Me and my life (The Tremeloes) (LP 4587 - 4593)

The Tremeloes  Here Come The Tremeloes (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1967) *** 

The Tremeloes  Here Comes My Baby (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1967) *** 

The Tremeloes  Suddenly You Love Me (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1968) *** 

The Tremeloes  World Explosion! (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1968) ** 

The Tremeloes  Master (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1970) *** 

The Tremeloes  Shiner (Vinyl, DJM Records, 1974) *** 

The Tremeloes  Platinum Collection (CD, ST Music, ?) **** 

The Tremeloes  Ultimate Collection (CD, Castle Communications, 1990) **** 

Genre: Pop

Places I remember: Chaldon Books and Records, Amoeba Music, Real Groovy Records, The Little Red Bookshop (Master)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Here Comes My Baby

Gear costume: Hello World , Even the Bad Times Are Good, Suddenly You Love Me

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7

Active compensatory factors: The Tremeloes started out as Brian Poole and The Tremeloes from 1963 to 1966 but I have no albums by that iteration. That band is famous for winning the battle to get signed to Decca Records (it was either them or an obscure beat combo from Liverpool called The Beatles).

Instead, all of my albums are from 1967 onwards when the band continued as a foursome. The four:  lead guitarist Rick Westwood, rhythm guitarist Alan Blakley, bassist Alan Howard (replaced in 1968 by singing bassist Len "Chip" Hawkes), and singing drummer Dave Munden.

I have written about their debut album before (Here Come The Tremeloes) so I won't include that one in my count. Since then though, I have managed to find the American version of the debut in Amoeba Music. Yes, just like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks et al, the band was the victim of seemingly random changes to their albums when released in America.

Suddenly You Love Me is an American release from 1968 and that hit song leads off the album (it was the only hit coming from it). It's a strange hybrid of pop songs like the title track and attempts at more current psychedelic sounds/songs like Suddenly Winter. 

They are great on the pop songs and less convincing on the 1968 trippy ones but it's easy to judge in hindsight. They give everything a good go but you can't run from your Dagenham roots too much can you. The version of Reach Out, I'll Be There is ill-advised.

That points to a central problem for many bands like The Tremeloes - they didn't have a mega talented Lennon/McCartney writing pair, so they were heavily reliant on doing cover versions. 

World Explosion! is another American release, also from 1968. It had four songs from Blakely/Hawkes including the hit song Helule Helule (from 1967) amidst the inconsistent cover songs. Two respectful covers of Buddy Holly songs are two too many! Following them with The Lion Sleeps Tonight is a snooze fest before Rag Doll (which at least has some awesome harmonies). 

All of that, plus the terrible cover, just feels redundant in 1968. They very clearly needed another makeover before the world of oldies circuits or worse, cabaret, beckoned.

Master was their next studio album, in 1970. It was an attempt to update their image (all are pictured with beards and long hair) and music with a beefier rockier sound, but this time it wasn't quite like 1967 and Here Comes My Baby. 

Although there are no hits on Master, it still sounds light years better than World Explosion! and is their most cohesive studio album (even with the meh Elvis impression during one song). It successfully toughens the sound while retaining enough Tremeloes' tropes from the poptastic past.

Shiner continues in the same vein and isn't quite as successful as Master because it goes for a glossier sound and a lighter touch with some bubblegum/glam moves (Big Bad Boogie sounds like Mud). It's still a very passable Tremeloes' album though.

That just leaves the two compilation albums which attempt a wider view. The Ultimate Collection album takes in the 1967 to eighties versions of the band with 24 tracks. It's not chronological so it's definitely hit and miss. Good having all the hits on one disc though.

Platinum Collection does take a more chronological route and has 26 tracks with a bonus selection from the Brian Poole version of the band.

As you'd expect, there is quite a lot of duplication between the two albums, especially the hits, but who cares. I'll continue to buy any compilation I can find from this band. I'm hooked!

Where do they all belong? The albums were patchy but the hits were peerless. They certainly continue to help make the bad times, good in Wozza's World. I'm still on the look out for a copy of Live in Cabaret in good condition as well as anything else I can find.

