeral. Wreckless Eric was an example of the latter: he never had a real hit single, and his peak period was relatively brief, but the records he released during his tenure with Stiff made him a cult figure. Wreckless Eric was the stage name of Eric Goulden, a former art student who moved to London in 1976 to become a musician. He made a tape of some songs, sent it to Stiff Records’ Jake Rivera, and soon, Wreckless Eric was signed to Stiff. His first Stiff single, “Whole Wide World” b/w “Semaphore Signals” is the featured single of the day.
The lineup for this song included Eric (guitar, vocals, drums), Davey Payne (saxophone), and Barry Payne (bass guitar). One probably wouldn’t expect much from the first single released by an art student cum musician, and yet Wreckless Eric succeeds massively here. “Whole Wide World” wasn’t really a hit single, but it did reach #1 on the U.K. alternative chart and has enjoyed something of a revival as a result of its inclusion in the Will Ferrell movie “Stranger Than Fiction”. The ultimate in simplicity, it uses only guitar chords E and A. The lyrics are also relatively Spartan, contributing to the song’s “urchin charm”: “When I was a young boy/My mama said to me/There’s only one girl in the world for you/And she probably lives in Tahiti/I’d go the whole wide world/I’d go the whole wide world/Just to find her”. The song is played in 4/4 time, with the only difference being a somewhat more spirited strum during the chorus. Unlike many of the other songs covered in this blog, I can’t really rave about the skilled musicianship of the band. Eric does a good job on guitar, and the rhythm section fills out the sound pretty well, but the simple fact is that the song doesn’t require a virtuoso to perform it, and Wreckless Eric himself can’t sing on key. But that is part of the appeal of the song; here, to say that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts isn’t just a cliche. In a way, “Whole Wide World” is an exemplar of the zeitgeist of the punk era, in which the spirit of the music often transcended the limited skill set of many of the musicians. And it didn’t hurt that Nick Lowe produced the song, either.
For the B-side, “Semaphore Signals”, Wreckless Eric employed a slightly different lineup. Denise Roudette (Ian Dury’s girlfriend) played bass guitar, and Dury himself produced the single. Once again, the song is about a girl, but unlike “Whole Wide World”, the girl isn’t an imagined ideal woman, but is a real girl whose parents disapprove of the protagonist’s intentions: “I live up here on this hill/She lives down there in the green belt/Her parents don’t like me cos I’m come from this hill/There little girls future is in doubt”. As a result, all he can do is send “semaphore signals to the girl I love.” The melody is almost as simple as the one in “Whole Wide World”, but the rhythm section – especially the bass guitar – plays a much more prominent role. On this track, it seems as if Eric abandons even the pretense of trying to sing in tune, and his singing gets more and more over the top and tuneless (especially on the chorus) – and amazingly enough, it works. His guitar playing seems sloppy (Roudette’s bass is competent, but not especially impressive), and the song is all the better for it. The song ends abruptly after 2 minutes and 58 seconds. A live version of this song can be heard on the album “Live Stiffs”, recorded during the 1978 Live Stiffs tour.
At least in the U.K., the single was issued with a laminated picture sleeve featuring a black-and-white picture of Wreckless Eric and the Wreckless Eric logo across the top. The catalog number was BUY 16, and although I’m not sure, I assume it was issued with the black-and-white Stiff Records label.
External links: Wreckless Eric performing Whole Wide World on TV Wreckless Eric performing Semaphore Signals (2005)
