White Plains - The Collection (@320)

 

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White Plains - The Collection

 On October 26, 1969, White Plains recorded four tracks from which "My Baby Loves Lovin'" was picked as the single. Released on January 9, 1970, on Deram, the single zoomed up the charts in the U.K., eventually landing in the Top Ten. It also hit big in the U.S., reaching number 13 on the Hot 100. Burrows never was a real member of the group; he only sang lead at that initial session (which was actually intended as a Flowerpot Men session until the brains behind the group decided on the switch). The band carried on as a five-piece, releasing three more singles in 1970 and eventually a self-titled album. The record sold respectively in the U.K. but only reached number 166 on the U.S. charts after a skimpy four-week run. The album as well as all their singles were produced by the prolific duo of Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook; they also wrote most of the songs. They guided the sound of White Plains away from the trippy harmony pop of the Flowerpot Men toward a more adult and softly rocking sound. Their output was neatly split between lighthearted and chugging kiddie pop tunes like "My Baby Loves Lovin'" and "Sunny Honey Girl" and mainstream pop songs like "You've Got Your Troubles" and "Young Birds Fly," which are bathed in strings and masses of choir-like vocals that wrap around the emotional, Neil Diamond-esque lead vocals.

 The group kept plugging away, releasing three singles in 1971 and a sophomore album, When You Are a King, none of which did much on the charts. The next three years found them losing a member (Ricky Wolff was replaced by organist Ron Reynolds), and releasing more singles (two in 1972, three in 1973, and one in 1974), including the cowbell-driven "Ecstasy," which is notable for being the rare track written by Roger Cook without Roger Greenaway. However, White Plains were never able to recapture the success of their first single, and in 1974 the band left Deram, and in 1976 recorded one last single, "Summer Nights," and stopped recording.

 After some time apart, most of the band regrouped and began touring the oldies circuit. A series of reissues and appearances on compilations kept the group's name alive among lovers of middle-of-the-road bubblegum. 2021's The Collection gathered all the band's recorded output in one place, including tracks by offshoot groups Crucible and Zenith.

Tracklist:

 

DISC 1: WHITE PLAINS

 

1 I’ve Got You On My Mind

2 When Tomorrow Comes Tomorrow

3 Taffeta Rose

4 Summer Morning

5 To Love You

6 In A Moment Of Madness

7 My Baby Loves Lovin’

8 Today I Killed A Man I Didn’t Know

9 You’ve Got Your Troubles

10 Show Me Your Hand

11 Young Birds Fly

12 Sunny, Honey Girl

BONUS TRACKS

13 I Need Your Everlasting Love

14 Gonna Miss Her Mississippi

 

DISC 2: WHEN YOU ARE A KING

 

1 When You Are A King

2 Lovin’ You Baby

3 Home Loving Man

4 Julie Anne

5 Carolina’s Comin’ Home

6 Sunny, Honey Girl (2)

7 Every Little Move She Makes

8 An Eye For The Main Chance

9 Julie Do Ya Love Me

10 I’ll Go Blind

11 Noises (In My Head)

12 The World Gets Better With Love

BONUS TRACKS

13 I Can’t Stop

14 Dad You Saved The World

15 Beachcomber

16 Step Into A Dream

17 Look To See

18 Does Anybody Know Where My Baby Is?

19 Just For A Change

20 Ecstasy

21 A Simple Man

 

DISC 3: RARITIES CRUCIBLE

 

1 Box Man

2 Hit It

3 We Gotta Watch Out

4 Elvish Queen

ZENITH

5 A Face You Won’t Forget

6 Just The Two Of Us In Mind

7 A Fool That Was In Love

8 Silent Words

WHITE PLAINS

9 Dance With You

10 Plains

11 Wanna Fall In Love

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