Listen: My World / Cupid’s Inspiration
My

Both a ridiculous band name and one I loved immediately. Seems there was a late 60′s music business formula: find a proper soulful voice, three or four other good looking guys, smart them up with some loud London clothes, get them some women’s haircuts and off you might go to the charts. Usually these were bands that actually had some chops but needed a break, so my guess is they sucked it in and went along. I would think The Marmalade and The Love Affair were guilty victims.

Cupid’s Inspiration had to have been just that. Vocalist Terry Rice-Milton could really sing. And they made a couple of singles (five in total were released) that were timeless in. ‘Yesterday Has Gone’ and this, it’s follow up.

Occasionally you hear them on BBC Radio 2. Dale Winton in particular played them often while he was still the presenter of PICK OF THE POPS.

Every time ‘My World’ comes on I just think it’s a perfect symphony.

Listen: I’ll Be Home (In A Day Or So) / Dream Police DreamPoliceHome.mp3

Reportedly Scotland’s Dream Police began as a psychedelic/progressive band that included future members of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and The Average White Band. Signed to Decca in late ’69 on a tip from Junior Campbell, himself then on the label’s roster as a member of The Marmalade, their first (of three) singles for the label coincidentally included him as the band’s producer, arranger and conductor. Conductor?

The Marmalade had a sound, not unlike The Love Affair or Cupid’s Inspiration, and a whole bunch of lesser known ‘pop’ acts, all wonderfully over produced and clawing for a slot in the charts. Despite being considered manufactured fodder by the intelligent and/or hip music community, I found this stuff fascinating. Totally formula in it’s conveyor belt style, I still can’t get enough of it. Decca UK reigned king in the field. Always with a soft spot for inhouse producers or production deals, Junior Campbell, as with Jonathan King, Wayne Bickerton, Mike Hurst and others churned out endless pap to lap for the label. I’m still finding overdone stiffs from that period. One such example: Dream Police.

‘I’ll Be Home (In A Day Or So)’ could have indeed been a hit for The Marmalade (they recorded a version) had it been issued as a single. Junior Campbell’s production of the song for the Dream Police includes his obligatory rock lead guitar over the top of multi tracked vocals and string section bits galore. And quite frankly, the version deserved to be a hit.