The Wake - Boys In The Band/ To Make You Happy

 

 

 

Grooving Lieber and Stoller cover from seventies popheads

 

Label: Carnaby

Year of Release: 1970

 

While The Boys In The Band's single "(How 'Bout A Little Hand) For The Boys In The Band" was a hit in the USA, its British reception was more muted and it failed to chart. That might seem like a puzzling outcome for such a bold dancefloor smash, but a key factor in its failure might have been this spoiler release being put out a whole month earlier and sucking up most of the media attention.

 

It has to be said, The Wake's version isn't greatly different. The vocals are softer and more persuasive, but the backing is as powerful a facsimile as arranger Bill Shepherd could manage, and it swings just as hard as the original version. Such persuasive production enabled The Wake to sneak on to "Top of the Pops" to mime to this record, but despite the prime-time television exposure, it still sold poorly, meaning "Boys In The Band" has never really been a widely recognised track in the UK.

The Wake consisted of Bill Hurd on vocals and keyboards, John Edmonds on guitar, Chris Weeks on bass and Tony Miles on drums. Hurd later went on to more notable success with The Rubettes.

They also managed to release four other singles before calling it a day, and their 1971 concept LP "23:59" - based on the goings-on at a New Year's Eve party - is quite keenly sought after by psychedelic pop collectors these days, with copies going for as much as £150.

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.