Three For All (The Peddlers)
(Sound
of Sixties Jazz)
Jazz-type pop from the sixties may not be everybody’s cup of
tea, but it had a great influence on me when I started my career as a
professional musician. One particular musician that I loved to listen to and
emulate in my work, was Roy Phillips, lead singer/keyboard player of the
Peddlers. Back in 1970 I had the
original vinyl LP called Three For All, but as the years went by, I all but
destroyed most of the tracks by over-playing it.
I searched second-hand stores and record shops for a
replacement and was always met by the question “Peddlers? Who are they?” My search was to be over,
when I first had a computer and did a search on Amazon and to my delight, there
it was in all its glory a CD Live at
the Pickwick!/Free For all by the Peddlers. Somebody at last seemed to know of
this band’s existence.
As I have already said, it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but
these tracks not only bring back the nostalgia of my “wilder” youth, but in my
opinion, the on these CDs (especially Free For All, my favourite) there is
music of a unique style…
Track 1: The Last Train to Clarkesville, originally a 60s
hit by The Monkeys has in my opinion, really been done justice to by giving it
an upbeat jazzy feel.
Track 2: This little number is called “A Whole Lotta
Sunlight” and this slow, bluesy track has some really poetic lyrics that takes
you on a mind trip into a lazy summer afternoon, where you can practically hear
the buzzing of the bees see the butterflies in the “bright yellow blossoms”.
Track 3: My Funny Valentine. This is one of my favourite
songs that really inspired me in my own playing style. Roy Phillips together with Tab Martin on
bass guitar gives it his unique funky style, slightly up-tempo from the
original ballad.
Track 4: In The Summer Time, originally recorded my Mungo
Jerry, is slowed right down into a bluesy lazy style that gives one the image
of a typical 60/70s summer time, very politically incorrect in the lyrics where
you do a ton, drink and drive and make it in a lay-by! I had not long past my driving test then.
Were the roads really like that?!
Track 5: This little Girl of Mine. I must admit that I don’t
know where this song came from but again it is an upbeat song about his
girlfriend and how he much loves her.
Track 6: Son. Again I have never heard this anywhere except
with the Peddlers. This is touching track about a father giving his son advice
on life. Rhythm slow and bluesy done mostly on piano.
Track 7: Love for Sale, from the film, New Yorkers. This is
done much faster than the original with great vocal expression from Phillips’,
and with great Hammond organ jazz improvisations in the middle eight. (A term
used by musicians to indicate that instrumental break in the middle of a song
that is usually, 8 bars long).
Track 8: Working Again. Now this is one track that I can
really identify with. It’s depicts life on the road for musicians, which was
typically all work and taxes. If you were a musician in those days, according
to the government you must have been loaded. If you were, you did it for the
love of it and not the money.
Track 9: Tell the World We’re Not In is another quick tempo
track about two lovers who just want some time to themselves… “If the people
come knockin….. Tel the world we’re not in!” Great “wa-wa” instrumental effects
on this from the Hammond organ on this one.
Track 10: Love Story. This is another song that I’ve not
heard played by anyone else but the Peddlers. The singer (Phillips) is making
plans for the future with his love.
Track 11: This is a great rendition of Glen Miller’s String of Pearls done like
I’ve never heard it before. A way up-tempo instrumental done on the Hammond
Organ (Phillips) with some great drumming by Trevor Morais.
Track 12: The final track, Thank God, has a sort of
evangelist, hand-clapping spiritual feel to it. This is depicting that tomorrow
will be a more wonderful day than today. And ends with the words, “If only I
had the power of the great unlimits, I’d stop the world and then re-spin it”.
The other disk is, as the title suggests, recorded live at
the Pickwick Club, London and has an introduction by Pete Murray. Remember
him? He lists a long list of the fans
of the Peddlers that include some famous pop stars such as Johnny Mathis, Frank
Sinatra, Paul Jones, amongst others. Some members of the Rolling Stones and the
Shadows were in the audience at this recording.
The quality of the sound on this second CD I believe though
is not brilliant. Most other live
recordings of the day had problems in the way the sound engineers had to deal
with acoustics of crowded venues which can be much different when they’re empty
and the recording equipment is set up. I will just list the tracks…
1 Pete Murray (intro) 2. El Pito (I’ll Never Go Back
to Georgia) 3. Georgia On My Mind 4. Back In Your Own Back Yard 5. Gotta Travel On 6. Misty 7. I love Paris
8. What’ll I do 9. You Are My Sunshine 10. Pete Murray (intro to side 2). 11.
Gassin 12. Over The Rainbow 13. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister 14.
Some Day You’ll Want Me To Want You 15.
Walk On The Wild Side 16. Outplay…
All in all, if you like jazzy, pop, bluesy music, done in an
original style this double CD is a great buy.
Thanks for reading.
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