David and David - In The City/ Good Morning Morning

Label: Columbia

Year of Release: 1970

While this piece of popsike hasn't quite slipped through the net - it did end up on the "Curiosity Shop" compilation last year - it has, it's safe to say, been rather largely ignored since its release despite the Gus Dudgeon production credit. Shunned even by the mighty Bible of all things sixties and esoteric, the "Tapesty of Delights" encyclopaedia, it's inexplicable that this one has been left to gather dust for so long.

There's an unquestionable Moody Blues air about the proceedings on "In The City", with a great deal of melodramatic vocalisations and despairing orchestrations about the angst of urban life, but the song has enough of a pop edge to succeed by the time the chorus rolls around. It's naive, charming, slightly silly and sweet and also somehow a tad epic with it, qualities that rarely occur in the same song at the same time. If Elton John actually had got around to covering Nick Drake, it might have ended up sounding a bit like this.

David and David were clearly a duo (and spare me the jokes about David Steel and David Owen of the Liberal/ SDP alliance, please). The identity of one of these Davids is unclear, but the other is clearly David Mindel, who would later go on to join the widely compiled Esprit de Corps whose "If (Would It Turn Out Wrong)" has been a mainstay of sixties rarity LPs. I think this is a slightly better single than that, though - not as woozy or psychedelic sounding, despite its earlier release date, but certainly a much more convincing and strident piece of work.

Besides working with the DJ Mike Read in the aforementioned Esprit de Corps, Mindel went on to become a respected soundtrack man and TV themes writer, whose biggest money spinner must surely be the British National Lottery theme. Don't feel too sorry for him, readers, I'm sure he copes.

Public Skool - Baby Come Back/ Walking The Rat

Label: Logo

Year of Release: 1980

By 1980 punk was pretty much dead, but there were still a few pops and snaps going on in the fireplace  after the flames had been urinated out.  The "Oi!" movement, feverishly promoted by everyone's favourite British tabloid hack Gary Bushell, continued to give punk some occasional music press and radio presence.  Then, besides that, there were still a few records created by music industry session folk and chancers who hadn't quite realised that the game was almost up.

All the evidence points to this being a record made by a studio group having a laugh with the idea of making a Mockney punk record, much like The Strawbs attempt to go punk under the name The Monks a couple of years before.  The A-side, a cover of "Baby Come Back", is actually pretty good despite this, adding a football terrace edge to a track which wasn't short of foot-stomping qualities to begin with.  New Wave keyboards combine with "Oi!" vocals and glam banging to create a track which is fun without being essential.

The B-side is odder still, and if it isn't a piss-take then I'm sending my bullshit detector right back to the branch of Maplin I bought it from.  "Walking The Rat" is a wide-eyed punk track about taking a pet rodent out for a walk in public on a leash rather than a dog. Oh the anarchy.  "He's walking, walking the rat!" chant the backing vocals enthusiastically, and to cap it off we learn that the animal is called Pat.  I think I can detect a tiny bit of contempt here, and if this isn't a record made by serious session musos who felt that punk was either a bit silly or had made a mess of their careers, I'll be amazed. The presence of David Mindel on the production credits may be a clue - here was a man who wrote the "Jim'll Fix It" theme in the seventies, and was also in a band with Mike Read, penning the phased popsike classic "If (Would It Turn Out Wrong)" on his way.  It may be that a punk band were offered him as a producer for this session and simply accepted him as the right man for the job (those dog-rough glam rock credentials on the original 'Jim'll' theme perhaps did partly qualify him) or it may have been that he was in on a joke here.

Whatever, we're left with a punk curio which has been a guilty pleasure for many people over the years, and I suspect I'm not alone in enjoying this a wee bit more than I should do.

Esprit De Corps - Lonely/ Do You Remember Me (Like I Remember You)

Label: Jam

Year of Release: 1973

I featured Esprit De Corps' most well-known single (though that's not saying much) back in October 2011.  If I'd had a copy of this one to hand at the time as well, I've no doubt at all that I'd have uploaded this as part of the very same blog entry, but I didn't.  In fact, I'd never actually heard it before, much less owned it - whilst "If (Would It Turn Out Wrong)" has featured on psychedelic compilations and is perhaps the band's defining statement out there in popsike land, "Lonely" has been almost utterly ignored.

This actually doesn't make a whole heap of sense, for in terms of melodic stylings, studio effects and even the woebegone nature of the performance, you could wriggle a threadworm between the two records.  "Lonely" features the same dramatic vocals and phasing effects that its debut brother did, and is probably the equal of that record - it's a giddy, Sunday afternoon period drama of a record, making a right old fuss about solitary lifestyles.  I personally don't happen to think that any of the band's work is essential or breathtaking, but it certainly has a distinctive style and charm which could have registered with the public.  However, despite the fact that they got a slot on "Top of the Pops" for this record as a new act, it failed to attract sales.  

As I've previously mentioned, the Radio One DJ Mike Read was a member of this band alongside industry types David Mindel, David Ballantyne, Bill Pitt and Alan Tomes.  They were probably his best shot at getting taken seriously as a musician rather than a radio personality, as his efforts here predate his early Radio Luxembourg career by three years.  As we all know, however, it was not to be, and a highly successful career in radio and television broadcasting was his consolation prize.  If "Lonely" had become a minor hit - the most it would have managed, I reckon - you have to wonder if he'd have had a life of going up and down motorways and sleeping in cramped touring vans instead.  A close call, Mike... a very close call indeed.