Comments on: THE RUBETTES - “Sugar Baby Love”

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:28:27 +0000

When Britain’s original shock-jock Brian Hayes was the Radio 2 breakfast show dj he’d play Sugar Baby Love frequently and say that - even though friends and colleagues always thought he was winding them up - it was one of his favourite records and he couldn’t find any fault in it.

Me neither. A friend who now manages the Chemical Brothers once confided that Mouldy Old Dough had a ‘holy shiver’ moment for him which would make him well up involuntarily. I once had to cover my face listening to Sugar Baby Love on a train from London to Cambridge for similar reasons - the EXACT point being on Paul Da Vinci’s high note after the pleading “love her anyway” part.

This was introduced on TOTP after MFSB’s TSOP with the words “from the sound of Philadelphia to the sound of London”. Which, for some years afterwards, I assumed Sugar Baby Love was. Why wouldn’t I believe DLT?

All things considered (yes, even the white berets), a 10.

By: tim davidge

tim davidge — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:59:14 +0000

That explains the ‘M.Williams’ author/composer credit on my Mercury 78 of ‘Little Darlin” Talking of things falling into place, this (the Diamonds’ Little Darlin’) must have been issued on a 45 but my copy is an ‘unbreakable’ 78, made of a similar material to the then relatively new 45rpm discs. Apparently, this idea was once presented to the assembled ladies and gentlemen of the Press and, by way of demonstration, a record was dropped on the ground. Dear readers, I think I need not continue…

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:38:35 +0000

Which was a cover of the original by the Gladiolas, who later became Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs.

By: tim davidge

tim davidge — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:19:45 +0000

It always struck me that the true antecedent to this record (even down to the name of the group) was “Little Darlin’”, a half-spoof by a Canadian outfit called the Diamonds. The release date? 1957.

By: stewart

stewart — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 09:10:59 +0000

i still love the song ’sugar baby love’

like many i have got it on a few CD’s and an MPG file.

however, i do remember the origional Top of the Pops clip had the lead singet (Alan Williams ? ) jump up and lay across the arms of other members of the group in one shot.

anyone else remember that one?

By: Billy Smart

Billy Smart — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 14:45:43 +0000

If Crag has a turntable, Your Baby is featured on the 1974 K-Tel compilation ‘Music Explosion’, which can frequently and inexpensively be found in charity shops or at Music & Video Exchange.

By: crag

crag — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 01:24:28 +0000

thanks for that- much appreciated

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:58:33 +0000

Footsee periodically turns up on sundry Northern Soul compilations, e.g. Wigan Casino Soul Club: 30 Years Of Northern Soul Memories which is still available.

Your Baby… is a trickier one to pin down; I have it on one of those no-frills 8CD Various Artists sets from Holland’s indispensable Disky label (More Greatest Hits Of The ’70s) which is available but pricey unless it’s sale time.

By: crag

crag — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:16:56 +0000

have just got a hold of Sugar Baby Love and i’d give it a 6. The spoken word bit reminds me more Viv Stanshalls recitation on the Bonzo’s Canyons of the Mind. Check out the clip on youtube featuring the drummer performing the narration complete w/ flashing bowtie!

Enjoyable enough as SBL was though what i REALLY want to hear is the very interesting -sounding Footsee and Your Baby Ain’t Your Baby Anymore which of course i cant find anywhere
Damn you Popular- dangling these enticing musical sweetmeats under my nose when i have seemingly no way of locating them!
Can anybody offer any tips?

By: Mark G

Mark G — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:54:30 +0000

Hurd’s group includes Paul Prewer, a session musician who sang the original version of Sugar Baby Love.

As opposed to the opposing Alan Williams’ Rubettes.

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:30:44 +0000

Bushey, if we’re talking Wham! rather than Hinge and Brackett.

By: Waldo

Waldo — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:18:55 +0000

Didn’t George and Andrew come from rural Hertfordshire? Not that I care particularly.

By: Rosie

Rosie — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 11:06:24 +0000

Alan Williams, perhaps the only chart topper ever to come from Welwyn Garden City!

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:02:35 +0000

Evidently!

Yes it was Alan Williams on TOTP, but he mimed da Vinci’s vocal, about which da Vinci was very brassed off.

“Summer Breeze” didn’t do too badly here (#16) though its chances were probably hindered by another of Pan’s People’s “literal” dance routines.

By: Caledonianne

Caledonianne — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:25:02 +0000

Gosh. Think I’m on my lonesome on this one. I loathed and detested it in 1974, and a quick listen courtesy of Youtube confirms that I haven’t changed my mind.

It makes my teeth hurt! Hated the song, hated the production, hated the white suits (and the stupid hats even more).

