The Tremeloes - Boxed (@320)

 

The Tremeloes - Boxed

When UK chart-toppers Brian Poole And The Tremeloes parted company in 1966, few would have wagered that the backing group would outdo the lead singer. Remarkably, however, the relaunched Tremeloes went on to eclipse not only Poole, but the original hitmaking act. At the time of their reconvening in 1966, the lineup was comprised of Rick West (b. Richard Westwood, 7 May 1943, Dagenham, Essex, England; guitar), Alan Blakley (b. 1 April 1942, Dagenham, Essex, England, d. 1995; rhythm guitar), Dave Munden (b. 2 December 1943, Dagenham, Essex, England; drums) and Alan Howard (b. 17 October 1941, Dagenham, Essex, England; bass). In May of 1966 Howard was replaced by Mike Clark; however, a mere three months later his spot was taken by Len ‘Chip’ Hawkes (b. 2 November 1946, London, England), whose lead vocals and boyish looks gave the group a stronger visual identity. In order to keep up with the times, the group members abandoned their stage suits in favour of Carnaby Street garb and fashionably longer hair. Theirsec. ond-generation debut for Decca Records was a cover of Paul Simon’s ‘Blessed’, which proved unsuccessful. Seeking more commercial material, they moved to CBS Records and covered ‘Good Day Sunshine’ from the Beatles’ Revolver. In spite of radio play, it too failed to chart, but their third release ‘Here Comes My Baby’ (a Cat Stevens composition) smashed into the Top 20 on both sides of the Atlantic.

An astute follow-up with ‘Silence Is Golden’, previously the flip side of the Four Seasons’ ‘Rag Doll’, proved a perfect vehicle for the Tremeloes’ soft harmonic style and gave them their only UK number 1 and their highest US chart entry (number 11). Having established themselves as a hit act, they notched up an impressive run of hits during the late 60s including ‘Even The Bad Times Are Good’, ‘Suddenly You Love Me’, ‘Helule Helule’ and ‘My Little Lady’. At the end of the decade, the Tremeloes seemed weary of their role in the pop world and broke away from their usual Tin Pan Alley songsmiths to write their own material. Their first attempt, ‘(Call Me) Number One’, was an impressive achievement, probably superior to the material that they had recorded since 1967. When it reached number 2 in the charts, the group members convinced themselves that a more ambitious approach would bring even greater rewards. Overreacting to their dream start as hit writers, they announced that they were ‘going heavy’ and suicidally alienated their pop audience by dismissing their earlier record-buying fans as ‘morons’.

Their brief progressive phase was encapsulated in the album Master, which won no new fans but provided a final Top 20 single, ‘Me And My Life’. Thereafter, they turned increasingly to cabaret, where their strong live performances were well appreciated. In 1974 Chip Hawkes went to Nashville, The United States of America (USA), to pursue an ultimately unsuccessful solo career (his son Chesney Hawkes would enjoy a brief moment in the spotlight in the late 80s). Blakley left the following January, and Aaron Woolley and Bob Benham were brought in as replacements. The Tremeloes continued to record on an occasional basis, with albums being Released by DJM Records and their old label CBS. They were still active in the new millennium, with Munden and West joined by Joe Gillingham (keyboards/vocals) and Davey Freyer (bass/vocals). In September 2006 Poole and the band reunited after 40 years for a tour of the UK. The latest version of the Tremeloes featured Munden, Hawkes, West and newer members Gillingham and Jeff Brown.

Tracklist:

Disc One 01:17:01

01. Blessed 03:01

02. Good Day Sunshine 01:58

03. What A State I'm In 02:22

04. Here Comes My Baby 03:04

05. Gentleman Of Pleasure 02:38

06. Silence Is Golden 03:08

07. Let Your Hair Hang Down 02:31

08. Even The Bad Times Are Good 02:37

09. Jenny's Alright 02:27

10. Be Mine 02:22

11. Suddenly Winter 02:24

12. Norman Stanley James St. Claire 02:43

13. As You Are 02:46

14. Suddenly You Love Me 02:46

15. E In Silenzio 03:10

16. Helule Helule 02:46

17. Girl From Nowhere 02:30

18. I'm Gonna Try 02:41

19. Entu Mundo 02:46

20. My Little Lady 02:41

21. All The World To Me 02:44

22. Rag Doll 02:49

23. I'll See You Here 02:31

24. Travelling Circus 02:40

25. I Shall Be Released 03:32

26. I Miss My Baby 02:55

27. Hello World 03:21

28. Jacqueline (Hello World In Italian) 02:56

 

Disc Two 01:17:45

 

01. Once On A Sunday Morning 02:58

02. Fa La La, La La, La Le 02:42

03. Sadness Of Tomorrow 02:56

04. (Call Me) Number One 03:47

05. May Morning 01:56

06. All Pull Together 01:45

07. Till The Sun Goes Down 03:17

08. Think Of What You've Said 02:21

09. I'll Take You Home 02:32

10. Anything 01:28

11. I Know You 03:47

12. What Can I Do 02:56

13. By The Way 03:03

14. Yellow River 03:25

15. No Comprendes (Yellow River) 02:36

16. Remember Looking Back 02:57

17. Me And My Life 03:13

18. Try Me 03:31

19. Long Road 02:51

20. Now's The Time 02:54

21. But Then I 04:06

22. Before I Sleep 03:05

23. Boola Boola 03:15

24. I Swear 02:40

25. Willow Tree 03:41

26. Right Wheel Left Hammer, Sham 02:45

 

Disc Three 01:19:25

 

01. Wake Me I Am Dreaming (Mi Ritorni In Menti) 04:21

02. Wait A Minute 02:37

03. Hello Buddy 02:46

04. My Woman 02:27

05. No No No 03:16

06. No More Sad Songs 03:00

07. Too Late (To Be Saved) 03:14

08. If You Ever 02:59

09. Hello Sailor (Gone West) 02:39

10. How Can Yoy Say Goodbye 02:45

11. I Like It That Way 02:35

12. Wakamaker 02:58

13. Heaven Knows Why 02:38

14. Blue Suede Tie 03:16

15. Yodel Ay 03:10

16. Lauree Lee 03:01

17. Ride On 03:21

18. Hands Off 03:28

19. These Days 02:58

20. Make Or Break 03:03

21. Movin' On 03:29

22. You Can't Touch Sue 03:01

23. Story For The Boys 02:41

24. The Lady's Got Style 02:22

25. Sadie 03:35

26. Do I Love You 03:33

 

Disc Four 01:18:14

 

01. Say Ok 02:36

02. Pinky 02:26

03. The Goodotime Band 03:03

04. September November December 03:16

05. My Friend Delaney 03:22

06. Lonely Dolly 03:10

07. Lovesong 03:41

08. Help 04:12

09. Someone Someone 03:22

10. Rocking Circus 04:02

11. Don't Let The Music Die 03:54

12. Be Boppin' Boogie 03:23

13. Friend Of A Friend 04:00

14. I'm Lost Without You 03:39

15. Ging Gang Goolie 02:58

16. Lonely Nights 03:41

17. Lights of port royal

18. Silas

19. Tremelodies

20. Words

21. I will return

22. Someone

***