The Early Radio London Fab Forties

Sunday 23rd May 1965
Compare this week's Big L Fab Forty with the KLIF Forty Star Survey from the same week (See bottom of page).
You'll find they have very little in common.

Françoise Hardy, leaping from #34 to #15

(I met a guy once, who told me I reminded him of his favourite female singer, a lady he referred to as 'Frankus Ardy'. Sadly, the resemblance between me and the glamorous Ms Hardy did not go beyond my having long, dark hair - Mary)

Last
This
 
Week
Week
10
1
Long Live Love Sandie Shaw
9
2
Poor Man's Son Rockin' Berries
15
3
The Clapping Song Shirley Ellis
8
4
This Little Bird Marianne Faithfull
2
5
Where Are You Now (My Love) Jackie Trent
12
6
(You've) Never Been In Love Like This Before Unit 4 + 2
23
7
All Over The World Francoise Hardy
1
8
Wonderful World Herman's Hermits
31
9
I've Been Wrong Before Cilla Black
3
10
Oh No Not My Baby Manfred Mann
4
11
Subterranean Homesick Blues Bob Dylan
20
12
That's Why I'm Crying Ivy League
24
13
The Price Of Love Everly Brothers
27
14
Trains And Boats And Planes Billy J Kramer & the Dakotas
14
Trains And Boats And Planes Burt Bacharach, his Orchestra & Chorus
22
15
Marie Bachelors
36
16
Iko Iko Dixie Cups
5
17
Come On Over To My Place Drifters
33
18
I Want That Boy Chantelles
35
19
In The Deep Of Night Dodie West
6
20
Not Until The Next Time Jim Reeves
21
Crying In The Chapel Elvis Presley
7
22
Bring It On Home To Me Animals
23
Incense Anglos
29
24
Mr Pitiful Otis Redding
11
25
Comin' On To Cry / That's The Way It Goes Mojos
13
26
Once Upon A Time Tom Jones
27
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere Who
28
28
Come Home Dave Clark Five
34
29
It Ain't Me Babe Johnny Cash
26
30
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right Heinz & the Wild Boys
31
Set Me Free Kinks
38
32
Be My Guest Niteshades
33
Yeah, I'm Waiting Force Five
40
34
When The Morning Sun Dries The Dew Quiet Five
35
Georgie Porgie Jewel Akens
36
I'm Alive Hollies
18
37
King Of The Road Roger Miller
14
38
A World Of Our Own Seekers
39
My Child Connie Francis
40
The Tables Are Turning Senators

23
Incense Anglos Fontana TF 561/BRIT WI 004/Fontana TF 589

There has long been controversy over this brilliant and highly-collectable single, with the identity of the Anglos' vocalist often incorrectly alleged to have been Steve Winwood. It's understandable, as the soulful voice could easily be mistaken for Steve's, but he has for years been denying any connection with the single.

Some of the confusion undoubtedly arose because Winwood is known to have performed under the pseudonyms 'Steve Anglo' and 'Steve D'Angelo'. However, he has stated via his official website that he had no involvement with the Incense session. Despite this insistence on Steve's part, even the compilation compilers at Fontana were confused and the single appears as a bonus track on the CD The Spencer Davis Group Singles!

Brian Long reports in his book The London Sound, that Tony Windsor received letters of complaint from listeners. Having heard Incense on Big L, they were not finding the record 'available at their local store' (to paraphrase a TW catchphrase). The Anglos' single was initially issued on an early Chris Blackwell label Brit – BRIT WI 004. After struggles with distribution, Brit sold the rights to Fontana (see the Daily Mail feature below) although the Record Collector Price Guide lists the single as having two matrix numbers, Fontana TF 561 (unreleased) and Fontana TF 589.

By the time Incense was voted a Hit on BBC TV's Juke Box Jury on 26 June, by a panel consisting of DJ Sam Costa, actress Miriam Karlin and singers Sylvie Vartan and Bobby Vinton, it had been in the Fab Forty for six weeks, receiving regular airplay.

Whether or not being with Fontana resulted in improved distribution, is debatable. The Spencer Davis Group''s single Strong Love was released on the same label around this time and a month later, prompted TW to air further listener complaints about the unavailability of both singles! However, the transfer to the Spencer Davis Group's label, Fontana, presumably explains how Incense ended up erroneously on the Anglos' stablemate's singles compilation.

Charles Greville wrote a feature about the single and its distribution failure that appeared in the Daily Mail of June 28th 1965. (Thanks to Hans Knot for the scan. Click on the picture to read it.)

