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468. Barbra Streisand – Woman in Love (1980)

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The Intro

As the 80s dawned, The Bee Gees knew their second peak couldn’t last forever. But moving into writing and producing for others proved very fruitful. Superstar actress and singer Barbra Streisand initially asked Barry Gibb to write half the album Guilty. He went on to produce the whole LP and Woman in Love became her biggest UK hit.

Before

Barbara Joan Streisand was born on 24 April 1942 in Brooklyn, New York City. Her father died soon after her first birthday, and the Streisands struggled financially, with her mother working as a bookkeeper. She was also a semi-professional singer, but she was initially reluctant when her daughter showed an interest in performing. At the age of nine, Streisand had already failed an audition for MGM. But her mother came round to the idea and she helped her 13-year-old daughter record a demo.

However, Streisand’s main ambition was to be an actress. At 16 she left school and moved out, taking on a number of menial jobs to make ends meet while striving for acting jobs. She became an usher in 1960 and auditioned for The Sound of Music. Although she failed, the director was impressed and urged her to include singing on her resumé. She entered a talent contest at gay nightclub Lion in Greenwich Village and stunned the audience into silence. Returning after winning for several weeks, she decided to change her first name to ‘Barbra’. Determined to make it her way, she refused to contemplate suggestions she have a nose job to improve her chances of mainstream appeal. Her first professional engagement came in September 1960 as support for the comedian Phyllis Diller.

Streisand spent the next few years honing her act and developing her between-song patter. She made her TV debut on The Tonight Show in 1961 and her Broadway debut the following year in the musical comedy I Can Get It for you Wholesale. At the age of 21 she signed with Columbia Records, gaining full creative control, in exchange for less money. A respectable position to take, and just as well, because they wanted her debut LP to be called Sweet and Saucy Streisand. It was eventually released as The Barbra Streisand Album in 1963.

In 1964 Streisand returned to Broadway for Funny Girl, which became an overnight success. People became her first US charting single, peaking at five, and she even made the cover of Time. Streisand’s UK chart debut came in 1965 with Second Hand Rose, which climbed to 14. In 1968 she won her first Academy Award, for Best Actress, after starring in the cinema version of Funny Girl.

The British Invasion dented Streisand’s mainstream musical appeal, like many stars of her ilk. But during the 70s her fortunes improved, with a return to the singles chart in 1970 with Stoney End – six in the US, 27 in the UK. One of her signature tunes, the haunting The Way We Were from the film of the same name, became her first Billboard number 1 in 1973, yet strangely it only climbed to 31 in the UK. Her role alongside Kris Kristofferson in the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born was huge, and Evergreen (Love Theme from ‘A Star Is Born’) was her second US chart-topper, soaring to three over here. She also won an Oscar for Best Song for Evergreen.

Her version of Neil Diamond’s You Don’t Bring Me Flowers was so popular, an unofficial duet was achieved by splicing Streisand and Diamond’s recordings. When an official duet was released in December 1978, Streisand achieved her third Billboard number 1. A year later, another duet saw her cross over successfully into disco. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) teamed Streisand with Donna Summer and was co-produced by the genius Giorgio Moroder. Back at the peak of Billboard for the fourth time, it peaked at three in the UK. Streisand was named the most successful US female singer of the 70s.

Between February 1979 and March 1980, Streisand worked on her 22nd album, Guilty. She was so impressed with Gibb’s production and songwriting, he contributed to every song, with Robin co-writing five songs, and Maurice joining them for the title track. Production was credited to Gibb-Galuten-Richardson, which saw Barry team up with producer Albhy Galuten and sound engineer Karl Richardson, who produced Bee Gees number 1s Night Fever and Tragedy. Barry and Robin co-wrote lead single, Woman in Love, and Barry was credited with acoustic guitar and arrangement.

Review

You can always tell when a song has been written by the Gibb brothers, even if they don’t record it. Their marks are all over it – all you have to do is imagine the vocals made a lot higher. This rule works here. Unfortunately, that’s about the most interesting thing I can say about Woman in Love. It’s a very pedestrian love song masked in glossy production. I don’t understand why it was so popular, other than that perhaps it was due to Streisand’s stock being so high on the back of her role in A Star Is Born (the video is simply a compilation of scenes from the film) and her duet with Summer. There’s no amazing vocal prowess on display, the lyrics are unremarkable and the tune is lacklustre. Certainly one of the lesser number 1s of 1980.

After

Nonetheless, Woman in Love was a smash hit around the world, topping the charts in the US, Australia, Spain – pretty much everywhere, in fact. The parent album Guilty was also huge, despite no further real success in the UK singles chart (the title track only made it to 34). It would be four years before her next studio LP, Emotion. In 1985, despite objections from Columbia, Streisand returned to her roots with The Broadway Album. Three years later, Streisand was in the UK top 20 for the first time since Woman in Love, with the title track to Till I Loved You – a duet with Miami Vice star Don Johnson, which peaked at 16.

The 90s started very well for Streisand. She directed, co-produced and starred in the romantic drama The Prince of Tides (1991). Places That Belong to You, from the soundtrack, saw her back in the singles chart at 17. In 1993 she announced her return to live public concerts for the first time in 27 years. At the time, she was the highest-paid concert performer ever and won five Emmy Awards. She left the limelight again for a few years, but made a triumphant return in 1996, producing, directing and starring in another romantic comedy – The Mirror Has Two Faces. From the soundtrack came the number 10 hit duet I Finally Found Someone, with Bryan Adams. Then, a year later, a duet with Celine Dion – Tell Him, soared to number three. It is to date her last top 10 single.

The new millennium began with sad news for Streisand’s fans, as she announced she was to retire from public performances. But she did return to the movie world, starring in 2004 comedy Meet the Fockers. Album releases continued, including Guilty Too, a second collaboration with Gibb, in 2005. A year later, aged 64, she announced she was to tour once more, and became one of the highest-grossing performers in the world yet again. Amazingly it took until 2009 for Streisand to make her performance debut on British TV, when she appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

In 2014, Streisand released Partners, an album featuring duets with Lionel Richie, Billy Joel and, from beyond the grave, Elvis Presley. Her last album to date was Walls in 2018, the title of which was a reference to the singer’s condemnation of President Donald Trump’s policies.

The Outro

Streisand has been a hugely successful singer, actress, director, producer over six decades. However, when it comes to pop music, there’s not a lot to recommend, other than No More Tears (Enough Is Enough). And that’s most likely down to Summer and Moroder.

