Archive for the ‘Georgie Fame’ Category

BOBBY HEBB

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

Listen: A Satisfied Mind / Bobby Hebb

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I hated his hit ‘Sunny’ when it was current in ‘66. Absolutely loathed that sucker. Got rammed down everyone’s throat, plus being so safe and mellow it managed to cross all the formats – you literally couldn’t get away from it. Logically it peaked at #2 during it’s healthy fifteen week US chart run.

Yet ‘Sunny’ was so strong that everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and The Electric Flag to Georgie Fame and Les Mc Cann were covering it too. Now I wish I’d had better taste at the time. Not only has it become a favorite through the years (I’ve collected over 30 covers on 7″) but I’m hooked on his voice as well. Like Jon Lucien years later, and probably Mel Torme prior, he has this calming tone that appeals to my valium side. His follow ups were pretty great too. I think he should’ve been around a lot longer.

The followup single, released just after ‘Sunny’, was a great double sider. ‘A Satisfied Mind’, despite possibly being a bit ‘Sunny’ sounding, has held up – I know cause it’s on my jukebox and plays a lot. I never tire of it. Not so with the public, peaking at #39, and lasting only six weeks total on the Billboard Top 100.

Listen: Love Love Love / Bobby Hebb

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The B side, ‘Love Love Love’, is now considered to be his ‘other’ hit – having gained UK Northern Soul success in ‘72. When re-released there due to demand, it sold well and charted at #32. Most tracks on his one and only Philips LP, SUNNY BY BOBBY HEBB are worth many listens too. Get it if you can.

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Posted in Billboard, Bobby Hebb, Electric Flag, Ella Fitzgerald, Georgie Fame, Jon Lucien, Les McCann, Mel Torme, Northern Soul, Philips | No Comments »

GEORGIE FAME

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Daylight / Georgie Fame

Listen: Daylight / Georgie Fame

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I think this song may qualify as a bit of a guilty pleasure, as it is a touch schmaltzy, although my pal Phil, who has super taste in music, loves it – then again, it was written by Bobby Womack and now a sought after hit on the Northern Soul circuit. Plus Georgie has such a great voice, and the whole idea that he perfected his sound doing all-nighters at the Flamingo Club on Wardour Street in London during the swinging 60’s alongside Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, is, well, all I really need. Basically he always emulated Mose Allison and conventiently helped invent mod-jazz in the process.

As with some of his early hits like ‘Get Away’, this was produced by the late, great Denny Cordell. When I worked at Island in the early 90’s, Chris Blackwell brought Denny in to oversee A&R. Most everybody got their noses out of joint by his arrival but not me – I mean this was the guy who had produced The Move (He did the whistle sound, fingers to mouth, on ‘I Can Hear The Grass Grow’), and help start Deram and Regal Zonophone, and then Shelter. So we hit it off immediately, and I often think of the many great times (and meals – he was a serious cook) I had with Denny. Plus he introduced me to so many people from the UK, all of whom would stop by to see him when passing through town. I remember when he brought Tony Colton into my office. He was the vocalist for Heads Hands & Feet (who I became an instant fan of when seeing them open for Humble Pie). Tony had also produced a then obscure, now kind of appreciated gem: ON THE BOARDS by Taste. So this was a big deal to me.

Yeah, Denny was a great great pal….he produced this track as part of the 2nd album Georgie made for Island that the company then proceeded not to issue – still! I mean what hasn’t been released at this point? Island was a great place in many ways, but they had a very bad habit of making albums and not releasing them. I know of a few still in the vaults from Marianne Faithfull, and unfortunately countless others from The Smoke to Don Covay.

So this track, ‘Daylight’, and it’s B side, ‘Three Legged Mule’ came out in ‘77 as a 7″ & 12″ single, and has finally been reissued as part of the ISLAND YEARS ‘74 – ‘76 anthology.

Posted in Bobby Womack, Chris Blackwell, Chris Farlowe, Denny Cordell, Deram, Don Covay, Georgie Fame, Island, John Mayall, Marianne Faithfull, Regal Zonophone, Taste, The Move, The Smoke, Tony Colton | 1 Comment »

The Riot Squad

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

I Wanna Talk About My Baby / The Riot Squad

I Wanna Talk About My Baby / The Riot Squad

Listen: I Wanna Talk About My Baby / The Riot Squad

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Cry Cry Cry / The Riot Squad

Cry Cry Cry / The Riot Squad

Listen: Cry Cry Cry / The Riot Squad

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How It Is Done / The Riot Squad

Listen: How It Is Done / The Riot Squad

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Despite a decidedly dated sound, I have a soft spot for The Riot Squad. A lot of ground was covered during the two or so years they existed. Their prestigious associations included both Larry Page and Joe Meek as producers, plus Mitch Mitchell (pre Jimi Hendrix Experience) and Jon Lord (post Artwoods / pre Deep Purple) as members. 1965’s ‘I Wanna Talk About My Baby’ was a picture perfect reproduction of Georgie Fame’s then current sound – almost to the point of plagiarism. Still, a great track which was afforded a US picture sleeve. Who decided that?

As life should be, I was actually turned on to them when my local Top 40, WOLF, started playing the B side to ‘Cry Cry Cry’ – a Joe Meek production ‘How It Is Done’. This was winter ‘66 and it brings me right back to that snow day in March when I first heard it. This track still shines, and captures the romantic British Beat sound that we all craved at the time – well my friends and I that is. Being a major Joe Meek fan, this is a double sided must. Hat’s off to whoever chose to play ‘How It Is Done’. Excellent call.

WOLF chart 4-16-66

Sorry for this poor repro of the WOLF chart above (click to enlarge), with The Riot Squad at #19. I don’t own the original, but it’s such a good one, I decided to share it despite the quality.

Posted in Georgie Fame, Joe Meek, Jon Lord, Larry Page, Mitch Mitchell, Pye, Reprise, Roulette, The Artwoods, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Riot Squad, WOLF | No Comments »