As to the mystery vocalist, after he aired the single during his Soul Cellar show, the late DJ Peter Young received a phone call from Jimmy Miller. Jimmy (who died in 1994) told PY that he had sung the lead on Incense.

Chris Blackwell maintains that he heard the single while in the States and was so impressed that he brought the young Jimmy Miller (b 1942 in New York) to work in the UK on the strength of it. All UK releases of the Anglos' Incense credit Miller as the song's co-writer and vocalist. Miller worked with the Spencer Davis Group and went on to produce many top bands, including the Stones. His productions include Beggars' Banquet and Let it Bleed.

Jimmy Miller was married to Gayle Shepherd, lead singer on the 1957 Top Twenty US single by the Shepherd Sisters, Alone. Their daughter, Deena, is also a singer and has her own website, where she shares family photos and biographies of her late mother and father. In 2023, Mike Barraclough of the Radio London Facebook Page came across an interesting cutting from July 9 1965, where the 'Teen Beat' column in the Pontypridd and Llantrisant Observer names the Anglos as a collection of New York session men and the singer of Incense as American 'Jimmy' Webster.

After further research, Mike found comments on the 45cat page devoted to Since You've Been Gone, a 1967 release by The Anglos, a group from Virginia. Since You've Been Gone credits vocalist Joe Webster as co-writer. The YouTube video linked to the track reveals (not surprisingly, considering the sound) that the track was a Northern Soul success and features on the CD compilation Best of Northern Soul, Vol 1.

'Incense' is to be found amongst the 25 gems on The Soul of Sue, Vol 2, although there is no obvious connection to the Sue label.

In a blog posted in 2009, DJ Lord Thomas, confirms the Anglos' line-up as lead singer Joe Webster aka Little Daddy and names the other members as Big Rob, Eugene and Baby. Shiptown Records founded in Norfolk, Virginia, was regarded as Norfolk's Motown. Lord Thomas says that the label was "one of very few black record companies in the Sixties and Seventies to be booked in white clubs and on all-white concerts."

A linked YouTube video of Since You've Been Gone attracted comments (posted circa 2020) by one of Webster's (unnamed) offspring, naming their father as Joe Louis Webster Sr. The post does not state if he was known as Jimmy.

"I don't know much about the Anglos as my father, Joe Louis Webster Sr., rarely talked about it. The group started in Norfolk, Virginia and other band members were George Wilson, Eugene Cary and Robert Taylor. My father has always lived in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia which is a district of 7 cities: Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News and Suffolk. I do know the Anglos recorded another song called 'Incense'. My father says he doesn't remember much about Jimmy Miller."

"He also sang with Ida Sands (Little Ida) as the Soul Duo. Their best record was Just A Sad Christmas (1968), with Can't Nobody Love Me (Like My Baby Do) on the B-side."

During his research, Mike Barraclough found a 2022 Discogs compilation of records released on the Shiptown label. It provides more information, but is incomplete, although it does list records by Ira Sands and the Soul Duo record mentioned above.

(Photo: Joe and Ida as Soul Duo, credit Discogs)

One of the Shiptown label's best-known singers was 'General' Norman Johnson, who achieved hits in the Seventies as the vocalist with Chairmen of the Board.

Mike also found a post from 2012 that reveals more about Shiptown. It seems that original recordings on the label would be very hard to come by, as pressings were made only in limited runs.

Incense was recorded by Owen Gray (see Fab 7th March 65) as an Island B-side in 1967, and the Anglos' version of the song was reissued on the label.

An undated press release from Vivien Holgate on behalf of Island Records is posted on the 45cat page devoted to the Anglos as a UK group. It claims that the mystery of the recording artist 'has been solved after four years'. This indicates that Island reissued the single in May 1969. Vivien Holgate credits Jimmy Miller as both co-writer of Incense and as its mystery vocalist.

Two tracks by the Anglos, Broke Down Piece of Man/ Four Walls of Gloom, were unearthed and released on limited edition vinyl in 2018 by the Spanish label Soul 4 Real. (Now posted on YouTube). Discogs lists these Anglos tracks and cross references the group with the names The Rockmasters, Linda Martell and Francois and the Anglos. Joe Webster is not mentioned.

Mike concluded: "The involvement of Jimmy Miller would seem to me to be that he heard the record and promoted it in the UK, but failed to arrange adequate distribution when it was released here."