The Info

Written by

Barry Gibb & Robin Gibb

Producers

Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten & Karl Richardson

Weeks at number 1

3 (25 October-14 November)

Trivia

Births

26 October: Scottish actor Khalid Abdalla
28 October: Footballer Alan Smith
12 November: Rugby union player Charlie Hodgson

Deaths

26 October: Northern Irish playwright Sam Cree
27 October: T Rex singer-songwriter Steve Peregrin Took
29 October: Actress Ouida MacDermott
30 October: Actor Guy Bellis
3 November: Actor Dennis Burgess/Horticulturalist David Lowe
4 November: Radio broadcaster Paul Kaye/Boxer Johnny Owen
6 November: Literary scholar Nevill Coghill
7 November: Theatre director Norman Marshall
8 November: Scottish painter Gordon Robert Archibald/Astrophysicist Valerie Myerscough/Film producer Julian Wintle
9 November: Social researcher Pearl Jephcott
10 November: Journalist Patrick Campbell, 3rd Baron Glenavy/Painter James Priddey
11 November: Suffragette Connie Lewcock
12 November: John Chetwynd-Talbot, 21st Earl of Shrewsbury
14 November: Dance critic Arnold Haskell

Meanwhile…

28 October: Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher declares her government will not back down to seven jailed IRA terrorists on hunger strike in the Maze Prison, who are hoping to gain prisoner of war status.

5 November: The Yorkshire Ripper is suspected responsible when 16-year-old Huddersfield mother Theresa Sykes is wounded in a hammer attack.

10 November: Michael Foot, the left-wing Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, is elected as their new Leader.

13 November: Security guard George Smith is shot dead when the van he guards is intercepted by armed robbers in Willenhall, West Midlands.

467. The Police – Don’t Stand So Close to Me (1980)

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The Intro

The bestselling single of 1980 had a controversial subject matter and was The Police’s third number 1. Don’t Stand So Close to Me – the tale of a teacher’s Lolita-like relationship with a pupil – was made all the more eyebrow-raising due to the fact that singer Sting was a teacher before he was a pop star.

Before

Following their second number 1, Walking on the Moon, re-released their fourth single So Lonely, originally issued in 1978. As a pre-fame record it had failed to chart, but this time it peaked at six. A month after its release in February 1980, The Police embarked on their first world tour, performing in countries not used to western pop stars including India and Egypt. To capitalise on their global popularity, UK label A&M released Six Pack, a package featuring their previous five singles (including their first chart-topper, Message in a Bottle), plus an alternate take of album track The Bed’s Too Big Without You.

A&M seemingly couldn’t be satisfied by their biggest group of the moment, however, because they started pressuring The Police for a third album. Recorded in four weeks that July-August, the trio later said Zenyatta Mondatta was too rushed. Nonetheless, it was scheduled for an October release, to be preceded by lead single Don’t Stand So Close to Me on 19 September.

Before he was Sting, Gordon Sumner had taught English at St Paul’s First School in Cramlington, Northumberland. Sting has always understandably stated that Don’t Stand So Close to Me was not about him, but whether it came from experience of a scandal of a colleague, or was just inspired by his teaching career, we don’t know. Anyone who might think a handsome man like Sting may have had no shortage of schoolgirl fans might be right, but nobody has ever claimed the singer has also walked on the moon or been stranded on a desert island.

Review

Opening with a dark and brooding synth, Don’t Stand So Close to Me starts very strong. Sting’s lyrics are compelling and not the subject matter of your average pop song. The first verse is purely focused on the schoolgirl’s desire for the teacher. So far, so very good. But when it gets to the chorus, Don’t Stand So Close to Me goes downhill. While the verses are atmospheric, tense and foreboding, the workmanlike reggae of the chorus is perhaps a sign of the lack of time spent making this album. It’s like a demo recording – as is the instrumental section, featuring some more synth work that screams ‘this will do until we work out what goes here’, but they never went back to it.

Apparently however, The Police and producer Nigel Gray did work on this track for some time, with it initially tried out as a Hammond organ-based soul track. Several complex arrangements were tried, but, perhaps with the ticking of the clock in mind, they were abandoned and the band reverted to an earlier sound.

The second and third verses are strong, detailing the teacher’s lack of torment. However, you could say Sting tries harder to make the listener gain sympathy for the man here, mentioning ‘Temptation, frustration, so bad it makes him cry’. And the definite low point is:

‘It’s no use, he sees her, he starts to shake and cough,
Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov’.

You guessed it! The book in question is Lolita! Terrible, yet Sting later claimed to think it was ‘hilarious’ that he was given so much flak for it.

So the song ends with both student and teacher as the subject of gossip in the classroom and staffroom, and Sting pleading with his pupil to keep away, possibly partly to keep his temptation at bay, but also the rumours. The ending is overlong and if you’re not a fan of Sting’s attempt at reggae singing, Don’t Stand So Close to Me is not going to rank as their best number 1. In a year of so many chart-toppers, with the average duration at the top of the hit parade being only a fortnight, this doesn’t really deserve it’s lofty bestseller status.

The video is a typical Police promo. Sting does a decent job playing the stressed-out teacher, with a young girl hovering around him, while Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland probably revelled in the chance to wind him up by throwing paper aeroplanes and smoking in the classroom. This is intercut with the trio skanking around a schoolroom, with Copeland looking particularly silly holding his drumsticks. Mind you, Summers gives him a run for his money by dropping to his knees for a guitar solo that isn’t actually there. Sting’s adoring fans will have particularly enjoyed their hero getting his top off at one point (bit harsh him telling the girl to keep away when he’s behaving like that).

Don’t Stand So Close to Me has aged better than other similar Lolita-style songs, such as 1968 chart-topper Young Girl, but any sensitivity in which Sting broaches the subject matter quickly evaporates with that terrible rhyme, and nothing is resolved.

After

The melody to Don’t Stand So Close to Me found its way on to another huge 80s hit, when Dire Straits asked Sting to sing on the epic intro to Money for Nothing. Sting sang ‘I want my MTV’ to the tune, and after the release of the LP Money for Nothing, he received a co-writing credit.

The Outro

In 1984 The Police went on hiatus. Two years they reconvened, but the chance of a new album was doomed when Copeland broke his collarbone before they’d had chance to jam. Their final single was Don’t Stand So Close to Me ’86. Copeland and Sting fell out over what to use as drums, the former won out with his Fairlight CMI over the latter’s Synclavier. Unfortunately, while the idea of a reworked version showed a desire to breathe new life into an underworked song, this version is actually inferior. The production is too 80s, and the chorus less catchy. The video, directed by 10cc’s Godley and Creme, is one of the most comically mid-80s things you’ll ever see. The single made it to 24 after the group disbanded.

