The Kinsmen - It's Good To See You/ Always The Loser

A cut from the Aussie heroes early career in the UK

Label: Decca

Year of Release: 1968

To most British listeners, The Kinsmen are best known - if they're recognised at all - for their version of the John Pantry track "Glasshouse Green Splinter Red" which worked its way on to the "Rubble" compilation series in the eighties. The collision of the vocal group's close harmonies and the mysterious lyrical subject matter about a lonely old gardener led many to file it under "popsike".

In their native country of Australia, however, The (Four) Kinsmen eventually became well-known and loved light entertainers, mixing humour with their vocal abilities and gaining support slots with Ray Charles and Pat Boone. It's highly doubtful that they would ever have deemed themselves "psychedelic" at any point in their careers, preferring the certainties of the theatre and supper club circuit over student underground nights. 

This 45, cut in Britain before they were big news back home, is probably much more representative of their sound. "It's Good To See You" is a bouyant A-side which is drenched in sunshine, but I prefer the more strident, boisterous flip instead which drops the politeness and kicks its legs out somewhat.

Reupload - Bill Kenwright - Tiggy/ The House That Fell On Its Face

Epic, manic, "Eloise"/ "Bernadette" styled pop from actor, theatre producer and Everton FC Chair Bill Kenwright. (Comes with John Pantry penned flip, popsike fans). 

Label: MGM

Year of Release: 1969

Bill Kenwright CBE is a man who has beavered away for many decades in entertainment, a name as likely to pop up in the background as well as the foreground of popular culture. During the late sixties just before this single was issued, he was busy playing the Coronation Street character Gordon Clegg, who ended up being woven in and out of the soap's plots over the next few years whenever the man's availability would allow. Prior to that - and perhaps unbeknownst to many viewers - he had a moderately successful singing career in the clubs and a number of singles were issued.

To say "Tiggy" is an unexpectedly epic example of his work would be an understatement. It starts with an urgent morse code riff, flows neatly into an urgent sounding verse then an epic, steamrollering chorus - like "Eloise", the track tries to slap you into submission, with all the fire alarms activating and water jetting down from the emergency sprinkler system. Whoever "Tiggy" was, Kenwright was manically keen to get her attention, though I'd personally have been a little afraid; but nobody can deny the overpowering first impression the track makes. It's a testament to producer Eddie Tre-Vett's usual skills in creating a powerful yet considered racket when needed, and it's somewhat surprising this didn't manage to at least become a minor hit.

The B-side "The House That Fell On Its Face" is also of interest to aficionados of popsike, being penned by producer Eddie Tre-Vett's boy wonder John Pantry. In total contrast to the A-side, it's one of Pantry's delicate, mournful pieces about a disintegrated relationship, closer to "Glasshouse Green Splinter Red" than anything by The Factory. Kenwright appears to be doing an impersonation of Pantry's vocal style throughout, suggesting that it may have been quickly recorded after hearing a rough demo.

Bill Kenwright - Tiggy/ House That Fell On Its Face

Label: MGM

Year of Release: 1969

Bill Kenwright CBE is a man who has beavered away for many decades in entertainment, a name as likely to pop up in the background as well as the foreground of popular culture. During the late sixties just before this single was issued, he was busy playing the Coronation Street character Gordon Clegg, who ended up being woven in and out of the soap's plots over the next few years whenever the man's availability would allow. Prior to that - and perhaps unbeknownst to many viewers - he had a moderately successful singing career in the clubs and a number of singles were issued.

To say "Tiggy" is an unexpectedly epic example of his work would be an understatement. It starts with an urgent morse code riff, flows neatly into an urgent sounding verse then an epic, steamrollering chorus - like "Eloise", the track tries to slap you into submission, with all the fire alarms activating and water jetting down from the emergency sprinkler system. Whoever "Tiggy" was, Kenwright was manically keen to get her attention, though I'd personally have been a little afraid; but nobody can deny the overpowering first impression the track makes. It's a testament to producer Eddie Tre-Vett's usual skills in creating a powerful yet considered racket when needed, and it's somewhat surprising this didn't manage to at least become a minor hit.

The B-side "The House That Fell On Its Face" is also of interest to aficionados of popsike, being penned by producer Eddie Tre-Vett's boy wonder John Pantry. In total contrast to the A-side, it's one of Pantry's delicate, mournful pieces about a disintegrated relationship, closer to "Glasshouse Green Splinter Red" than anything by The Factory. Kenwright appears to be doing an impersonation of Pantry's vocal style throughout, suggesting that it may have been quickly recorded after hearing a rough demo.

Kenwright is yet another one of the lucky sods on "Left and to the Back" whose career we really don't have to examine too closely in terms of what might have been. He became a producer of many successful West End musicals (notably "Blood Brothers" and "Scrooge - The Musical" as well as the "Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat" tour) and is the present Chair of Everton football club. Besides that, he runs his own record label (Kenwright Records), and is married to actress Jenny Seagrove. Having achieved more in one lifetime than most people could deem possible, I doubt he's much bothered about "Tiggy" failing to chart in 1969.