In fact I think I may - gulp - hate this more than anything we’ve had so far (with the possible exception of ‘Grandad’).

My dislike of this is visceral!

By: Snif

Snif — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:13:50 +0000

Another boffo tune that had me ostracised by America and Supertramp-loving friends. Philistines. And to these tiny ears “Your Baby…” was even better. And as for “This Town…” the entire Kimono My House album is a goldmine of poptasticness.

By: intothefireuk

intothefireuk — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:20:12 +0000

Now if you are going to have a blue print for ‘pop’……….this would be pretty damn close. Hard to dislike and near impossible to forget. Excellent production and great soaring vocals - I attempted it as well - unsuccessfully. Am I right in thinking Da Vinci never appeared on TOTP it was Alan Williams ? And live did he reproduce the falsetto ? Anyway they also followed up with some great singles ‘Juke Box Jive’ & ‘I Can Do It’ although I don’t recall ‘Under One Roof’ at all (maybe if I heard it I would - the link please Tom ?).

The only problem with it is that it competed with (and beat) ‘This Town…’ which was a crying shame as it was so freaky and wildly wonderful and their TV performances were so out there (although I actually prefer the less quirky more melodic ‘Amateur Hour’).

Great slew of singles in the chart at this time as well, some already mentioned in other posts (’There’s A Ghost…’ ‘Beach Baby’ ‘Judy Teen’ etc. the summer of ‘74 was one of my favourite times for pop. It’s difficult to imagine, for instance, why the sublime ‘Summer Breeze’ wasn’t a huge hit for the Isleys.

By: fivelongdays

fivelongdays — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:07:09 +0000

Regardless of the original track (I’d give it a 6/7 borderline), I have to thank Tom for the tip off about “The Rubettes” by The Auteurs.

Bloody hell, it’s a corking song. Damn you!

By: byebyepride

byebyepride — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:55:14 +0000

10 out of 10 for me — I love this one, having picked it up for 10p, as Tom describes above, and being blown away. Don’t think I had any idea when it was released, although I could have looked at the small print I suppose! Somehow it doesn’t seem to matter - one of the few records I would say have a ‘timeless’ quality, if we understand that that really means ’sounds like how I imagine the the music from before I remember to sound like’. Of course from what you all say this is a precisely calculated effect, but hey, good on them.

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:14:01 +0000

Neither could Paul, by the sound of it…co-written by Eddie Seago, who later co-wrote the flop musical Matador. “To be a matador, you have to understand/A bull must fight to kill a man” wins this week’s No Shit, Sherlock lyric award.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:18:26 +0000

I have only fragmented memories of “Your Baby Ain’t Your Baby Anymore”, but I seem to recall that not even my oxyacetalene soprano could reach the top notes. Top C, was it? Or higher still? (I suspect the latter.)

By: Mark G

Mark G — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:15:51 +0000

Naturally I remember “Your baby aint”, notable purely for the “here goes, listen everyone where’ve you heard this noise before” note (as described already… It’s Tina Charles and “I’m on fire” all over again!

By: Mark G

Mark G — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:14:06 +0000

Here I play catch-up again on the starboard bow, jim. I also love that “Footsie”, i believe it’s based on an american football anthem played twice-over (with the tick tick klaxonybit in the middle…)

I’m on my way was a separate single on UK/USA records (I have one)

By: mike

mike — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:07:44 +0000

Now, that’s the sort of thing that really makes me nostalgic: out-of-nowhere grassroots hits, that completely wrong-footed the Radio One jocks. At times, if you listened closely, you could even detect a certain wary uncertainty in the voice of whoever was reading out the chart countdown. (And you try telling that to the kids of today! They wouldn’t believe you!)

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:52:49 +0000

“Easy Easy” was number one for most of 1974 in the Scottish charts, but nationally only made #20 (conversely, you have to wonder how “Back Home” got to number one and stayed on the list for six months if nobody was buying it north of Carlisle). Similarly “Flower Of Scotland” by the Corries was released as a single that year and sold bucketloads in Scotland but did not chart nationally.

By 1987 Gallup were running things so no doubt that did make a difference in several crucial quarters.

The ‘74 borderline case, however, was “There’s A Ghost In My House” by R Dean Taylor which was actually investigated by the BMRB after it went in at #33 with no radio airplay and no publicity. But since it was also selling in the Midlands, East Anglia and Yorkshire as well as the North West (and Scotland), the BMRB let it stand after they were told that it was Big In The Clubs and a genuine grass roots hit. The funniest thing was Radio 1’s belated ambulance chasing; Noel Edmonds had it as his Record of the Week on his breakfast show when it had already gone Top 20.