More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels: Wayne Fontana Solo

WAYNE FONTANA-24 Sycamore/From a Boy To A Man U.S. MGM K13762 1967

Mancunian singer Wayne Fontana cut a total of eleven solo singles for Fontana in the U.K. after splitting with his backing group The Mindbenders in late 1965. Just four of these found their way onto American releases. Today's specimen was issued in the U.K. as Fontana TF 827 in April 1967. It was issued here in July and would be his final American solo release of the Fontana records years.

"24 Sycamore" came from the pen of Les Reed and Barry Mason. At a first listen it's completely tepid, like something Paul & Barry Ryan would have tucked on a B-side, despite the incredible Walker Brothers style orchestral  backing (care of Les Reed). Fontana's voice is actually pretty incredible on it and works well with the arrangement and grows on me with repeated plays, with Walker Brothers comparisons being very hard to avoid (in a positive way). 

Sheet music c/o 45cat.com

The flip side, "From A Boy To A Man", is a Wayne Fontana original (credited to his real name Glyn Ellis)and it is a complete miss. Despite the over the top orchestration by Art Gleenslade the number is completely uninspiring. 

Wayne Fontana solo compilations are few and far between. The only one is BGO's 2004 deluxe two CD edition of his 1966 solo album "Wayne One" which collects all of his Fontana singles (A's and B's) including both sides of this record. Unfortunately none of these are available through streaming services. 

Hear "24 Sycamore":

https://youtu.be/m0N4tzd--a8?si=vONycycz3EvDFjpW

Hear "From A Boy To A Man":

https://youtu.be/BfZw2PFnRHA?si=TYmEQkddx1ECKmiD

10 Cool Immediate Records Singles

1.  THE McCOYS-"Hang On Sloopy" U.K. Immediate IM 001 1965

Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder's first release on their Immediate label was garnering the rights to launch the McCoys American July 1965 smash "Hang On Sloopy" in Britain which reached #5 in the British charts. The label would issue a further six singles, an LP and two 7" e.p.s by the band, but none matched this releases commercial success.

https://youtu.be/x8TBs-UZhEI?si=dbeJM5E6EKOZtZ-1

2. SMALL FACES-"Mad John" U.S. Immediate ZS7 5012 1968

Curiously only issued as a single in the U.S., Canada and Australia, this track taken from the Faces third long player "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" and was a curious choice as a single as it tells the tale of a harmless old hermit shunned by society. It's interesting mix of lightweight folky acoustic guitars and phlanged piano. Come to think of it there's no drums on it! It's slightly longer than the LP version with an extended fade out and an extra verse of Marriott's Celtic "aye diddley aye dye" ad libs.

https://youtu.be/rthR-1Vy1Hs?si=N0Fdt7CrleHMy1ym

3. TWICE AS MUCH-"You're So Good For Me" U.K. Immediate IM 039 1966

The duo of David Skinner and Andrew Rose are frequently cited as "Immediate's in house writers" but they were equally prolific as recording artists in their own right. This was their third and next to last single for the label that has an incredible "Pet Sounds" feel to it (in no small part thanks to Art Gleenslade's lush orchestration) making it my favorite release by them. Despite Oldham's belief in them (four singles and two LP's were issued by the label) their career was not a commercial success. 

https://youtu.be/tpwG7uoy6kw?si=O-kGZNOn_rEmFyZf

4. P.P. ARNOLD-"(If You Think You're) Groovy" U.K.Immediate IM 061 1968

Ex-Ike and Tina Turner's Ikette Patricia "P.P" Arnold was brought to Immediate's attention by Mick Jagger and cut six singles and two LP's for the label in two short years. This was her fourth single for the label tailor written and produced for her by Small Face's Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane with them and their band mates providing the musical backing. She powerfully handles this tale of contempt and getting over someone, made equally brilliant by the four guys backing her. 

https://youtu.be/asYqqW67-zc?si=kWUTfUGrdaRam_o8

5. THE HILL-"Sylvie" U.S. Immediate ZS7-5016 1969

This U.S. only 45 was by Chris Farlowe's former backing group, The Thunderbirds and is an absolutely gob smackingly good slice of pop sike perfection with sweeping harmonies, harpsichord, orchestration and is pure pop perfection not too dissimilar to label mate Duncan Browne (see below).

https://youtu.be/aMHnoriHUVI?si=R2d06Y0QDjWn7fOC

6. DUNCAN BROWNE-"On The Bombsite" U.K. Immediate IM 070 1968

One of my favorite singles on the label was by the late Duncan Browne who cut just this single and the equally stunning LP "Give Me Take You". "On The Bombsite" is a perfectly honed piece of mellow baroque/choral pop with absolutely fascinating lyrics linking childhood simplicity and fantasy with the responsibilities of growing up.

https://youtu.be/pivzEg9tkRs?si=BHtniPirR8qk4aJA

7. HUMBLE PIE-"Wrist Job" U.K. Immediate IM 082 1969

Immediate launched Steve Marriott's new band Humble Pie with their smash hit "Natural Born Bugie" (#4 in the U.K. charts) in August of 1969. Tucked away on the flip is the positively mournful "Wrist Job" which in reality was an old Small Faces backing track "The Pig Trotters" full of Ian McLagan's swirling/heavy churchy Hammond and P.P. Arnold's backing vocals. I daresay it's the best thing the Pie ever did, even if it wasn't them....