One Hit Wonders #17 - Parchment - Light Up The Fire

Label: Pye
Year of Release: 1972

Christian music, in its many forms, has traditionally received an awkward mainstream media response. Even if it's by Cliff Richard and the results actually sell, radio stations generally tend not to bother much with it, and the mere mention of "quite a good Christian band" you're aware of will usually brings waves of incredulity crashing in your direction.  This isn't, in my opinion at least, completely without justification.  There have been many different kinds of Christian pop and rock, and even some New Wave orientated attempts by the likes of The Reps (who were actually responsible for the first gig I ever attended, although it should be noted that it was a special lunchtime performance at my school).  Most, however, seem to have a smug piousness about them which is more of a turn-off than anything else, like celebratory hook-laden football songs performed by teams you don't support.  It only makes sense to people who are already on the inside.

Parchment are considered by some pop-psych connoisseurs to be the exception to the rule that Christian music is always naff and fit only for believers who want to celebrate their choice of religion.  This is largely thanks to the involvement of John Pantry, who we previously discussed over at the entry for The Factory's "Try A Little Sunshine".  Tired of the inward looking, selfish and decadent nature of the traditional rock circuit, he gave up producing acts with mainstream potential (or even cult underground potential) and focussed on Christian rock and pop instead.  Parchment were his first quarry, and some of his fairydust is evident on the odd track of theirs, not least "Love Is Come Again" which I've included as a bonus example below.  That effort is reminiscent of psychedelic Christian folk, if such a hybrid ever really existed, all zinging sitars and childlike wonder.

"Light Up The Fire", on the other hand, was Parchment's sole Top 40 hit, climbing to number 31 largely thanks to a campaign to get a song about Jesus on to "Top of the Pops" (chart bothering campaigns, whether done on Facebook or by the church, are absolutely nothing new).  I'm afraid it's rather more traditional fare, a very saccharine track which gives the converted cause to cheer in campfire unison, but seems absolutely, utterly baffling to non-believers.  That's not to say that with Pantry at the wheel Parchment didn't produce a few tracks of note outside their one minor hit, however, and they're songs which make me feel frustrated he crossed the waters into Christian radio rather than sticking around with the likes of The Factory that little bit longer.

In the meantime, I've decided to make this the first "Left and to the Back" entry of December which has a tenuous (or otherwise) link to Christmas.  Rather than diving straight into the Christmas buffet, we're going to slowly sink ourselves in bit by bit until the tenuous connections become actual ones.

The Factory - Try A Little Sunshine

Label: CBS

Year of Release: 1969

Whilst The Factory's debut single, the "Nuggets II" compiled "Path Through The Forest" (actually written by Clifford T Ward under a pseudonym, fact fans) is entirely the work of the band in question, that's certainly not the case in this instance. Southend-based songwriter John Pantry initially provided them with the track here in the full expectation that they would handle all duties themselves, reckoning without the lead vocalist Jack Brand's ability to hold the tune together. It would seem that the frontman's efforts were deemed to be unsatisfactory, and in the end, Pantry stepped up to the plate himself to deliver the final take.

None of the above really subtracts anything from the worth of the single, which is actually yet another full-throttle piece of slightly kaleidoscopic mod pop which is marginally indebted to The Who. There was so much material like this being peddled around at the time that one has to wonder why The Who were the only band of that ilk making it into the charts - presumably the others simply couldn't get the necessary airplay to build a fanbase upon. "Try A Little Sunshine" rolls, judders, shakes and smashes along with frustrated intent, seemingly at odds with its simplistic hippy lyrical message. Whilst "Path Through The Forest" sounded eerily prescient of the work of Joy Division, this is a soundsplash of buzzes, thrashed guitars, and oddly angelic vocal stylings - very much of its time rather than ahead of its time, but no less thrilling for that.

The B-side "Red Chalk Hill" (also sung by Pantry) is a gentle McCartney-esque ballad which Record Collector recently named as something which sounded like a "long-lost Oasis out-take". At a stretch of the eardrums we could perhaps allow for that description, but really, the whimsy contained within the grooves isn't especially reminiscent of the Gallagher brothers. Subtlety has never been one of their strong points. What "Red Chalk Hill" does have going for it, however, is a lyrically quaint kind of faintly menacing surrealism, combined with echoing, wailing backing vocals. The words bring to mind a Royston Vasey styled town where one can never escape, whilst the music seems to be pulling the tune in the direction of "Fool on the Hill" styled optimism. It's worth a lot, lot more than its throwaway B-side status.

This proved to be The Factory's last single, but John Pantry's career as a songwriter continued for some time, although he eventually returned to his Christian roots and began penning songs and overseeing production duties for psychedelic folk churchgoers Parchment. Many of these are actually rather good, stamping out the myth that all Christian pop has to be appalling. These days, he works as a vicar in a church in Hadleigh, and is periodically bothered by psychedelic buffs asking him about his musical past. The movement could barely have produced a less likely underground hero, although these days he naturally denies any of his work was meant to have psychedelic connotations. We can only deduce from this that he never did try any Sunshine at all, much less a little of it, the hypocrite.

In the meantime, any readers who are curious about what Jack Brand's vocals sounded like before John Pantry intervened should head over to Sir Henry Rawlinson's blog. He has the acetate of it here, from which you can draw your own conclusions.