The Info

Written by

Sting

Producers

The Police & Andy Gray

Weeks at number 1

4 (27 September-24 October) *BEST-SELLING SINGLE OF THE YEAR*

Trivia

Births

5 October: Motorcycle racer James Toseland
13 October: Football player Scott Parker
14 October: Actor Ben Wishaw

Deaths

27 September: Banker Sir Michael Turner
28 September: Pianist Horace Finch
29 September: Labour Party MP Peter Mahon
30 September: Botanist James Wyllie Gregor/Conservationist George Waterston
6 October: Actress Hattie Jacques
7 October: Designer Sir Gordon Russell
10 October: Conservative MP Evelyn Emmet, Baroness Emmet of Amberley/Cricketer Wilfred Hill-Wood
11 October: Singer Cassie Walmer
12 October: Actress Ambrosine Phillpotts
14 October: Labour Party MP Arthur Pearson
15 October: Writer Katharine Mary Briggs
19 October: Radio producer DG Bridson
20 October: TV personality Isobel, Lady Barnett/Tennis player Phoebe Holcroft Watson
24 October: Conservative MP Sir Richard Glyn, 9th Baronet

Meanwhile…

3 October: The 1980 Housing Act came into effect, which gave council house tenants of three years or more in England and Wales the right to buy their home from their local council, at a discount.  

6 October: Express coach services were deregulated.

8 October: British Leyland launched the Austin Metro.

10 October: Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher made her infamous ‘The lady’s not for turning’ speech at conference, after being warned her economic policy was to blame for the recession and record-breaking rising unemployment.

15 October: Former Prime Minister James Callaghan resigned as Labour Party leader after four and a half years in the job.
Also this day, former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and union leaders criticised Thatcher’s economic policies.

17 October: Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to make a state visit to the Vatican.

22 October: Lord Thomson announced The Times and Sunday Times would close within five months unless a buyer was found.

24 October: MG car production ended.

450. The Special A.K.A. Featuring Rico – Too Much Too Young – The Special A.K.A. Live! (EP) (1980)

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The Intro

The Specials/The Special AKA quickly grew into one of the most beloved bands of the early 80s. Their state-of-the-nation address Ghost Town is one of the greatest singles of the decade, but before that, the Coventry-based ska revival legends became the first act since Demis Roussos in 1976 to reach number 1 with an EP. It was also the first ska number 1 since Double Barrel in 1971, and the first live recording to be a chart-topper since Billy Connolly’s D.I.V.O.R.C.E. in 1975. And The Specials are among my earliest memories – I can remember being struck by the 2-Tone record label, watching the black and white man in the suit spinning on our record player, as my big brother was a huge fan.

Before

The Special AKA formed in 1977 and were known as The Automatics, then The Coventry Automatics. They consisted of songwriter and keyboardist Jerry Dammers, vocalist Tim Strickland, drummer Silverton Hutchinson and bassist/vocalist Horace Panter, aka Sir Horace Gentleman. Terry Hall replaced Strickland very soon after. They were joined in 1978 by vocalist Neville Staple and guitarist Roddy Byers, aka Roddy Radiation. Dammers hoped his band could unite black and white music lovers, coinciding with the Rock Against Racism movement. And they were given a huge leg-up in exposure when Joe Strummer invited the band to support The Clash.

As 1979 rolled around, Hutchinson left and was replaced behind the drumkit by John Bradbury. Dammers launched the 2 Tone Records label and released The Special AKA’s debut single, Gangsters, which was a reworking of Jamaican singer-songwriter Prince Buster’s Al Capone, which shot to number six – impressive for a debut. They changed their name to The Specials and began recording their eponymous debut album, produced by hip new wave star Elvis Costello and also featuring horn players Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez.

The ska seven-piece stood out thanks to their Mod stylings and two-tone suits, but the material they released was as strong as their image. The Specials, released that October, featured a heady mix of original material and covers of ska classics. The first fruits of this, A Message to You, Rudy, was a cover of Dandy Livingstone’s Rudy, a Message to You, and it peaked at 10.

As great as the album was, it didn’t capture the energy of their live shows. So it was a very wise move to release a live EP in January 1980. As we know through this blog, the first month of the year can bring up many surprising chart-toppers. Credited to The Special AKA Featuring Rico (although the vinyl also, confusingly, billed them as The Specials), Too Much Too Young – The Special A.K.A. Live! EP was a five-track showcase of the group on stage in 1979. Side A featured two tracks from the Lyceum in London, and Side B was a three-track medley – billed as Skinhead Symphony – from Tiffany’s, in their hometown.

Review

The title track is of course one of the most beloved by The Special AKA. Loosely based on the 1969 song Birth Control by reggae singer and producer Lloyd Charmers, Too Much Too Young was originally recorded and released on The Specials.

Inspired by Dammers considering a relationship with a married woman who had a child, Too Much Too Young may be a great tune, but it’s lyrics are somewhat divisive. You could argue the band are railing against wasted youth caused by teenage pregnancies, and are calling for better sex education and knowledge of contraception. This is most likely, considering The Specials’ usual left-wing leanings. But critics have a point when they say Dammers and co come across as preachy and patronising – even somewhat right-wing – by criticising a poor young mum, just because the narrator wants a good time with her, ultimately.

Far more clearcut is just how good this live cut is. It’s the definitive version, and much better than the Costello-produced album version, which is overlong and plodding by comparison. At 2:04, this incendiary version of Too Much Too Young is the shortest number 1 track of the 80s. But it packs in so much in such a short time, it’s easily the best song on this EP, which is no mean feat when it’s up against four classics of the genre. Most noteworthy are Hall’s passionate performance, Gentleman’s bass and Golding and Radiation’s guitar.

Guns of Navarone, the other Lyceum track, is a straightforward cover of The Skatalite’s skanking 1965 version of the theme tune to the 1961 film of the same name. Staple provides great toasting, accompanying expert trombone skills by Rico.

Skinhead Symphony on Side B is a jubilant, celebratory six-minute-plus medley of more 60s ska greats. Opening with a bugle call by Rico, Longshot Kick the Bucket is a faithful rendition of Longshot Kick de Bucket by The Pioneers, originally recorded in 1969. Long Shot was a real horse, that dropped dead mid-race, who the Jamaican group had sung about before. The Liquidator is the only track that doesn’t really live up to the original. Part of The Harry J All Stars 1969 original’s charm is the wonky feel of the primitive recording, which disappears in this sprightly run-through. The symphony closes with a version of 1969 rude boy anthem Skinhead Moonstomp by British ska band Symarip. This was based on Moon Hop, released earlier that year by rocksteady great Derrick Morgan, in honour of the Moon landing that July. It’s the perfect way to cap off a collection of great live recordings. In spite of the rather basic production, the atmosphere is palpable and you can only listen in envy at the fans chanting ‘Specials’ at the end.

In true ska fashion, it’s worth noting there are many credit errors on the original EP. Guns of Navarone songwriter Dimitri Tiomkin’s surname was spelled ‘Thompkin’. The mysterious ‘Gordon’ credited on Longshot Kick the Bucket was George Agard, and Sydney Cook, should be ‘Crooks’. And Symarip’s Monty Naismith should say ‘Naysmith’. Things like this matter!

After

The Special AKA reverted to calling themselves The Specials and continued to score hits throughout 1980 and 81, leading up to their masterpiece, Ghost Town.

