Naughty Naughty Naughty / Letters Of Love

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Arsenal‘s TOTP line-up included the ‘ new George Best‘, Peter Marinello who looked as if he just wanted the ground to swallow him up. It seemed an obvious single but clocking in at over 7 minutes, Stevie didn’t want to cut it down to suit the single format and released Sir Duke and I Wish from the album to great chart success. It was the second biggest selling single of 1972 after Royal Scots Dragoon Guards bagpipe version of Amazing Grace (these were very MOR times), it was one of the estimable Jarvis Cocker’s eight records on Desert Island Discs, it was the first record Norman Cook ( Fat Boy Slim, but you knew that) ever bought, it is still the record Oldham Athletic F. I’ll never know how this record ever got into the charts but a cursory glance at the hit parade for April 1971 suggests that things were anything but predictable.

The formula was exactly the same, an MOR classic, this time You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, with Telly’s sultry vocals and a Mantovi-type orchestral strings backing. Often these records are one-hit-wonders that squeezed into the charts by virtue of some twist of fate, something in the wind that carried them out of the pit of obscurity that they richly deserved to be consigned to forever. Next, they were performing it on TOTP and everyone was talking about the old wifie on the piano, which is what really gave it its ‘novelty’ status. Everyone of a certain age remembers Just Good Friends although, like me, they may not have watched it.

I collect non chart singles from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and have many 1000’s, this being one of them. It turned into a very nice little earner for him but if there is any justice at all emerging from this sad, depressing episode, the song only got to 105 in the US singles charts. The Best of The Seekers LP knocked The Beatles (white album) off the top of the album charts and stopped the Rolling Stones getting to No. They may be rubbish and inexplicably successful but still hold their place in the pantheon of strange but memorable hits.

It’s noticeable that Nicholas’s three hits were of a similar nature, unchallenging, slightly melodic and allowing him to perform his schtick with the bowler hat and cane. Now this character reportedly ‘discovered’ Helen Shapiro and wrote two of her first hits, Don’t Treat Me Like A Child, (which nowadays sounds a bit dodgy given she was only 14), and the formulaic Walking Back To Happiness, which got to No 1 and for which he received an Ivor Novello award in 1961. His rather sleazy TOTP stage performance also implies he didn’t even understand the lyrics, changing the meaning of the song to one of ogling some burd in a sticky-carpeted, sweaty disco in Newcastle-under-Lyme with The Hit Man and Her in attendance. There was a buzz around this record that meant everyone was talking about it and you can understand why. As well as being one of the figures on the front cover of Wings ‘ Band On The Run,’ LP, Conteh also appeared in 70s films ‘ Man At The Top‘ and, strangely, ‘ The Stud‘ with Joan Collins in a career low.Their follow-up Desperate Dan still made the top 20 but it was just too similar, however, Stavely Makepeace endured and released some very interesting music over the next few years.

Anyone who has read this section of my little blog space will know that some of the titles featured are records which should have been strangled before birth. It certainly sounded distinctive due to the rather odd, nasal vocal style of singer Sally Carr, who I think fancied herself a bit.The first thing to say about this record is that it’s far from being a rubbish song and its success is not inexplicable. Condition - This item is in Excellent condition or better (unless it says otherwise in the above description). His CV becomes a little more interesting in a bizarre way, when in 1959 he produced the UK’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, Sing Little Birdie by Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson. Telly’s career slowly declined and he even narrated a British travelogue series entitled ‘ Telly Savalas Looks at. Their appearance on TOTP was particularly excruciating, all the players looking suitably embarrassed to be there.