Autumn - "My Little Girl"

My Little Girl b/w Sun, Sunshine (Pye 1971 - UK issue)

Nice cover of this Harmony Grass tune, though a bit of a softer approach than the original. Is it me, or does the tempo slow down a bit during the bridge? The flip "Sun, Sunshine" is, not surprisingly, sunshine pop.

Bio and discography borrowed from "Tapestry of Delights," by Vernon Joynson:

DAVE CHARLWOOD drms A
JOHN COURT gtr A
PETER CRAMER bs, vcls A
KEITH PARSONS gtr A
RON SHAUGHNESSY gtr, vcls A

45s:
1 My Little Girl/Sun, Sunshine (Pye 7N 45090) 1970 37
2 Not The Way She Looks/Stood Up (Pye 7N 45144) 1970 -
3 Down, Down, Down/October (Pye 7N 45249) 1973 -

A semi-professional five-piece, from Brighton, who formed in late 1968. They scored a contract with Pye in 1970 and had a minor hit with the Tony Rivers composition My Little Girl.

Compilation appearances have included: My Little Girl on Ripples, Vol. 1 (CD); Sun Sunshine on Ripples, Vol. 2 (CD); An acetate track Shy Fly, which has resurfaced on Mynd The Gap (LP) also may be by this act.

Napoleon Jones - "Lazy Love"

Lazy Love b/w I'm Ready (Robin Song 1974 - French issue)

Napoleon Jones was David Christie, real name Jacques Pepino of Lyon, France. If that weren't convoluted enough, he also used the name "James Bolden," under which he wrote disco funk tunes for the likes of Grace Jones and Gloria Gaynor. He committed suicide in 1997.

"Lazy Love" is DRENCHED in reverb, which results in the muddy sound in the beginning. I feel the mix is a bit sloppy but, overall, it's a nice little pop song.

The B-side is pretty funky, more tastefully so than his later stuff under the David Christie name. It's kinda catchy, if you're into bongos, electric piano, and that early 70's Curtis Mayfield-style guitar.

He released at least 3 singles and an album as Napoleon Jones. Has anyone heard the others?

Writing On The Wall - "Man of Renown"

Writing On The Wall - Man of Renown b/w Buffalo (1973 Pye - UK Issue)

Scottish four-piece psych/prog band, formed in Edinburgh, then moved to London, in search of fame and fortune.

Their final single, it's a semi-autobiographical story about trying to make it in the big city. After this record didn't hit, and the band's gear got ripped-off, they called it a day.

B-side is an edited version of "Buffalo," probably their best-known song. I'm sure it was placed on the flip to help sales out. What happened though, DJs ended up playing the already-known B-side, sending "Man of Renown" into obscurity. The downer-psych/prog of side B is much more representative of the rest of their recorded output.

You can hear a solid live version of the A-side, as well as multiple versions of "Buffalo" on the RPM/Ork Reissue of their first LP, Power of the Picts. This version of "Man of Renown" was comped on TREMORS, which I'd highly recommend purchasing.