Baskin & Copperfield - I Never See The Sun/ Stranger On The Ground

 

Eventual members of The Rubettes with convincing tilt at the charts

Label: Decca
Year of Release: 1970

The Rubettes have perhaps steadily become one of the less referenced seventies glam rock acts, with only their deathless number one "Sugar Baby Love" being given much airplay time. Their other hits "Tonight", "Juke Box Jive", "I Can Do It" and "Baby I Know" barely get a sniff of attention these days, though the group name is still keenly used for endless glam revival tours.

Prior to the group's inception, members John Richardson and Alan Williams had a contract with Decca as a duo. Their first release was a slightly cynical cover of Lennon and McCartney's "Long and Winding Road" which failed to chart, but second single "I Never See The Sun" seemed to make a possible change in their fortunes. Despite the fact that the single wasn't close to poking the Top 40, the BBC saw fit to give them a slot on "Top of the Pops" - not unusual behaviour for the programme at the time - and the record attracted some airplay too.

This would ordinarily have been enough to create a flurry of attention, but sadly the record never sold convincingly. That's a shame, as it's clearly the kind of anthem the 1970 charts generally welcomed with open arms, complete with weary clarion calls, a scarf-waving chorus and delicate, boyish vocals. Four years prior to this, The Walker Brothers would have happily recorded this one.

The Wake - Linda/ Got My Eyes On You

Label: Carnaby

Year of Release: 1971

Anyone who has arrived at this blog entry expecting to read something about Bobby Gillespie's pre-Primal Scream band The Wake is going to be horribly disappointed, for this is not they.  Rather, this particular Wake were simply a late sixties/ early seventies pop act with vaguely psychedelic leanings who issued five singles to absolutely sod all success, although (somewhat akin to the Bobby G act) one of their members did go on to more financially fruitful activities.

Reckoned by some as an under-rated popsike act, The Wake were very much under the corporate guidance of concert promoter Mervyn Conn who produced this single and often also selected their tunes for them.  They appeared on "Top of the Pops" once in 1970 to plug their "Boys in The Band" single, which failed to make the charts despite its high-profile publicity, and by the time this single - their fifth - was issued in 1971 it seems quite likely that they knew the game was up.  Sadly, rather than bowing out on a baffling piece of experimental rock, "Linda" is a rather bouncy, strident ditty with an almost schlager feel.  It's not without charm and sounds as if it could have been the theme to a children's stop-motion animation series had it not been a pop record, but it was highly unlikely to reverse their poor fortunes.  The flip "Got My Eyes On You", on the other hand, is a bit of a McCartney-styled rocker, but seems too self-conscious to really come kicking and screaming through your speakers.

Their album "23:59" was a concept piece based upon a New Year's Eve party and is an acclaimed piece of work by some psych-pop enthusiasts, but is incredibly difficult to get a copy of these days.  For those of us without money to throw around on popsike fancies, perhaps the most familiar aspect of their career is the fact that their member Bill Hurd eventually went on to success with The Rubettes.