The Outro

It’s worth noting that this EP knocked the Pretenders’ Brass in Pocket off the top spot. Singer Chrissie Hynde had provided backing vocals on The Specials, and the video to their number 1 had two band members miming ‘Special!’ in the video. Tenuous, perhaps, but I’m pointing it out anyway.

The Info

Written by

Too Much Too Young: Jerry Dammers & Lloyd Chambers/Guns of Navarone: Dimitri Thompkin & Paul Francis Webster/Longshot Kick the Bucket: Gordon, Sidney Cook & Jackie Robinson/The Liquidator: Harry Johnson/Skinhead Moonstomp: Roy Ellis & Monty Naismith

Producers

Jerry Dammers & Dave Jordan

Weeks at number 1

2 (2-15 February)

Trivia

Births

5 February: Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson
10 February: Photographer Matt Irwin/Actor Ralf Little/Footballer Steve Tully

Deaths

4 February: Labour MP Edith Summerskill
9 February: Journalist Tom Macdonald

Meanwhile…

14 February: The ever-loving Margaret Thatcher celebrates Valentine’s Day by halving state benefit to strikers.

14-23 February: Great Britain and Northern Ireland take part in the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. But they only win one gold medal, thanks to figure skater Robin Cousins.

436. Art Garfunkel – Bright Eyes (1979)

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The Intro

Art Garfunkel’s second solo UK number 1, reigning over the charts as Margaret Thatcher entered Downing Street (see ‘Meanwhile…’), is this haunting ballad. It originally featured on the soundtrack to Watership Down, an animated film that traumatised many children – including me. And this chart-topper and I are forever connected, as it was number 1 the day I was born. A melancholy tune about death, at number 1 when I entered the world. That’s very me.

Before

Watership Down was written, directed and produced by Martin Rosen and was an adaptation of a 1972 novel by Richard Adams. Featuring the voices of John Hurt, Richard Briers and Zero Mostel, it concerns a group of rabbits who escape the destruction of their warren and try to establish a new home.

Although Adams’ novel was for children, it was visceral and bleak. It was more concerned with teaching kids about the harsh realities of nature than entertaining them with lickle fluffy bunnies. Rosen later claimed, despite his movie being animated, that he never intended it for children at all. He wanted the main promo art, of Bigwig in a snare, to be used as a warning to parents to keep their young ones away from the cinema. But the British Board of Classification decided the film was closer to a U than a 15 (there was no PG certificate at the time).

The soundtrack mostly instrumental orchestration by Angela Morley and Malcolm Williamson. Singer-songwriter and producer Mike Batt was asked to contribute. Batt was the man behind novelty band The Wombles, who notched pop a number of hits in the mid-70s, and also helped Steeleye Span and Elkie Brooke score hits. Batt contributed three songs to the Watership Down soundtrack that featured vocals by Art Garfunkel.

Garfunkel’s first number 1, a lovely cover of I Only Have Eyes for You, had been released in 1975. The album, Breakaway, didn’t feature any other hits. He worked with other singers including James Taylor, and then began work on his next LP in December 1976. Watermark hit the shops in 1977 and didn’t sell well. It was re-released in 1978 with a cover of Sam Cooke’s Wonderful World, which featured Paul Simon and Taylor on backing vocals. Perhaps due to the record label choosing not to market it as a new Simon & Garfunkel product, it didn’t chart in the UK.

Which brings us to Bright Eyes. Batt had been asked to write a song about death by original Watership Down director John Hubley (later fired by Rosen when he found out he was working on another project on the side). The song was to be used in the scene where Fiver is led to his wounded brother Hazel by the Black Rabbit of Inlé, the disturbing Grim Reaper of the rabbit world.

Batt struggled at first with the concept. How could he write about death without sounding mawkish? After several days of struggling, he sat at the piano and wrote Bright Eyes in about an hour. Contemplating the mystery of the great unknown, Batt decided to begin by questioning the concept.

‘Is it a kind of dream?
Floating out on the tide,
Following the river of death downstream,
Oh is it a dream?’

Special mention goes out to that third line – what horrible yet beautiful imagery!

The lyrics continue to question what happens not only when we die, but goes deeper and as we all know, the chorus questions why it has to happen at all. It’s my belief that the reason this became the best-selling single of the year was because everyone at some point in their life has lost someone special and identified with the chorus lyrics ‘How can the light that burned so brightly/Suddenly burn so pale?’

Rosen visited Batt and loved what he heard. When he asked who Batt had in mind to sing Bright Eyes, Garfunkel was the instant reply. And why wouldn’t it be? Garfunkel, blessed with one of the most beautiful and ethereal voices in pop, was the ideal choice. Within a day of receiving the demo, Garfunkel had accepted.

Less of a pop song and more film score at the point, Batt described the recording session to the soundtrack version as one of the most difficult of his career. Nonetheless, it paid off, and that scene is one of the highlights of the film. Clearly, they knew they had something special here and decided to turn it into a pop song. The line-up featured session supremo Chris Spedding (who had been in The Wombles) on acoustic guitar, Roland Harker on lute guitar, Les Hurdle on bass, Roy J Morgan on drums, Edwin Roxburgh on oboe and Ray Cooper on percussion.

Review

I think critics of Bright Eyes hear the orchestral opening and Garfunkel’s spectral wailing and think it’s a soppy song about dying cartoon rabbits. But to me and other fans, it’s a deep and bleak song about death that can really hit hard at the right (or wrong times). Garfunkel is blessed with one of the most beautiful voices of all time in pop but occasionally I can find it too twee (I hate The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’Groovy)) so I’m not totally dismissing the voices of concern.

However I think this is my favourite vocal I’ve heard by the curly-haired crooner. It’s not as powerful as Bridge over Troubled Water – but it’s sometimes as moving. Batt deserves lots of credit too, for a great song, well-produced and expertly arranged. A long way from the novelty upbeat pop of The Wombles. And before you ask, I felt like this about Bright Eyes before I discovered it was number 1 the day I was born (apparently I entered the word trying to hang myself on my umbilical cord). I’m pretty chuffed I was born to such a good song at the top, though.

After

A timely release in more ways than one, Bright Eyes became top of the pops on the biggest rabbit-related weekend of the year – Easter. Although I consider it deeper than your average number 1, ultimately it could be the masses simply found it a sweet song about cute animals after all, as it was 1979’s biggest seller. It was a huge hit across Europe too, however, Bright Eyes didn’t even reach the Billboard Hot 100. The album Fate for Breakfast was also a flop in the US.

The 70s ended with tragedy for Garfunkel when his girlfriend, actress Laurie Bird, committed suicide in June 1979, leaving him in a deep depression. He dedicated his 1981 album Scissors Cut to her. This album also fared poorly, but Simon & Garfunkel reunited for a concert in Central Park that year, in front of 500,000 people. The duo embarked on a world tour, but their old rivalry soon returned and a predicted Simon & Garfunkel album, Hearts and Bones was eventually released as a Paul Simon solo LP in 1983 with Garfunkel’s voice wiped. They split again.

