7 inch Singles Collection: Bobby Goldsboro - Honey

Tissues at the ready it's...

BOBBY GOLDSBORO

A: Honey
B: Danny

(United Artists 1968)

 

I know absolutely nothing about Bobby Goldsboro - so this pre-amble is going to be a little short and uninteresting. Didn't even know what he looked like until I found the YouTube link for the song - turns out he looks like a bit of a cut-price Neil Diamond. I know that this record was pretty big over here in the 60's and I'm assuming it was equally so in the states. Don't know if he kept managing to have hit records in the USA - but this one was it in the UK. He seems to be melding light country with pop and melancholy. It is entirely possible that I bought this record mistaking it for Bobbie Gentry's 'Ode To Billy Joe' -a similar genre of music, and thematically in the same ballpark as this platter (and a much better record, to boot!).

**SPOILER ALERT** - In the song Honey, Honey dies. There's no easy way to break that to you - but you should have worked that out from the opening few seconds of the song. The tune and the orchestration is sweetly maudlin, Goldsboro is using his best sad voice, and the lyrics only refer to Honey in the past tense. The record has one purpose, and one purpose only; that is to make the listener cry. If you're not crying at the end of this record then you are not the target audience, the target audience for this is the recently bereaved, or those who've lost loved ones prematurely and are still grieving, or at least need to have a good old wallow in that grief. Any one person's reaction to this song will differ dependant upon their emotional state at time of listening, if you're feeling chipper and in a positive frame of mind, then this is, without a doubt, a load of sentimental old tosh, that couldn't finish quick enough. However if you're feeling a little bit on the downside emotionally, then this song could be a sucker punch to the heart, and have you sobbing your eyes out by the end of it. It's a simple tale of a young couple in love, and them doing all the young coupley things that people do, then towards the end of the second verse the narrator comes home early and Honey is crying alone in the middle of the day, and the next line it's Autumn ('cos Autumn is sad), and Honey has euphemistically gone away. I believe that were supposed to think that it's some non-specific terminal disease (probably cancer), however if you're not in a sad state of mind you can go for the alternative explanation - the marriage is dull and miserable for her, and he's such a complete wet blanket that she's upped and left him, and he's pretending she's dead, so he doesn't look a fool in front of other people. There's another possible explanation afforded to us in third verse, the narrator says that the Angels came and took Honey while he was out - maybe she was kidnapped by gang of Hell's Angels high on PCP. I don't know - coming up with alternative explanations is the best way to get through this song without giving way to the emotional pressure it's forcing on you.

Right I'm going to flip this record over and look for something a bit sunnier on the B-Side. The music is slightly breezier, but then he starts singing about a child, the titular Danny, and lovely memories of him. It is at this point I stop the record for a breather. This still feels like were building up to another load of sentimentality.  At this point it could just be reminiscing on the childhood of a now grown-up offspring, which is enough to get some people going, but I can see two other options on the horizon, either the partner has left and taken Danny, and the narrator can no longer see him, or Danny's dead. To be honest I don't know which one I'd put my money on at the moment. I must gird my loins, dear reader, and start up the record again and find out, so you don't have to. OK - not as bad as I feared - it's just a proud parent singing about all the cute things that their toddler does - one maudlin moment when the narrator wonders about missing all these things when Danny grows up, but it could have been worse. The real issue is that I'm not interested in what someone else's toddler gets up to, I've had a couple of my own, and as any parent knows there's no cuter toddler than yours.

In summation, I realise that I didn't talk much about the music on either of these tracks, and that's because it's almost irrelevant - on both tracks it's soft, swaying and in there just as a background to the emotional nonsense that's being sung on top. I probably won't ever deliberately listen to either of these songs again.

Next time some sixties stalwarts try pushing their luck in the seventies...

7 inch single collection: Amen Corner - Hello Susie

Grooving their way out of Wales it's...

AMEN CORNER


A: Hello Susie
B: Evil Man's Gonna Win
(Immediate 1969)


I can't give you much information on Amen Corner, other that they came out of the R'n'B boom from earlier in the sixties.

Originally on the British psychedelic label they transferred to the Immediate label, business of Rolling Stones manager, Andrew Loog Oldham. Probably a better fit as they were in the company of more soulful, bluesier sounding artistes like P.P.Arnold, The Small Faces and Humble Pie.

They became known for the just on the right side of saucy sounding "Bend Me, Shape Me", and then went on to have a number one hit in the form of the more more wistful "(If Paradise Is) Half As Nice" - so they were flying high prior to this record's release, although oddly failed to have any more hits after. Frontman Andy Fairweather Low, went on to have a long and solid successful solo career, and is still doing the round, I believe.

There's a blast of horns at the beginning of Hello Susie that instantly invokes bluesy soul music of Stax. The funky guitar licks and pumping piano sound just add further emphasis to that sound. Fairweather Low's voice has a pleasing rasp, and an urgency of tone that drives the tune forward. There's a few frilly slightly psychedelic organ bits in there that firmly place this record in the late sixties - but that's no bad thing, it adds shade to the sound, and throws complexity into what is, essentially a party record. You'll notice from the label that this tune was written by one R.Wood, and yes, I do believe that is Roy Wood, soon to become famous with Wizzard.