Why Miller always maintained that he was the Anglos' vocalist and co-wrote Incense, with those claims backed up by Island Records, we may never know. It does seem clear now that the real vocalist was most likely to have been Joe Webster. However, it appears from the Discogs listing that there were several incarnations of the Anglos, so it is impossible to reach a definitive conclusion regarding the singer's identity..

Incidentally, the group's name is pronounced 'Ang-lows' and not 'Ang-gloss', as I heard a DJ (who shall remain nameless) refer to them during an RSL broadcast!

Mary Payne

(Extensive research by Mike Barraclough, Mary Payne and Chris Payne)

33
Yeah, I'm Waiting Force Five United Artists UP1089

Never ones to miss an opportunity for fun, Kenny and Cash, immediately spotted that Yeah, I'm Waiting (spelt 'Yeah' on demos and on the NME front page advert, but 'Yeh' on the singles when released) contained a couple of pauses. This was maybe to emphasise the 'waiting' aspect of the song, but these were just perfect for inserting silly sound effects. Of course the Dynamic Duo, who loved nothing better than chopping up tape, would add silly effects to everything at every opportunity. I remember thinking how clever and funny this was.

Force Fivewere from Canvey Island and their lead guitarist Bert Pulham penned Yeah, I'm Waiting and co-wrote the B-side, I Don't Want to See You Again. The other four members were Ron Gent (vcls), who co-wrote their next single I Want you Babe, Pete Gosling (gtr), Dave Osbourne,(bs) and David Skates (drms). They later evolved into the magnificently-named Crocheted Doughnut Ring.

A full-page advert on the May 14th front cover of NME failed to produce a hit.




Disc of the Week  
Looking Thru the Eyes of Love Gene Pitney

In the KLIF Dallas survey below, Gene Pitney holds the #23 slot with Last Chance to Turn Around, which in the States was issued as a single, coupled with Save Your Love. Looking Thru the Eyes of Love was the follow-up, paired with There's No Living Without Your Loving (a Fab Forty EP hit for Manfred Mann in November 65). However, in the UK Looking Thru the Eyes of Love was issued with Last Chance to Turn Around as its flip, forming a double-sided Radio London Club Disc of the Week.

Alan Field says, "The original UK Gene Pitney single (Stateside SS 420) really does use the 'cool' American spelling of the word 'through', as shown here."




KLIF survey used by kind permission of Steve Eberhart

Anyone unfamiliar with the connection between Britain's Radio London (1964-67) and KLIF in Dallas (which still exists today as a talk station), should read the Big L station profile. The following extract is from the KLIF 1190 tribute site, run by Steve Eberhart. Radio London fans are likely to spot a few similarities between the stations broadcasting respectively on 1190m in Dallas and 266m off the coast of Essex.

KLIF may not have invented the "Top 40 Survey", but certainly perfected it. Originally, a list of the songs the station played to be displayed at record stores, KLIF took it a step farther. KLIF's "Original Top 40 Survey" featured song lyrics, photos and profiles of the KLIF DJ's and newsmen, Studio shots, promotional tid-bits, and advertisements from clients heard on KLIF.

KLIF was a station that everyone listened to. To say this seems like the voice of an overzealous fan of the station, but the fact is almost everyone did in the 50's, 60's and early 70's. In the days of non-air conditioned cars, if you pulled up to a red light, chances are the same song would be playing from the radio in the car next to you. This was because everyone listened to KLIF. If you went to the pool or lake and walked among the sunbathers beside the water, each and every transistor radio would be blasting "Big KLIF"! If you asked someone at school if they heard something on the radio that morning, the answer was always "yes".

For most, the family's car radio was set to KLIF and the dial never moved. Kids loved it, teens dated by it, adults went to and from work by it.

KLIF was always a station to play above and beyond the Billboard Hot 100 national charts. Local artists were often featured on the KLIF Top 40 Surveys. There were many "local hits" made from airplay on KLIF. "Joe Stampley and the Uniques" had a number one song in the summer of 1966 with "All These Things". "Mouse and the Traps" likewise with "Public Execution". "13th Floor Elevators", "Floyd Dakil", "Kenny and the Kasuals", "Jon and Robin and the In Crowd", and even KLIF's own "Jimmy Rabbit" had a hit or two on the KLIF 40 Survey!

Other KLIF surveys (which underwent a series of name changes over the years) appear in the pages of the Fab Forties. (Click on the survey to see a legibile version.)



Aboard the Galaxy this week
On Tuesday, May 25th, Peter and Gordon visited the Galaxy accompanied by a journalist. See our full page feature.


Tune in next week for another Big L Fab 40!