The Intro

From one of the biggest US soul acts of the 70s to one of the UK’s most successful. And there are further similarities to The Jacksons, in that Hot Chocolate had several songs that are now remembered better than their only UK number 1.

Before

Hot Chocolate Band began in 1968. Formed by vocalist Errol Brown and bassist Tony Wilson, the original line-up also featured guitarist Franklyn De Allie, drummer Jim King and percussionist Patrick Olive. The line-up soon changed, with King replaced by Ian King (unrelated) and Larry Ferguson joining on keyboards in 1969. That year they recorded a reggae version of Plastic Ono Band’s Give Peace a Chance. John Lennon liked it so much, he signed them to Apple Records. But with The Beatles on the verge of splitting up, their time on the label was short-lived.

In 1970 Mickie Most signed The Hot Chocolate to his RAK Records label. Now known as Hot Chocolate, Harvey Hinsley and Tony Connor had replaced De Allie and King respectively. Their first single Love Is Life began a very impressive streak of hits. Between 1970 and 1978 they had top 40 singles every year, often in the upper reaches of the chart. Most of these were written by Brown and Wilson, who also wrote for Herman’s Hermits and Mary Hopkin, among others. Concentrating purely on singles as Hot Chocolate at first, among their biggest hits were I Believe (In Love) in 1971 (number eight) and Brother Louie in 1973 (number seven).

In 1974 they released their first album, Cicero Park. It featured their first international hit, Emma, which peaked at three in the UK.

A year later their eponymous second LP really took things up a notch. You Sexy Thing had originally been hidden away as a B-side to a non-charting single called Blue Night earlier that year. Most saw how popular disco was becoming and remixed it. Disco was on the rise, and with its slick production, catchy tune and great yelping vocal from Brown, it couldn’t fail to do better second time around. Which is an understatement considering it’s their signature tune. You Sexy Thing climbed to two in the UK and also reached the top 10 in the 80s and 90s.

Wilson, who had shared vocal duties with Brown and had first encouraged him to write music, decided to quit and go solo in 1976 before they recorded next album Man to Man. With Brown writing alone, he may have been concerned at the loss – its singles Don’t Stop It Now, Man to Man and Heaven Is the Back Seat of My Cadillac went to 11, 14 and 25 respectively. Wilson was replaced on bass briefly by Brian Satterwhite before he too left. Olive dropped percussion and switched to bass.

The first track to be released from their next LP, Every 1’s a Winner, was So You Win Again. This track was written by singer-songwriter and musician Russ Ballard. He’d been in Unit Four + Two, who had a 1965 number 1 with Concrete and Clay. From there, he became lead singer of Argent, writing God Gave Rock and Roll to You and Hold Your Head Up.

Review

Look past the catchy chorus and the ‘do do do do’ backing vocals and So You Win Again is a pretty bleak song. Brown takes on the roll of ‘the loser’, who’s love has ditched him. And not for the first time. Brown knows that to her their love was just a game, and in this game, she repeatedly wins out. He’s utterly dejected and resigned to his fate. There’s no fight here. Brown repeatedly calls himself a ‘fool’ who falls for her games every time. How many times has it happened and how many more times will it continue?

Luckily this utter misery is encased in a decent groove, with good production from Most (excellent bass sound in particular). But it’s yet another example of a band’s better work missing out on the top spot while a lesser tune gets to number 1.

After

The next single Put Your Love In Me peaked at 10. Strangely the title track was held off to be released as the last single. Every 1’s a Winner is for me their best single. That killer riff is hard to beat and has understandably been used on countless adverts and TV shows over the years. Yet it only reached 12. Go figure.

As the 70s drew to a close, Hot Chocolate’s fortunes became more mixed. The two singles from 1979’s aptly named Going Through the Motions couldn’t crack the top 40. But the 1980 single No Doubt About It, one of their best, reached two. Co-written by Most’s brother David, the song was allegedly based on a true story of a UFO over Hampstead Heath. Again, it has a great, cod-futuristic groove courtesy of the bass. And the video, probably inspired by Close Encounters of the First Kind, is brilliantly naff. 1982 album Mystery did well, with Girl Crazy reaching seven and It Started With a Kiss climbing to five. Just try to hear it without Alan Partridge losing it while singing ‘You don’t remember me do you?’.

What Kinda Boy You’re Lookin’ For (Girl) was the final top 10 hit during the ‘classic era’ line-up, in 1983. Love Shot, released later that year, its final album. Brown and Ferguson both departed in 1986, effectively ending Hot Chocolate.

However, they became a chart concern once more when Ben Liebrand’s remix of You Sexy Thing, released to promote The Very Best of Hot Chocolate, went to 10 in 1987. Several other remixes of their classics didn’t have the same impact. In 1988 they briefly reformed with Grant Evelyn on vocals and had a hit in Germany with Never Pretend. 1992 saw a new line-up continuing the band name, featuring Greg Bannis on vocals and keyboardists Willy Dowling and Steve Matthews added to the mix. They were both replaced by Steve Ansell and Andy Smith in 1994. In 2010 Kennie Smith took over behind the mic and this line-up has remained ever since.

The Outro

They couldn’t compare of course to Brown and co, and the only further chart action for Hot Chocolate came from reissues. It Started With a Kiss charted twice more, reaching 31 in 1993 and 18 in 1998. And Liebrand’s remix of You Sexy Thing, fresh off the back of a key part in smash comedy The Full Monty, peaked at six in 1997. Brown had a solo career after leaving the group, scoring a number 25 hit with Personal Touch in 1997. For most people, Brown in an array of outlandish outfits, centre-stage in their videos, was Hot Chocolate. In 2004 he received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. He died of liver cancer in 2015.

The Info

Written by

Russ Ballard

Producer

Mickie Most

Weeks at number 1

3 (2-22 July)

Meanwhile…

4 July: Manchester United’s manager Tommy Docherty was dismissed by the club’s directors for having an affair with the wife of the team’s physiotherapist.

10 July: Maureen Long, 42, from Bradford, is injured in an attack believed to have been committed by the Yorkshire Ripper.

11 July: England football manager Don Revie announces his resignation.

12 July: Revie accepts an offer to become the highest-paid football manager in the world when he is appointed manager of the United Arab Emirates team. 

14 July: Queen’s Park Rangers manager Dave Sexton is appointed by Manchester United to replace Docherty.