FOX - MY OLD MAN'S AWAY

''YOU HAD TO SEE A CLIENT OUTSIDE OF TOWN
ABOUT TO CLINCH A DEAL OR THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID
THE LINES YOU WOVE I NEVER NEEDED A DOUBT
BUT WORD GOT BACK ABOUT THAT LITTLE REDHEAD

MY OLD MAN'S AWAY
NOW'S OUR CHANCE TO PLAY
IT'S LOVELY WEATHER
LET'S GET TOGETHER''


FOX were a UK based group put together by the American Songwriter/producer KENNY YOUNG.Young had been active in the music industry for a number of years and his most notable achievement had been co-writing ''UNDER THE BOARDWALK'' for the DRIFTERS {Future Garry Glitter collaborator Mike Leander was responsible for the arrangement}.The band had a number of hits in the UK and were fronted by the charismatic vocalist NOOSHA FOX who possessed a distinctive and alluring voice and an elegant retro dress sense inspired by Marlene Dietrich

Their time in the limelight was brief and the bands last notable hit was ''S-S-S-SINGLE BED'' which was a top 5 hit in mid 1976.In the following year they released their third {and final} LP BLUE HOTEL

On their previous LP {TAILS OF ILLUSION} they made the mistake of relegating Noosha to a minor role and she had only provided lead vocals on some of the tracks.BLUE HOTEL {which included the previous hit ''S-S-S-SINGLE BED''} should have given them fresh impetus as it contained some great songs and marked a genuine return to form.Despite the quality of the record,it failed to produce any additional hits as the next single pulled from it ''MY OLD MAN'S AWAY'' failed to sell in substantial quantities.The songs lack of success is surprising as it was one of their best,containing a catchy guitar riff,strong melody,a contemporary sounding disco tinged rhythm and great lyrics {in the mold of ''ME AND MRS JONES'' by BILLY PAUL} which are perfectly complimented by Noosha's sultry trademark tone

SCORCHED EARTH - ON THE RUN

''The Freedom Path Is Never Straight
It's Crooked And It's Full Of Hate
But Brother Hold On,You Gotta Hold On
Crosses Burning Up The Night
A Hooded Face Against The Light
But Brother Hold On,You Gotta Hold On''


SCORCHED EARTH were a band put together by songwriter/producer BEN FINDON as a vehicle for the Trinidadian born singer BILLY OCEAN.Their sole release was a 45 for the YOUNG BLOOD label in 1974.The record reveals the band as a first rate FUNK-ROCK outfit with POP sensibilities.The top side ''ON THE RUN'' is based around a medium paced drum and bass dance groove that builds with a melodic string arrangement and vocal hook.The songs lyrics refer to civil rights/race issues in a similar way to those of ''BROTHER LOUIE'' by HOT CHOCOLATE {another band that fused ROCK and SOUL influences}.The B-Side ''CAN YOU FEEL IT'' is a harder edged FUNK number that brings to mind SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE.





The following year Ben took Billy to the GTO record label where he achieved solo success with ''LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU'' and ''RED LIGHT SPELLS DANGER'' in in 1976 and 1977 respectively

DALSTON DIAMONDS - KAMIKAZI KRAZY

''COME ON BABY DO THE JUKE BOX JIVE
JUST LIKE THEY DID IN 1955''

If you strip away the pomp and excess of 70's GLAM ROCK the basic chassis of the vehicle is often revealed to be 1950's ROCK 'N' ROLL.Take the guitar riff MARC BOLAN utilised for ''RIDE A WHITE SWAN''.It wouldn't sound out of place on an EDDIE CHOCRAN 45 and once that record kicked things off in 1970 acts like ALVIN STARDUST and MUD followed on with music that made the connection even more explicit.As the ears of 70's POP KIDS became more attuned to this influence full on revivalism also had a place in the pop charts.SHOWADDYWADDY hit big in 74' after winning the TV Talent Show NEW FACES.The groups early singles were in tune with glam,but they wore TEDDY BOY drapes and their act drew heavily on the 50's songbook.Revival bands such as THE WILD ANGELS,THE HOUSESHAKERS and CRAZY CAVAN were also packing them in on the live circuit.Then in 1975 a group called THE DALSTON DIAMONDS pitched up:


,
''KAMIKAZI KRAZY'' wasn't a big hit,but second hand copies are easy to come by,so it must have shifted a few copies back in the day.It's inclusion on the compliation LP ''DISCO EXPLOSION VOL.2'' {PICWICK RECORDS} a year later indicates that it also picked up some interest in the clubs.The record is a wonderful example of 'GLAMABILLY' that sits between the rock 'n' rollers from outer space and the revivalists.How could this perfect synthesis of ''TIGER FEET'' by MUD and ''AT THE HOP'' by DANNY AND THE JUNIORS fail to get you moving?The mix was Explosive and perfect for the 70's dancefloor,hence the DISCOTHEQUE SPECIAL logo on the records French picture sleeve

Despite the GLAM stylings,there is evidence that DALSTON DIAMONDS were actually part of the ROCK RVIVAL scene at the time.The records instrumental B-SIDE ''KAMIKAZI BOOGIE'' featured a wild JERRY LEE LEWIS style BOOGIE WOOGIE piano solo and was spun in 'rocking' dances.The bands follow up 45 ''TEDDY BOYS {ARE BACK IN THE NEWS}'' also points towards this connection.If anyone has further info on the band,please get in touch!