Let your hair hang down (The Tremeloes) (LP 301)

The Tremeloes Here Come The Tremeloes (Vinyl - CBS, 1967) ***

Genre: English pop  

Places I remember: Chaldon Books and Records 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Here Comes My Baby




Gear costume:  Even The Bad Times Are Good

Active compensatory factors: I had this on watch for a few months in Chaldon Books and Records up on the hill (sadly - my last visit before we head back to NZ was on Saturday). It had a sticker on it saying that it had been played a lot but was still good.

I hummed and harred each time I went in for months - when I eventually checked it looked like some surface marks, so it was ultimately worth a risk. Eventually my love of The Tremeloes and the fear that someone else would snap it up outweighed any misgivings re quality of the disc.

I needn't have worried - no surface clicks or anything! Pretty remarkable for a record that has been played for 40ish years!

Here Come My Baby is the standout, of course. I've written about it before (remarkably I glossed over the bad miming on the video): it really is an amazing song - the lead out track here and the de facto album title.

The rest? Well it varies from good filler to very good filler before ending with another knock-about hit - Even The Bad Times Are Good.

Where do they all belong? Firmly in the pantheon of stellar 1967 pop moments with Here Comes My Baby!  

Three cool chicks made three fools of three cool cats (The Coasters) #61 - 64 of 300ish singles

The Beatles Three Cool cats/ Hello Little Girl (Pye 106  1962)

The Beatles September In The Rain / The Sheik Of Araby  (Pye 206, 1962)

The Beatles Searchin'/ Like Dreamers Do  (Pye 306, 1962)

The Beatles Memphis/ Love Of The Loved   (Pye 406, 1962)

The Beatles on Pye? What the hey?

Well it makes sense when you remember that before signing to Parlophone, the Fabs auditioned elsewhere and were turned down. Dick Rowe had to choose between The Beatles and The Tremeloes and he went for the Brian Poole led group.
These four singles come from that January 1962 Decca audition and are pretty much of historical interest only (no Ringo remember - Pete Best is on drums). A number of other songs were done that day, fifteen in total, but someone has selected these eight songs for the singles that were not issued until the Fabs had become world beaters.

Having said that I love their versions of Memphis (the Chuck Berry song) and the Leiber/ Stoller songs done by The Coasters - Searchin' and Three Cool Cats (song well by George).

Hidden gems: Love Of The Loved is pretty naff - it was given to Cilla Black to sing (1963). Like Dreamers Do is also an early sappy Macca song. Dreamers was given to The Applejacks in 1964.

Of much greater interest is the comedy routine done to The Sheik Of Araby (another great George lead vocal) and Hello Little Girl, a cool little song which was eventually given to The Fourmost (1963).
 

In the midnight moonlight hour

43 The Tremeloes, 'Here Comes My Baby'

Infectious pop music from 1967 floats my boat, pretty much every time.

I was ten years old in 1967. I got my first grown up bike, took my first tentative steps away from my mum (she let go of the seat and I was off), and listening to great pop music. The summer of 1967 was "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour), Eric Burdon & The Animals (Winds of Change), The Doors (The Doors and Strange Days), Jefferson Airplane (Surrealistic Pillow and After Bathing at Baxter's), Pink Floyd (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn), Love (Forever Changes), Cream (Disraeli Gears), The Rolling Stones (Their Satanic Majesties Request), The Who (The Who Sell Out), The Velvet Underground (The Velvet Underground & Nico), and The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Are You Experienced? and Axis: Bold As Love).

But I wasn't listening to this stuff (they would all come much later), instead I was aware only of songs. For example: The Small Faces - Itchycoo Park, The Beatles - Yellow Submarine, and The Tremeloes - Here Comes My Baby.

Especially The Tremeloes.


So, what do you notice about this video? It's obvious isn't it. The smiles. You can see the pure joy of singing this fun song about being dumped for another guy. I was 10 - being dumped for another guy wouldn't happen properly for another 9 years - thanks Dallas! All I was reacting to was the cow bell, the whoops of joy around the song, the beat, and the smiles that could be heard in the voices. Watching this video just makes me feel good. And that's important.