Garfunkel releases were few and far between in the mid-80s, save for the festive album The Animals’ Christmas in 1986, written by Jimmy Webb and also featuring Christian singer Amy Grant. He left the music business again when his father died, but resurfaced in 1988 with the LP Lefty, the same year he married Kathryn Cermak.

He disappeared from the public eye yet again and has only returned sporadically since. The 1997 album Songs from a Parent to a Child was his first since Lefty and it spawned the single Daydream, which was his first charting single in the UK since Bright Eyes. It peaked at 17. The romantic comedy As Good as It Gets, also released that year, features Garfunkel singing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life over the closing credits.

Five years later came Garfunkel’s ninth solo album Everything Waits to be Noticed. Featuring poems he had written set to music, it was the first time he was credited as a songwriter.

Simon & Garfunkel reunited again in 2003 for a world tour, which went so well, they made it to the end a year later without killing each other. Three years later Garfunkel released his last album to date – Some Enchanted Evening, a collection of standards from his youth.

Another Simon & Garfunkel tour began in 2009 but was cut short due to the latter’s ongoing vocal problems after choking on lobster. Their last performance to date and likely forever due to Simon’s retirement was at the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award tribute to Mike Nichols, who directed The Graduate. They performed Mrs Robinson.

The Outro

Garfunkel’s vocal issues remained until 2014, when he was finally able to tour properly again. He released his memoir What Is It All But Luminous: Notes From An Underground Man in 2017. He’s gone quiet again and, at the age of 79, may never record or tour again. If not, he’ll always be remembered as one half of one of the most famous folk and pop duos of the 60s, with a beautiful voice that can move the stoniest of hearts.

The Info

Written & produced by:

Mike Batt

Weeks at number 1

6 (14 April-25 May) *BEST-SELLING SINGLE OF THE YEAR*

Trivia

Births

14 April: English rugby player Iain Balshaw

19 April: Me

21 April: Actor James McAvoy

12 May: Gymnast Karin Szymko/Cricketer Robert Key

15 May: Field hockey player Rachel Walker

25 May: Rugby union player Jonny Wilkinson

Deaths

11 May: Geneticist Bernard Kettlewell

Meanwhile…

1 May: The London Underground Jubilee Line is inaugurated. 

4 May: Life in the UK changes forever when the Conservatives win the General Election with a 43-seat majority and Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female UK Prime Minister. Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe becomes the most notable MP to lose his seat in the election. Among the new members of parliament is John Major, 36-year-old MP for Huntingdon.

8 May: Former Liberal Party leader and MP Jeremy Thorpe’s problems continue when his trial for the attempted murder of Norman Scott begins at the Old Bailey.

9 May: Liverpool win the Football League First Division title for the 12th time.

12 May: Arsenal achieve a 3-2 defeat over Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

15 May: The new Tory government abolishes the Price Commission. 

21 May: Elton John becomes the first musician from the west to perform live in the Soviet Union. 
Also on this day, Conservative MPs back Margaret Thatcher’s proposals to sell off parts of nationalised industries.

24 May: The theme park Thorpe Park opens in Chertsey, Surrey. 

25 May: The price of milk increases more than 10% to 15 pence a pint.

425. Commodores – Three Times a Lady (1978)

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The Intro

Alabama funk outfit Commodores developed a softer soul sound thanks largely to chief songwriter Lionel Richie, who eventually left to become one of the biggest pop stars of the 80s. This was their most famous hit and sole chart-topper.

Before

The seven-piece formed from the ashes of two former student groups at Tuskegee Institute in 1968. From the Mystics came vocalist, keyboardist and saxophonist Richie, lead guitarist James McClary and William ‘WAK’ King on trumpet, rhythm guitar, keyboards and vocals. They were joined by three members of the Jays – Andre Callahan on vocals, drums and keyboards, Michael Gilbert on bass and trumpet and Milan Williams on keyboards and rhythm guitar. Another keyboardist, Eugene Ward, also joined them.

Legend has it they chose their new band name when King opened a dictionary and picked a random word. He pointed out later that they were lucky they didn’t become known as The Commodes.

The Commodores won a talent contest at their university and began performing at frat parties. Two years later the line-up changed when Callahan, Gilbert and Ward left. Ronald LaPread took up bass duties and James Ingram (not the famous singer with that name) became lead vocalist and drummer. At this point they were still performing covers but original material was creeping into setlists.

After performing in parking lots, fortune smiled on the Commodores when they landed a support slot on a tour with none other than The Jackson 5. This led to Motown Records signing them up.

Their recorded output got off to a blistering start with that fine instrumental funk classic Machine Gun, the title track of their 1974 LP, which peaked at 20 in the UK. Nothing like their latter career, this features Williams hammering away on the clavinet to great effect. Ingram had left two years previous to head to Vietnam, with his role replaced by Walter Orange, who also took up songwriting duties along with Richie.

Over the next few years they released several hard funk albums to mixed success. Their singles didn’t dent the UK charts, however. Things began to pick up when third album Movin’ On (1976) spawned Sweet Love, a softer track that hit five in the US and 32 in the UK. Success on these shores picked up in 1977 with their eponymous fifth album (renamed Zoom here), which contained the classic break-up anthem Easy. It reached four in the US and nine in the UK. Orange sang the funky follow-up Brick House (32 in Blighty).

A live album was released to bridge the gap while the band worked on their next album. The first song to be released from this was Three Times a Lady.

Richie was at a party to celebrate his parents’ 37th wedding anniversary. When his father toasted his mother and said ‘She’s a great lady, she’s a great mother, and she’s a great friend’, his son was inspired. Putting pen to paper, he came up with a gentle waltz that he dedicated to his wife Brenda, who he saw as once, twice, three times a lady.

However, he considered it too soft for his band. When they presented producer James Carmichael with ideas for the LP Natural High, Richie played Three Times a Lady on the piano but told everyone present it wasn’t for them. He had Frank Sinatra in mind. Carmichael thought it was too good to let go and insisted they record it.

https://youtu.be/VzIs3nKF98Y

Review

As we all know, Three Times a Lady became a massive hit, one of Richie’s most loved songs and a staple at wedding receptions. It’s not among my favourites though – it doesn’t hold a candle to Machine Gun, Easy or some of Richie’s solo love ballads. It’s just too gentle for me and doesn’t go anywhere to keep me interested. Richie sings it beautifully though. Some of the lyrics (and there’s not many) leave me slightly puzzled as the first verse is in past tense and suggests a relationship that’s ended for some reason:

‘Thanks for the times that you’ve given me,
The memories are all in my mind,
And now that we’ve come to the end of our rainbow,
There’s something I must say out loud’

Sounds like a goodbye doesn’t it? Not exactly what you want to sing to your new husband/wife for your first dance on your wedding night really but it’s far from the only misunderstood wedding song. All in all, it’s not bad, but I don’t consider it the classic so many others do.

