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| 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)".
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| 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":
Hear "Comes A Time":
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