Mixed Bag - Potiphar/ Million Dollar Bash

A 60s Tim Rice produced Dylan cover? Oh yes indeed.

Label: Decca

Year of Release: 1969

Most listeners tend to associate either Tim Rice or Andrew Lloyd-Webber with their material from West End musicals rather than sixties beat or popsike - and that really is fair enough. Only the most determined and knowledgable of "Pointless" contestants would choose to name "Monday Morning" by Tales of Justine as an example of Lloyd-Webber's recorded work (albeit on production duties) ahead of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina". 

Nonetheless, both men did have have careers before their West End pomp, and were pulled towards all kinds of interesting challenges in the sixties. In this case, what you will find on the A-side is the track "Potiphar" from Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat - not included here for blindingly obvious reasons (It's also not at all good, in my humble opinion).

On the flip, however, is something very unexpected indeed, namely a cover of Bob Dylan's "Million Dollar Bash". The group take on the track keenly, giving it a folk-rock swing that works well. Throw it unlabelled and uncredited on to a playlist of Dylan covers, and absolutely nobody would be any the wiser about the group's origins or their production team. There's also a surprising amount of vim and spittle in the band's delivery, meaning they nail Bobby's satirical intentions well.

The Mixed Bag were a gigging band rather than a Webber/Rice session group, and consisted of John Cook on vocals and organ, Malcolm Party on bass, Terry Saunders on guitar and Bryan Wilson on drums. Inevitably, they were involved in the first productions of "Joseph and His Technicolour Dreamcoat".

One more single was issued by the group, a cover of Chuck Berry's "Round and Round", before their careers as recording artists spluttered to a halt.