After

Three Times a Lady topped the charts all over the world and moved Commodores up into a whole new level of fame. It was nominated for two Grammys and won several other awards. A similar and superior tune, Sail On from the album Midnight Magic, reached eight in the UK in 1979 and Still followed hot on its heels, peaking at four here but earning them their second US chart-topper.

Their next album Heroes in 1980 saw a drop in their sales and the single Wonderland only reached 40 here. It was their last top 40 hit for five years. Despite this they were doing well again in the US before long but Richie threw a spanner in the works in 1982 by announcing he was going it alone. Skyler Jett replaced him as lead singer. Then in 1983 McClary left to also go solo and he was replaced by guitarist-vocalist Sheldon Reynolds. Jett was gone by 1984 and his role was taken by former Heatwave frontman James Dean ‘JD’ Nicholas.

Just as the Commodores were coming to the end of the road with Motown, the title track of their 1985 album Nightshift saw them unexpectedly return to the charts. This touching tribute to soul stars Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, who had both died the year previous, soared to three here and in the US.

The Outro

This return to fame proved short-lived, however. LaPread departed in 1986 and Reynolds a year later. His role was taken by David Battelene. While Richie continued to release hits on his own, Commodores were forgotten. A few more albums were released but made no mark. The last album to date was New Tricks in 1993 but Orange, Nicholas and King still tour the world as Commodores.

The Info

Written by

Lionel Richie

Producers

James Carmichael & Commodores

Weeks at number 1

5 (19 August-22 September)

Trivia

Births

19 August: Actor Callum Blue
27 August: Actress Suranne Jones

Deaths

28 August: Actor Robert Shaw
4 September: Suffragette Leonora Cohen
7 September: The Who drummer Keith Moon
9 September: Scottish poet Hugh MacDiarmid
15 September: Composer Edmund Crispin

Meanwhile…

20 August: Gunmen opened fire on an Israeli El Al airline bus in London.

25 August: With the aid of homemade water shoes, US Army Sergeant Walter Robinson ‘walked’ across the English Channel in 11 hours 30 minutes.

7 September: The Who’s wild drummer Keith Moon’s self-destructive ways resulted in his death. His body was found in in a flat owned by Harry Nilsson, who didn’t want to let Moon stay there as he believed it was cursed after Mama Cass died there. Moon died from a drug overdose aged 32.
Also that day, Prime Minister James Callaghan announced he would not call a general election for the autumn. Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher and Liberal leader David Steel accused Callaghan of ‘running scared’, in spite of many opinion polls showing that the minority government could win an election at that time with a majority.
And Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was stabbed with a poison-tipped umbrella while he walked across Waterloo Bridge in London. He died four days later.

15 September: German terrorist Astrid Proll was arrested in London.

19 September: British Police launched a murder hunt following the discovery of the dead body of 13-year-old newspaper boy Carl Bridgewater at a farmhouse near Kingswinford in the West Midlands. 

416. Wings – Mull of Kintyre/Girls School (1977)

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The Intro

Eight years after The Beatles had their last number 1 with The Ballad of John and Yoko, Paul McCartney hit big with his next band Wings. Mull of Kintyre/Girls School became the 1977 Christmas number 1 and the first single to sell more than two million units. It is the biggest selling record of the 70s and remains the bestselling non-charity single of all time.

Before

Following his departure from the Fab Four, McCartney had struggled to recapture the magic of the greatest group of all time. Two albums, McCartney (1970) and Ram (1971) – the latter co-credited to wife Linda, were ill-received, although both have enjoyed improved re-evaluation since.

He decided to begin a new band and invited session drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Hugh McCracken, both of whom had worked on Ram, to join him. Seiwell agreed but McCaracken didn’t, so McCartney asked Denny Laine instead. Laine, formerly of The Moody Blues, was working on a solo album when he received the call from McCartney. The album was abandoned straight away.

In August 1971 the McCartneys, Laine and Seiwell assembled to record the album Wild Life. McCartney reverted back to his Beatles days, on bass primarily once more. On 13 September Linda was giving birth to their second child together, Stella. Due to complications, there was a danger that both mother and daughter could die. McCartney was praying for them when the name ‘Wings’ came to mind.

Wild Life was released that December and was slated. Most tracks were recorded in one take, and it showed. Linda was ridiculed by the music press for her role as backing vocalist and keyboardist. Undaunted, Wings continued with the addition of second guitarist Henry McCullough, who had been in Joe Cocker’s Grease Band, in January 1972. They went on their first tour playing universities in the back of a van together. Attempting to recapture the early days of The Beatles, Wings didn’t perform a single track by McCartney’s previous band.

The debut Wings single, Give Ireland Back to the Irish was a controversial response to the events of Bloody Sunday. Banned by the BBC it nonetheless reached 16 on the singles chart. In what was understandably seen by many as a sarcastic response, their next single was a simple cover of children’s song Mary Had a Little Lamb. It went to nine. Hi Hi Hi‘s drugs references saw them banned by the Beeb again but it peaked at five.

McCartney decided to change their name to Paul McCartney and Wings for the 1973 LP Red Rose Speedway, perhaps deciding they needed more star power to improve sales. My Love, one of their best singles, took them to the top in the US and reached nine here. Then came Live and Let Die. Their theme to Roger Moore’s debut as James Bond reunited McCartney with Martin and was brilliant. A deserved number one, it could only reach nine.

Following another tour, Paul McCartney and Wings set to work on another album but soon McCullough and Seiwell left. Both were unhappy with Linda’s inclusion and felt Paul was too domineering. Reduced to a trio, the McCartneys and Laine decamped to Lagos in Nigeria and recorded one of their best albums. The title track to Band on the Run (1973) was a brilliant mini-medley, reaching three. Again, it deserved better. Jet, released beforehand, was a superior rock tune.

Former Thunderclap Newman guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Geoff Britton joined the ranks soon after. After recording an album with Paul’s brother Mike McGear and The Scaffold they released the single Junior’s Farm, which became their final release on Apple Records. As The Country Hams they released a single with Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer. Walking in the Park with Eloise was a song written years before by Paul’s father James.

Known as just Wings once more, Britton left the band during the recording of their first album for Capitol Records. He was replaced with US musician Joe English. The first fruits of the sessions for Venus and Mars to be released was the beautifully upbeat Listen to What the Man Said, which peaked at six in 1975. Next album Wings at the Speed of Sound boasted their most commercially successful songs to date, Silly Love Songs and Let ‘Em In, which both soared to two. The latter is perhaps the most quintessentially McCartney 70s tune – a very catchy song about a very mundane subject matter. Someone is knocking at the door and ringing the bell. McCartney suggests someone let them in. Hmm.

