Label: Parlophone
Year of Release: 1968
Yet another Mark Wirtz single on "Left and to the Back" to the add to the growing pile, though far from being a piece of popsike or intricate Beach Boys inspired balladry, this is instead sprightly sixties beat pop.
The A-side "Love Is Happening To Me" treads a fine line between being hook-ridden and faintly irritating, adopting a peculiar cod-calypso sound and chirpy brass. Had it been a turntable hit or chart hit at the time, it might have tried the patience of some after a couple of weeks. As a flop, however - and a bloody obscure one hardly anyone owns at that - it's actually quite enjoyable, its irrepressible jollity seeming like a welcome ray of light rather than a source of annoyance.
Wirtz tended to throw so much fairy dust over his studio productions that it's odd to hear something of his which sounds absolutely clean and direct. It's proof that his mind wasn't always on breaking new ground, and perhaps he hoped the relative simplicity of this one would result in a hit.
As for who Symon And Pi were... they appear to have been a performing male/ female duo from the period who had one other single out (a Spector inspired pop cover of "Sha La La La Lee") and nothing else. Do you know them? Have you seen them? Do call.
5 comments:
they are very reminiscent of Seemon & Marijke who were in Britain working on The Fool album at the time......Marijke is a renowned Pi-anist.....a little food for thought
Thank you for this single !!!
Greets, Albert
I know it's no direct relation but. on hearing "Love Is Happening To Me," I'm getting a black-and-white image of The Seekers on a boat singing in the film Georgy Girl. I'm wondering if this might be another one of your finds that could've been a hit a year or two earlier.
Dr Gaz - That's an interesting theory and may be correct! I'll have to look into that to see if there are any direct links.
VanceMan - You could write what I actually know about The Seekers on the back of a beer mat, so that's perfectly possible as well. Presuming the credited Peter Smith wasn't Symon or Pi - which is probably a safe bet - there's no reason why the song wouldn't have been sold or recorded elsewhere either beforehand or after. I've googled The Seekers and the song title together, though, and I'm getting nothing.
another thought occurred to me,if it is Simon Posthuma could the 'Pi' be Patricia Paay - this would keep the Dutch theory intact. It looks like Paul Nicholas had a hand in writing the flip, another link to the Benelux perhaps.....
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