45 r.p.m. Singles: ‘Key’ to the Future of Vinyl Releases? (Part 2 of 2)

Continued from Part One…

Pablo Solo – “Slow Dancing” and “It’s You, Lady” b/w “Years” and “Fruit Purée”
An indie artist based in Barcelona, Spain, multi-instrumentalist Pablo Solo released his debut album, Alondras, during the lockdown period of 2020. Inspired by the songwriting of American composer and producer John Simon (The Band, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Leonard Cohen and more), Solo recorded Simon’s “Slow Dancing.” Simon heard it and was impressed; that fortuitous event led to Solo recording this four-song EP of his songs.

With the aptly-named Solo on most of the instruments, “Slow Dancing” features a lead vocal shared with Anni B. Sweet. Solo’s arrangement is reminiscent of early pre-Badfinger group The Iveys. His one-man-band approach is inspired by the pioneering efforts of Paul McCartney, Emitt Rhodes and Todd Rundgren. And the shimmering, uncluttered arrangements of “It’s You, Lady” and “Fruit Purée” may remind listeners of early ‘70s releases from those artists. The brief yet upbeat “Tears” leans in a slightly more rocking direction, but the tune’s sweet melody keeps things in decidedly pure pop territory. Technically an EP, Solo’s 45 is the first release in Think Like a Key’s seven-inch series.

Blossom Toes – “Postcard” b/w “Everyone’s Leaving Me Now”
An underrated group from England’s late psychedelic/early progressive era, Blossom Toes released a pair of highly-regarded (if little-heard) albums in 1967 and ‘69. Produced by Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky, Blossom Toes’ two LPs were quite different from one another: the first, We Are Ever So Clean showcases an ambitious baroque pop style and more than a hint of whimsy. The band’s second album, If Only for a Moment is a much darker and heavier affair. Live, the group was even more experimental; their performance at the Festival Actuel in Amougies, Belgium was a highlight of that event, especially when the band was joined onstage by guitarist (and unofficial festival emcee) Frank Zappa.

Neither of the two tracks on the band’s Think Like a Key single were featured on their albums. “Postcard” b/w “Everyone’s Leaving Me Now” was released in the UK in 1968 as a single; today, used copies of the original change hands for upward of $30. TLAK associate “Professor Stoned” remastered the songs for this new release, housed in an attractive sleeve crafted by Piper Gates Design.

Anji Cakebread – “Dear Computer” b/w “Simple Song”
An idiosyncratic yet catchy recording from 1978, “Dear Computer” was the result of a collaboration between poet Cakebread and producer/songwriter Tony Rockcliff. Described in UK magazine Record Mirror at the time of its release as “Kraftwerk meets Lynsey De Paul,” it’s something of an electro-pop gem. Aficionados of the style may hear hints of like-minded artists Telex or the Flying Lizards. John Gilston – briefly a member of the mid-’70s lineup of the Incredible String Band – appears in the role of the titular computer.

Houdaille recalls being approached by producer Rockliff about the song. “He told me, ‘There’s this song I produced, and a lot of people seem to like it; I get emails about it all the time.’” The song and its b-side would be the only releases from Cakebread, about whom little else is known. An original 1978 pressing of the UK-only single could set current-day collectors back more than $85 (plus shipping across the Atlantic).

The Mirage – “The Wedding of Ramona Blair” b/w “Lazy Man”
Signed to CBS UK and then to Philips, this band from Hertfordshire (just north of London), The Mirage would release an album’s worth of singles – but no album-proper – during their brief few years together. The group achieved a bit of notoriety – if comparatively few record sales – with their electric sitar-heavy 1966 cover of The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows,” an appealing slice of freakbeat. But the group is best known for “The Wedding of Ramona Blair,” a bit of British pop-sike with cheery harmonies and tootling instruments. Occupying a sonic space between The Hollies and early Pink Floyd, the a-side would earn significant radio play in the UK, but not enough to qualify as a hit.

Long unavailable in any form, the tune would be compiled on a 21^st century CD release of The Mirage’s work. But the 1967 single on Philips remains extraordinarily collectible, changing hands today for more than $200. Paired with its original b-side on this reissue remastered by Professor Stoned, it’s the fourth in the Think Like a Key singles series.

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – “Devil’s Grip” b/w “Give Him a Flower”
One of rock’s wildest figures, Arthur Brown came to international prominence with his incendiary 1968 hit single, “Fire.” Leading the truth-in-labeling group The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, the formidable vocalist-composer cut a memorable figure with his onstage antics, complete with face paint and flaming helmet.

But months before the release of “Fire,” Brown and his group debutedo n record with the September 1967 single “Devil’s Grip” b/w “Give Him a Flower.” Released on The Who’s label Track Records and produced by the team of Who manager Kit Lambert and guitarist Pete Townshend, the single premiered the theatrical approach that would define the group’s sound. With keyboardist Vincent Crane’s spooky organ and Brown’s near-operatic and menacing vocal performance, “Devil’s Grip” is a chamber-of-horrors tune that presents a scarier – and much more over-the-top – rethink of the soul-jazz-influenced sound of acts like Brian Auger’s Trinity. The flip is a strange and whimsical yet nearly singalong bit of jazz rock-meets-pop.

Neither the debut single nor its b-side were included on the band’s eponymous album on its 1968 release, though they would be appended to CD-era expanded releases. Think Like a Key’s reissue is the record’s first appearance on seven-inch since 1967.

Andy Bown – “Tarot” b/w “Lulli Rides Again”
Fronted by teenage guitarist and lead singer Peter Frampton, The Herd briefly achieved fame in the UK with a trio of singles released in 1967-68. By the end of ‘68, Frampton left to form Humble Pie; keyboardist Andy Bown left soon thereafter for a two-year stint leading the little-remembered Judas Jump. During that period Bown released a solo single. Produced and co-written by the keyboardist, “Tarot” was the theme song to Ace of Wands, a science fiction/fantasy television program aimed at a young audience. The popular series ran for three seasons on Great Britain’s ITV network; today the first two seasons are lost.

But the supremely catchy, proto-progressive and mildly psychedelic theme song by Bown has endured. With a sound that was a few years ahead of its time, the song should have launched Bown’s commercial fortunes. Remarkably, neither “Tarot” nor either of his subsequent singles dented the charts. By 1973 Bown began playing on sessions for stalwart rockers Status Quo, joining as a full member in 1982 and remaining with the group to this day.

Houdaille says that the Andy Bown single ended up on Think Like a Key thanks to his graphic designer. “I signed Piper Gates up to develop a cohesive look for the [sleeves for the] series,” he recalls. “And in the middle of the project he said, ‘What about this song?’ I checked it out and immediately fell in love with it.”

Two more titles – singles from Garbo’s Celluloid Heroes (‘70s garage/glam/punk) and The Syn (late ‘60s group featuring future Yes founding members Peter Banks and Chris Squire) – were due around early April, with more releases to follow. “Right now, I’m hoping to do a good 12 by the end of the year,” says Roger Houdaille. “And then we’ll see how the series is doing. If people are into it, we’ll keep it going for next year.”

The above-mentioned singles and other titles are available at thinklikeakey.com