Sessions for the next Wings album were interrupted when Linda became pregnant. On 9 August the McCartneys and Laine entered Spirit of Ranachan Studio at High Park Farm in the Mull of Kintyre and set to work on a song he had first laid down in 1974.

McCartney had bought the farm in 1966 and eight years later a piano-led demo had him tinkering with a simple song in which he sang of his love for the area. To give the finished version a suitably folksy feel, McCartney recorded his vocals and acoustic guitar outside. Laine, who is credited on the track, added backing vocals and acoustic and electric guitars and the heavily pregnant Linda sang backing vocal and also added percussion. Wanting an authentic rousing Scottish ending, Wings added Campbeltown Pipe Band on bagpipes and drums. Mull of Kintyre was wrapped up in a day.

Reviews

It was inevitable that eventually McCartney would join George Harrison in the ranks of former Beatles achieving a number 1. Little did anyone know that this would be the one to do it, let alone for nine weeks, toppling She Loves You as bestselling song. I get that Mull of Kintyre has a simplistic charm, extolling the virtues of natural beauty. That, like McCartney songs at their best, it has an inclusive quality, building to a big singalong ending like Hey Jude. That And releasing it in time for the Christmas market, when the older generation like to buy a nice tune, was a great move.

Also, clearly, for some unknown reason, bagpipes did well in pop during the 70s. Remember that an instrumental version of Amazing Grace was the biggest song of 1972?! But I cannot get my head around the mammoth success of Mull of Kintyre. It’s a bit of a dirge to my ears, too simple to leave that much of a mark. But it’s McCartney isn’t it? I can’t deny one of the greatest songwriters of all time a number 1, even if he’s made far better over the decades.

The video to Mull of Kintyre is suitably wistful, featuring Paul strumming on a fence at his farm, Linda in the background. They and Laine stride towards a place overlooking the beach, where Campbeltown Pipe Band are performing. Eventually Wings are joined by locals for a nighttime fire sing-song. Lovely.

One reason I suspect nobody was expecting Mull of Kintyre to do so well was the fact it was promoted as a double A-side with Girls School. Nobody remembers this. Before Mull of Kintyre was recorded, Wings had begun making a new LP in the Virgin Islands. Among the tracks recorded for what eventually became London Town was this track. But Linda’s pregnancy had stopped the sessions. Wings must have decided Girls School deserved equal billing.

It didn’t. Girls School is an average McCartney rocker, akin but inferior to Jet. It’s album filler or B-side material. It also has rather dodgy lyrics, telling of a boarding school where the head nurse runs a massage parlour in the school hall and when the PE teacher puts the students to bed, ‘She gives them pills in a paper cup/And she knocks them on the head’. The soaring backing vocals from the much-maligned Linda are nice, but it’s understandable why it’s been forgotten.

After

Mull of Kintyre/Girls School was released in November and was at number 1 for an incredible two months, from 3 December 1978 until 3 February 1979. It also reached number 1 elsewhere, but not in the US, where Girls School got most of the airplay. That same month sessions for London Town resumed but once again Wings were reduced to a trio as McCulloch and English left. The next single With a Little Luck, a nice little ballad, went to five. But Wings were in trouble.

Later in 1979, with new members Laurence Juber on lead guitar and Steve Holley on drums, they recorded the single Goodnight Tonight, which was their last top 10 hit (five). One last album, Back to the Egg, followed. Produced by Chris Thomas, it featured a more ragged sound and showed a new wave influence. One track, Rockestra Theme, featured members of Led Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd and won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

McCartney annoyed the other members of the band by deciding to focus on a solo album, McCartney II, but the band resumed for a tour at the end of the year. Unfortunately when the McCartneys arrived in Japan in January 1980, Paul was arrested for marijuana possession. The tour was cancelled and all Paul McCartney and Wings music was banned from TV and radio across the country. Laine formed the Denny Laine Band with Holley and released a solo album, Japanese Tears in December 1980. That title was clearly a dig at McCartney’s arrest.

McCartney reunited again with Martin for the album Tug of War but Holley and Juber were told they were not needed. Laine stayed on board but was having a tough time with his marriage and angry at the flat fee he received for Mull of Kintyre. He announced he was leaving Wings in April 1981. By the time McCartney came round to promoting Tug of War, he admitted Wings were no more.

Although Wings are considered to be just the McCartneys and revolving session musicians, this is unfair, particularly on Laine, who contributed a lot over the years. Years later, Laine would occasionally perform as Wings with other members for one-off events. Laine released another album with a pointed title reference to McCartney – Anyone Can Fly – in 1982. He did however contribute to McCartney’s Pipes of Peace in 1983. He continued to release solo albums through the 80s. In 2018 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with The Moody Blues.

Seiwell went on to drum for artists including Billy Joel and Liza Minnelli and worked on film scores including Grease II. McCullough’s voice featured on one of the bestselling albums ever. It’s him you can hear on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon saying ‘I don’t know I was really drunk at the time’. McCullough continued to record and perform, dying in 2016. McCulloch left Wings to join the reformed Small Faces and formed both Wild Horses and The Dukes. But in 1979 he was found dead from heart failure, aged only 26. Britton joined power pop group The Keys in the early-80s and set up a kickboxing school. Juber continued to work in music, recording with Ringo Starr, Belinda Carlisle and featuring on She’s Like the Wind from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. Holley collaborated with Julian Lennon and Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter.

Linda remained with Paul for the rest of her life, and despite her critics remained in his backing band for tours until 1993. She became an animal rights activist and founded the Linda McCartney Foods company with Paul. In 1995 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and died in 1998 aged 56.

Paul McCartney of course continues with a very successful solo career. His next number 1, with another musical giant, was also very popular but not considered to be among his best work.

The Outro

So that’s 1977 rounded up. A year that was better than the dizzying lows of the year previous. But despite the impact of punk, it made little effect on the year’s number 1s. It would take a few more years for its influence to creep in, in the form of new wave.

The Info

Written by

Mull of Kintyre: Paul McCartney & Denny Laine/Girls School: Paul McCartney

Producer

Paul McCartney

Weeks at number 1

9 (3 December 1978-3 February 1978) *BEST-SELLING SINGLE OF THE DECADE*

Trivia

Births

6 December 1977: Footballer Paul McVeigh
23 December: TV presenter Matt Baker
1 January 1978: Model Alex Leigh/Footballer Phillip Mulryne
17 January: Footballer Warren Feeney

Deaths

20 December 1977: First World War soldier Henry Tandey
25 December: Actor Charlie Chaplin
14 January 1978: Athlete Harold Abrahams
22 January: Cricketer Herbert Sutcliffe

Meanwhile…

3 December 1977: For the second tournament in succession, the England football team fails to qualify for the World Cup.

12 December: Ron Greenwood signs a permanent contract as England manager. The appointment proved controversial, as there had been widespread support for Brian Clough of Nottingham Forest.

