Graham Reid | | 1 min read
They had terrific harmony vocals and their lead singer Rod Allen could conjure up some fine white soul, as you can hear on their self-titled debut album which was rushed out to capitalise on the success of Fortune.
Even the liner notes concede that: their musical director Noel Walker writes of the single charting at home and in the US : “Quick make an LP!,” everyone screamed, so in the early hours of one morning I rang Les Reed, our musical director . . .”
By Walker's account songs selected for the album – which almost mimics the Beatles Please Please Me debut similarly rush released with “You've Got Your Troubles, Here It Comes Again plus 12 Great New Recordings” – came together from a stockpile of material by name writers and known songs, among them Bacharach-David's This Empty Place, Maria from West Side Story, Looking Through the Eyes of Love which Gene Pitney had enjoyed a hit with, two originals and . . .
The famous team of Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook who wrote Troubles.
Greenaway-Cook became successful in the late Sixties and into the Seventies with songs for Humperdinck, Cliff, the Hollies, Blue Mink and many many more.
But Troubles was the one that launched their careers (together and individually). However they certainly weren't above repeating themselves as Laughing Fit to Cry on that Fortunes debut proves.
Listen to Troubles (in the clip below) and Laughing back-to-back and play Spot the Difference.
Good album though from a band which had a distinctive sound . . . but one which dated very quickly as the times changed the following year and then even more in the Summer of Love.
For more one-offs, songs with an interesting backstory or just plain oddities see From the Vaults.
post a comment