Album Review: The Tremeloes – Master

The cheery, breezy pop of The Tremeloes won the band more than 20 Top 40 hits between 1963 (when they were still known as Brian Poole and the Tremeloes) and 1971. All of those hits were in the UK, though; while the group found success throughout Europe (and in Australasia as well), they would only manage four Top 40 singles in the U.S.

The modesty of that Stateside success wasn’t a reflection of a lack of quality, The Tremeloes’ pop was as winning and catchy as that of Herman’s Hermits, for example, and their songs were a bit more consequential, lacking the teenybopper quality of Noone and his band mates. Still, when one thinks of the British Invasion, the Tremeloes’ name rarely figures into the conversation. Their biggest U.S. hit was “Silence is Golden,” but somewhat oddly, that Number-one is less remembered than the less successful “Here Comes My Baby,” something of a pop standard of the era.

To remain relevant as the ‘60s wore on, countless groups had to reinvent themselves. The Moody Blues are perhaps the most celebrated example of this, having switched completely from being an r&b beat group to… well, y’know. So it was that by 1967 Brian Poole and the Tremeloes* had become simply the Tremeloes. Unfortunately, as tastes turned toward album-length works, they would find comparatively less commercial success on that score. The hit singles would continue, but 1967’s Here Come the Tremeloes (their debut LP with the new name) would be the group’s final charting album. Released in the U.S. with a new title – Here Comes My Baby – it climbed to #119.

Fast forward three years and five more long players and one arrives at 1970’s Master. With the possible exception of hardcore Tremeloes aficionados (do such exist?), it’s fair to assume that few would have heard – much less remember — that LP. It did include the group’s final UK hit, “Me and My Life,” a #4 UK single that also sent the group out (chartwise) with a band, finding success in five other countries (but not in the States).

“Me and My Life” featured a harder, funkier vibe that previous Tremeloes tracks, with a stomping beat the today sounds like the missing link between Summer of Love British popsike, early Bee Gees and – believe it or not – early ‘70s glam rock a la Slade. On contemporary listening, it’s not difficult to hear why “Me and My Life” was a hit of some magnitude.

As it happens, that track isn’t even the best one on the little-heard Master. The album – newly reissued with a passel of bonus tracks that double its length – is in fact quite good, and far more rocking than one might have expected. “Wait for Me” rocks really hard, with a gritty lead vocal, a thumping beat, some wonderfully nasty guitar tones throughout, and a searing lead guitar break. Why Nuggets or one of its variants didn’t include this track is a mystery.

“Long Road” has chirpy horns and a bouncy feel that places it closer to 1967, but considered in that context, it too is a real winner. Rarely has a group sounded as much like that era of Bee Gees yet come up with a tune that’s arguably better than what the brothers Gibb were turning out. The Leslie-fied guitar work is tasty, too.

Backward guitar, crystalline acoustic and lovely vocal harmonies – and more Bee Gees-sounding textures — figure into “Now’s the Time.” As best as I can guess, Master’s failure to find an audience must have had to do with its slightly out-of-time feel; perhaps it’s not what fans expected from the Tremeloes. Either way, Master is arguably one of the era’s Great Lost Albums. Subtle bits of Mellotron (borrowed from Decca labelmates the Moodies?) figure into the arrangement as well.

“Try Me” is built upon a rock-solid guitar riff; it rocks hard, presaging the sound of Free, with bits of a Badfinger character. The double-tracked lead guitar hints at the direction that countless great ‘70s bands (Thin Lizzy, to name one) would pursue in the months and years to come.

“But Then I…” displays a pastoral character not miles away from CSN&Y crossed with The Who’s “Love Ain’t for Keeping,” leavened in the choruses with a bit of Hollies for cheery good measure. It’s lovely tune with a superb arrangement. “Before I Sleep” continues the mid-album acoustic feel. Sweetly melancholy, it doubles down yet again on that Bee Gees sound, but it’s done so well that cries of bandwagon-jumping ought to be dismissed. The brief guitar solo is nice as well.

“Boola Boola” is wholly unexpected; one suspects the Tremeloes were listening to a bit of Jimi Hendrix, some Moody Blues and a bit of Booker T & the MGs(!) at the time. The tune goes through a number of styles, a kind of prog opus writ small. Wordless vocals and a McCartney-esque bass line figure into the song as well. But it’s that distorted guitar that really sticks in the memory. A winner.

“I Swear” is more Bee Gees derivation, but some lightly-applied keening guitar licks take the song some other places. The fifties pastiche “Baby” would have been more expected as a Jeremy Spencer spotlight cut on a Fleetwood Mac album. It’s expertly done, but a weird outlier here.

“By the Way” is a plaintive acoustic ballad: done well, it starts out as a kind of Tremeloes meet “Yesterday,” before shifting gears into Brothers Gibb meet the Mellotron. Bits of country flavor makes themselves known as well. The stereo panning of the handclaps is a nice touch.

“Willow Tree” weds those sweet vocal harmonies to a Revolver-style jangle. And as an exemplar of the Tremeloes’ ambition, the song changes completely into a riffy, psychedelic number that could have sit nicely on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack. Another Nugget, really.

The album closes(!) with the single. Back-loading an album with its (ostensibly) most commercial track is an odd gambit, but hey, the whole album is superb.

The songwriting team of Alan Blakley (rhythm guitar, keys) and Len “Chip” Hawkes (bass) would be responsible for every single one of Master’s tunes. They co-produced that album with Mike Smith. The bonus tracks are a more assorted lot: various mono mixes, non-LP (and non-charting) singles and such. They’re worthwhile but don’t measure up to the brilliance of the album-proper.

The mono mix bonus tracks are all interesting, and it makes sense to include them here. But the two bonus tracks of greatest import are at the end. “What Can I Do” is a c&w-flavored outtake that is the equal of many released Masters tracks. Arguably, the LP would have been strong had it been added in place of “Baby.” Its deeply weird instrumental break may have put some listeners off, though.

The whole set ends with “Anything.” Unreleased at the time, it too is a strong tune with steely acoustic guitar, great harmonies and an initial campfire feel that unfolds into a rocking freakout.

Peter Checksfield’s liner notes are solid, just what one would expect from the author of The Trememloes: Even the Bad Times are Good! If you’re open to overlooked music from years gone by, Master is an essential purchase.

* I’d be historically remiss if I didn’t mention an amusing bit of trivia that many will know but some may have forgotten: When Decca Records famously turned down The Beatles after their 1962 audition (counter-presciently opining that “groups with guitars are on the way out”), the label instead signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes to their roster. Alas, alas.