14 December: 25-year-old Leeds prostitute Marilyn Moore is injured in an attack believed to have been committed by the Yorkshire Ripper.

16 December: The Queen opens a £71,000,000 extension of the London Underground’s Piccadilly line.

21 December: Four children die at a house fire in Wednesbury in the West Midlands. Due to the firefighter strike, Green Goddess fire appliances are sent to deal with the blaze. 119 people have now died as a result of fires since the strike began, but this is the first fire during the strike to result in more than two deaths.

25 December: The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show on BBC One attracts an audience of more than 28,000,000 viewers, one of the highest ever in UK television history.

27 December: Star Wars is screened in British cinemas for the first time.

1 January 1978: Otters become a protected species.

11 January: A storm surge in the North Sea ruins piers in Herne Bay, Margate, Hunstanton and Skegness.

16 January: After three months, the firefighter strike ends when fire crews accept an offer of a 10% pay rise and reduced working hours.

18 January: The European Court of Human Rights finds the UK government guilty of mistreating prisoners in Northern Ireland but not guilty of torture. 

30 January: Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher says many Britons fear being ‘swamped by people with a different culture’.

31 January: 18-year-old prostitute Helen Rytka is murdered in Huddersfield. She is believed to be the eighth victim of the Yorkshire Ripper. 

349. The Rubettes (Arranged by Gerry Shury) – Sugar Baby Love (1974)

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The Intro

The Rubettes’ retro 50s and 60s vibe fitted right in with the tail end of the glam years, yet the best element of their sole number 1, Sugar Baby Love – that soaring, Frankie Valli-style falsetto, wasn’t from a member of the band. Somehow, a demo became a number 1 single for a month.

Before

The idea of the band originated in 1973 from the head of A&R at Polydor Records, Wayne Bickerton and Tony Waddington. Together, they had been in The Pete Best Four and went on to write songs, including soul favourite Nothing but a Heartache in 1969. Bickerton and Waddington were considering writing a rock’n’roll musical and had come up with four retro bubblegum pop songs – Sugar Baby Love, Tonight, Juke Box Jive and Sugar Candy Kisses (which became a hit for Mac and Katie Kissoon). In October 1973 they arranged for demos of the tracks to be recorded, with the possibility of putting the first in the running for a shot at the Eurovision Song Contest. They assembled, among others singer Paul Da Vinci for the lead, backed by keyboardist Pete Arnesen and drummer John Richardson, among others.

With the song demos finished, they offered the material to Leicester-based rock’n’roll revivalists Showaddywaddy (which would have been highly appropriate) who turned them down, as did former vocalist with The Move, Carl Wayne. Bickerton and Waddington decided to clean up Sugar Baby Love but in essence release the original demo, under a random 50s-sounding name, hence The Rubettes. What they didn’t expect was to then have to quickly assemble a real group to promote the song when it started to gain momentum. And it posed a problem, as Da Vinci wasn’t able to join them as he was under a solo contract elsewhere. Richardson and Arnsesen returned, and joining them were Alan Williams as singer, Tony Thorpe on guitar, Mick Clarke on bass and Bill Hurd on keyboards. The Rubettes were bedecked in white suits and cloth caps to help them stand out in these days of frequently outlandish outfits.

Review

But it’s Da Vinci’s stunning falsetto that stands out on Sugar Baby Love, both uplifting and sad at the same time and conjuring up the hits of The Four Seasons. Unfortunately, as good as it is, that’s really all the song has going for it. It could be that I’m not a fan of doo-wop and Valli in general, but I’ve never enjoyed Sugar Baby Love. Perhaps because it was only ever meant as a demo, it strikes me as being an empty, soulless pastiche, and a warning that glam was running out of ideas, if you can even really call it glam.

The idea of the song is better than the reality. Da Vinci is urging the listener not to make the same mistake as him. He clearly regrets hurting his love, and implores them to ‘Love her anyway, love her everyday’, which is a good lyric, to be fair.

After

Nobody was any the wiser as Williams mimed along to the demo on Top of the Pops, which they only lucked their way on to after Sparks had problems with work permits. This must have been pretty annoying for the Mael Brothers, as Sugar Baby Love kept This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us from the top spot. I wonder how Da Vinci felt, too?

The next two singles, Tonight and Juke Box Jive, came from the original demos too, and the latter in particular did well, reaching number three at the end of the year. I Can Do It reached number seven in 1975, but then they started to lose their ground, and they ditched the doo-wop. Arnsesen left later that year, followed by Hurd in 1976. They reached number 10 with the country-styled Baby I Know, sang by Thorpe, and never had another top 40 entry. He departed the band in 1979 following arguments.

The Rubettes dissolved in 1980. Since then, they have followed the well-trodden path of reforming, splitting into several different versions, and going to court over the use of the band’s original name, which lets face it, is what gets the punters flocking to see these bands of yesteryear. Currently, there’s The Rubettes featuring Alan Williams, The Rubettes featuring John, Mick, & Steve (February 2019) and The Rubettes featuring Bill Hurd.

As for Da Vinci, he reached number 19 with solo hit Your Baby Ain’t Your Baby Anymore in 1974. Further failed attempts followed, so in 1977 he went back to session work. He wrote Any Way You Do It, the first single by disco group Liquid Gold in 1978, and in 1981 he sang on Tight Fit’s Back to the 60’s Part II medley.

The Outro

Luke Haines’s indie rock band The Auteurs released a song called The Rubettes in 1999, which referenced their number 1.

The Info

Written by

Wayne Bickerton & Tony Waddington

Producer

Wayne Bickerton

Weeks at number 1

4 (18 May-14 June)

Trivia

Births

27 May: Presenter Denise van Outen
5 June: Ventriloquist Nina Conti

Deaths

10 June: Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester

Meanwhile…

20 May: The first meeting was held by The Centre for Policy Studies, a Conservative social market think tank established by Keith Joseph, Margaret Thatcher and Alfred Sherman.

28 May: Following a strike by unionists, power-sharing in the Northern Ireland Assembly collapses.

1 June: An explosion at Flixborough chemical plant kills 28 people and seriously injures 36. Had it happened on a weekday the numbers would have been much higher.

5 June: Snow Knight, ridden by Brian Taylor, was victorious in the Epsom Derby. The odds were 50/1.

8 June: Jon Pertwee became the third actor to relinquish the role of The Doctor in Doctor Who, citing the death of his friend and TV enemy Roger Delgado in 1973. The final episode of ‘Planet of the Spiders’ saw Pertwee regenerate into Tom Baker.

10 June: The Queen’s last surviving royal uncle, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, dies at his home in Northamptonshire, seven years after his last public appearance. His funeral is held at Windsor Castle on 14 June.