Evil Man's Gonna Win is a bit of a disturbing sentiment for a song title, but if there's any truth in the old saying that the Devil has all the best tunes, then maybe there's something in it. The Devil's music is, of course, the blues, and this track starts off much bluesier than the a-side.The guitar, bass and drums forming a laid groove, which is kicked up a gear within the introduction of funky organ. The song's title is then chanted over this groove for a few time. Then it slips back into it the original instrumental groove, and repeats. The record fades out, and you can easily believe that somewhere the band are stilling playing this take lost in their hypnotic groove.

If you want the place where blues meets blue-eyed soul meets psychedelia then this is it. It captures the essence of a time and place, whilst somehow being timeless and infinite. I quite like it.

Next Time some proper Rock 'n' Roll being pressed into service to sell jeans...

7 inch single collection: Sandie Shaw - Puppet on a String

It's winner of the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest, it's...


SANDIE SHAW

A: Puppet on a String
B: Tell the Boys
(Pye 1967)


In England, at least, the Eurovision Song Contest seems to have become a bit of a joke. Public perception of it seems to have come round to the view that it's a slightly overlong camp-fest not worth taking seriously. Many people believe that it's only worth watching for the scores, and seeing how politically inclined they are. It's probably sour grapes - surely the nation that gave the world The Beatles, The Stones, Bowie, Queen and The Spice Girls should have no problems winning a song contest. Well, we do have problems, and we have done for a while, but it's not always been so - we've won it on a few occasions, and come second many more, and the shebang used to get taken relatively seriously.*

Puppet on a String was the winner in 1967, and was performed by popular singer Sandie Shaw - she'd had many hits before this time including a couple of number ones, and so was yer actual proper bona fide star. Popular myth is that Sandie hated this song (or maybe it's legacy and effect upon her career) - although she may have come to something of a rapprochement with it in the more recently. Back in those days a singer was chosen, and they were given a number of songs and the one that was the most popular was the chosen entry - so if you were the singer you could get landed with a right stinker of a song. Puppet on a String is not a right stinker, it's a pleasant upbeat number, that has a persistent oompah-oompah beat (just exactly how every Eurovision sceptic thinks every Eurovision song sounds!) I can imagine if this followed you round for years, it would stop being so pleasant, and could haunt your nightmares - so it's easy to forgive Sandie Shaw of any antipathy towards this song. Also I have to point out a bit of lyrically befuddlement - she sings about winning and losing on swings and roundabouts - both of these I've always held to be non-competitive activities. Surely winning on either of these is not ending up at your nearest spinal injuries unit.

On the flip-side Tell The Boys has a bit more to it. It's still up-beat and cheery lyrically, and makes full use of the brass section of the orchestra, but it has more nuance and shade to it - it's not so relentless. The verses have an accompaniment that feels almost minor key, this gives and edge to the optimistic lyrics. Also Sandie Shaw sounds invested in the emotion of this song. I think it's a little beauty, which is why (in a change from tradition) I've added a youtube link to this track too!

So a record of two halves, one half a bit of entertaining frippery, but the second a minor classic that should be me more widely celebrated.

* I don't mind the Eurovision - (I don't go out of my way to watch these days, though) - I quite enjoy hearing what other cultures think is the perfect distillation of a pop song.

Next time a solo Beatle, but probably not the one you're hoping for...

7 inch single collection: The Hollies - Stop, Stop, Stop

One of the finest bands of the 60's...

The Hollies

A: Stop, Stop, Stop

B: It's You
(Parlophone 1966)

Here we are then The Hollies - often overlooked amongst the big hitters of the 1960's, and yet solidly performing and producing great records throughout the decade, into the next and beyond. A good variety of sounds and a willingness to experiment from the early beat sounds to magnificent ballads like He Ain't Heavy, the cutesy sounds of Jennifer Eccles and the steel drums of Carrie-Anne - all of these kind of things give a twist to what are otherwise solid pop songs, and raise them beyond the mundane. Possibly they are the best band of the 60's (and 70's) that have fallen out of popular public consciousness. I recall listening to the radio (many, many moons ago), and the DJ commenting that The Hollies were considered "The group's group", in that all the other well-known groups liked and respected The Hollies. Granted the DJ who said that was Jimmy Savile, but I think the point still stands, and I'm sure that I've heard other, less contentious, personalities independently say the same thing.

The Hollies had been established several years by the time Stop Stop Stop was released, and had already become a popular hit machine including a number one record with I'm Alive. So it's unsurprising that this record also ended up in the upper reaches of the hit parade. I mentioned earlier about giving pop songs a twist, and this is no different - instead of this tune being led by the now common-place sounds of the electric guitar, it is, instead underpinned by a banjo. This lends the whole song an slightly other-worldly air, as if the whole thing is taking place in a Gypsy carnival. The continually speeding up of the music building to crescendo in the chorus is like a wild waltzer ride at the funfair*. It's only only the chorus that it comes up for air, takes a chance to breath, and then grows again in the next verse. It is, of course, completely brilliant.

It's You on the flip-side does that very mid-60's thing of opening with a harmonica riff. It is a lesser tune than Stop Stop Stop - but that's why it's on the b-side. It's a fairly standard light mid-tempo beat tune - a dime a dozen in this era - however The Hollies manage to lift it from potential mediocrity simply through some fine vocal work - not only from the lead singer, but the harmonies are really special, and give this otherwise slight song a boost.

I've yet to hear a song from The Hollies that wasn't, as a minimum, very good, and I don't think that I ever will - so all in all an excellent little record.

*Ironically their very next single was "On A Carousel"

Next Time rock music from the stone age...