Label: MCA
Year of Release: 1971
Rumours have troubled the Internet for some time that Rock Candy, far from being a proper band, were just a seventies pseudonym for Chip Hawkes and Alan Blakley of The Tremeloes. The songwriting credits here would certainly suggest some heavy involvement with the track, but as for whether they were effectively Rock Candy (in the same manner as 100 Ton and a Feather were Jonathan King) isn't something I've been able to establish one way or another.
Whatever, the A-side here "Remember" is a happy clappy sort of ditty which sounds custom designed for drunken singalongs. Clearly it registered with a few party-goers at the time, as it managed to chart at number 32 - but that was the only hit in their career, as two further singles ("Roly" and "Some Fine Day") failed to generate the same level of interest.
More interesting to my ears is the stripped-back acoustic B-side "Don't Put Me Down", which sounds like a product of the previous decade. Elements of the track have a wistful, melancholy air which The Kinks would have happily utilised five or six years prior to this single being released, and whilst it sounds as if it might have been a demo given B-side status, it doesn't stop it from being a charming piece of work.
Naturally, as I always do when ignorance reigns, I'll finish my entry with a simple request: Anyone who knows anything more about Rock Candy, please do leave a comment with some information about their background. It's quite rare for anyone with a Top 40 hit to their name - however minor - to have such an air of mystery about them.
11 comments:
that rock cndy remember is an English rehash of a 1970 No.1 spanish song - Un rayo de sol by Los Diablos!
Aha! Thanks for the added info. An early rehash of a Spanish holiday hit, then?
Well, I've just had this bloke come onto me via Facebook. Says his name's Bob Sturt and that he was the lead singer on the track "Remember". I think that he was muddling me up with the american musician and producer "Zack Laurence". My name is the same but spelt differently.
Does anyone remember this chap, Bob Sturt?
This track (the Rock Candy version) had a lot of airplay on the Radio at the time. It is ironically one of the melodies I can 'remember' hearing from when I was a young child and my mum had the wireless on at home.
I think some tracks at the time were deemed 'radio-friendly' even though they didn't chart highly. Another one in this category would be 'Three Wheels On My Wagon', played regularly on radio 2 but I think didn't chart.
Rock Candy were a group from the Kilburn area, previously known as Purple Dream, before that known as The Stack.
In the late 1960s I worked as a booker at Commercial Entertainments in London who were one of the groups agents.
Later I moved to Stoke on Trent and booked the group, then known as Rock Candy at the local Top Rank hoping their record would do better.
I'm currently listing on ebay a 10x8 photograph of the group, together with a press cutting from The Kilburn Times dates January 10 1969 with detail's of the group, together with a copy of of the record 'Remember'.
Hope this answers a few questions
dick9097
Hi
My name is Chris Reeves and I joined Rock Candy on rythmn guitar just after Remember peaked in the charts. I was with the band touring for a couple of years. It would be great to hear from any of the band. I'm on Facebook and YouTube as Johnny And The Birds.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008321416655
I know Bob he is a neighbour of mine. Really nice bloke.
Yes Bob sturt did sing lead vocals on remember.the group consisted of Martin .butch.Bob. Mike.and I used to roadie for them.
Martin was my brother and played bass guitar. He also wrote a couple of the 'b' sides. I would love to know if the anonymous 'roadie' is Dennis. I knew all of the band very well, including Chris Bush who played with them in the early days. I have a black and white photo of the band when they were known as 'Stack'
Yes the anonymous roadie is Denis.
I think that the song was originally "Fernando" by French singer Sheila (B Devotion) and was rerecorded into other languages
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