https://youtu.be/hbYaYIukLp8?si=A-PT1oiFS-WuWfiJ

8. CHRIS FARLOWE AND THE THUNDERBIRDS-"Paper Man Fly In The Sky" U.K. Immediate IM 066 1968

Curiously this is the only instance where Chris Farlowe's backing band, The Thunderbirds, was credited on an Immediate release. It was on the B-side of his tenth single with the label, "The Last Goodbye". "Paperman..." reminds me a bit of his fellow r&b scene raver Zoot Money on his last Columbia 45 "I Really Learned How To Cry" in that it's still vocally soulful but the musical backing is sparse with just bass, drums, acoustic guitar and organ. Totally sublime. Production care of Manfred Mann's Mike D'Abo. 

https://youtu.be/DSSUiykxKoY?si=3doHfiXq2ymWCQpF

9. THE MOCKINGBIRDS-"You Stole My Love" U.K. Immediate IM 015 1965

This single by Graham Gouldman's beat group The Mockingbirds was their sole Immediate release after a two single stint with Columbia (and then moving onto Decca for two more!). Produced by ex-Yardbird Paul Samwell Smith and Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky it reminds me a lot of Scotland's Poets with it's airy vocals and downtrodden feel, and check out Julie Driscoll on backing vocals adding an extra ethereal feel to the proceedings!

https://youtu.be/CZgG2_cBfNM?si=LiMO_i9pYFqBc2bs

10. TONY RIVERS AND THE CASTAWAYS-:Girl Don't Tell Me" U.K. Immediate IM 027 1966

Tony Rivers and The Castaways were one of Britain's biggest purveyors of the "West Coast Sound", perfectly exemplified by covering not one but two Beach Boys tracks for this release ("Salt Lake City" was on the flip and the session also yielded a version of "The Girl From New York City") on their sole Immediate offering. The band wrap it in twice as many harmonies than the original adding an almost choral meets surf music effect and at the end the band begins to sing The Four Season's "Walk Like A Man" as it fades out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxEWvxQGiXU

More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels: The Groundhogs 45 RPM Debut

 

THE GROUNDHOGS-Shake It/Rock Me U.S. Interphon IN-7715 1965

Legendary British blues rock heroes The Groundhogs 45 rpm debut was incredibly only released in the United States in January 1965 on the tiny Interphon label (home of other obscure Brit releases like The Soul Agents, The Hi Fi's and The Honeycombs). After backing multiple American blues artists touring Britain legend has it that John Lee Hooker put in a word for them enabling this single to be released in the United States but strangely not the U.K.! 

The A-side "Shake It" is a band original. I first heard it back in the 80's on one of Greg Shaw's "English Freak beat" compilation albums in the late 80's. For the uninitiated it's a 101 mph British r&b stormer. Wailing harmonica, driving piano and a frenetic beat drives this ditty and it's pure amphetamine driven British 60's r&b at it's finest!

The flip, "Rock Me", the Muddy Waters number is your bog standard blues number with some barroom ivory tinkling and a nice bluesy guitar solo dueling with some mean harp blowing that rescue it from it's mundane feel. 

As mentioned above the A-side is available on Volume One of the "English Freakbeat" series and both sides are on an unauthorized (read "bootleg") compilation "Please Leave My Mind" that collects early Groundhogs/Herbal Mixture tracks. 

Hear "Shake It":

https://youtu.be/Ly8qTLjRmCE?si=Rjr_-l2WKQgYiSAB

Hear "Rock Me":

https://youtu.be/U9PPHZTXL3w?si=YQLnsJthWQVoUDVD

Classic Deram 45's: The Virgin Sleep "Secret"

 

THE VIRGIN SLEEP-Secret/Comes A Time U.K. Deram DM 173 1968

We profiled The Virgin Sleep's debut "Love" in one of our earliest posts, which you can view here. The band's follow up was issued five months later with a different producer. Both sides were penned by lead singer Tony Rees. 

"Secret" benefits from the powerful arranging that was Keith Mansfield who's deft hand applied it's Midas touch with an incredible orchestral backing that meshes perfectly with flutes chiming in tandem with the airy high backing vocals. All of this fits nicely on top of the band's powerful playing. Lyrically it's the perfect exercise in the so called "Toy Town Psych" genre as the singer sings about a secret that's only being told to various animals: "the blackbirds talking in the trees tells the seagull who flies to sea, sparrow hawk knows but then he sees everything, spiders spinning his web of silk watching the ducks down by the mill, he'll keep the secret until he's ready....", all delivered in a very interesting and rapid fire pentameter.

There is a repeated chorus of "I know cos I was there, having my tea with a teddy bear", the melody during this part curiously sounds like Aretha Franklin's 1974 hit "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)". 

German Picture Sleeve c/o 45cat.com

The flip, "Comes A Time" is absolutely boring. Despite the subtle woodwinds/strings that give it a Left Banke feel it positively pales in comparison to the powerful A-side! Unfortunately this would be the band's final release. Pity. 

"Secret" is available on a multitude of compilations, namely Decca/Deram's excellent "The Psychedelic Scene" , Rubble's "Volume 12: Staircase To Nowhere" and "The British Psychedelic Trip Volume Three". 

It is also available through streaming. The flip side has not been reissued, perhaps thankfully....

Hear "Secret":

https://youtu.be/c7AGxBiuj04?si=Bb-94wPfpqSyLeB8

Hear "Comes A Time":

https://youtu.be/R49B-p8TSVY?si=8g1rfTARD_rbjbLO