High Noon - Living Is A Lovin' Thing/ Blind Alley

Sands/ Sun Dragon duo back again with seventies pop 45

Label: CBS

Year of Release: 1971

Of all the popsike singles to slither out largely unnoticed during the late sixties, "Five White Horses" by Sun Dragon always feels like one of the few which hasn't even gained the modern day acceptance it deserves. Jaunty, peculiar, groovy, supremely catchy and filled with sudden studio effects, it epitomises the era's tendencies to drip sharp and acidic twists over the most sugary of sounds. On top of all that, it even featured Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Ritchie Blackmore on session duties.

The duo behind Sun Dragon, Bob Freeman and Ian McLintock, had already had a long career in the music business by the time that record emerged, having previously been members of The Others. That act eventually morphed into the Brian Epstein managed Sands, responsible for the much celebrated (by collectors) single "Mrs Gillespie's Refrigerator/ Listen To The Sky". 

Once that outfit shot their wad, Sun Dragon was the duo's attempt to continue by producing modal rock akin to "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "It's All Too Much"- this uncommercial idea was promptly dismissed by the squares at MGM, however, who instead shoved them in the studio to record rather hacky covers such as "Green Tambourine" (their version managed to reach number 50 in the UK charts). 

Once that act was also done and dusted, the pair continued under the name High Noon with a new contract with CBS. Before you get too excited, neither "Living Is A Lovin' Thing" or "Blind Alley" - their final single for the label -are modal rock either. As you might expect, the A-side sees them both capture that breezy sunshine pop sound which dominated the first two years of the seventies. The Freeman penned flip, on the other hand, adds a harder, rockier edge to that sound.

High Noon were no more successful than their predecessor, and Freeman went on to join Plain Sailing who signed to Chrysalis in 1979 and entered a Song For Europe in 1980 (finishing in fourth place) while Ian McLintock signed a solo deal with EMI in 1973 which resulted in one 45 ("When I'm Down") before working as the producer for Be Bop Deluxe. 

If the previews below aren't working properly, please go right to the source.