"Let The Days Go By/Sunny Side Of The Street" by BRYN HAWORTH - October 1974 UK Debut Solo Album and May 1975 Follow-Up LP Both on Island Records (June 2004 UK Gott Discs CD Compilation - 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…And It Picks Me Up…Turns Me On…Puts Me On My Feet Again…"

Hailing from Blackburn in Lancashire, Bryn Haworth first came to notice on a series of amazing 7" singles by SHARON TANDY and beat darlings FLEUR-DE-LYS on Immediate, Polydor and Atlantic Records. These mid to late Sixties UK 45's now command huge money on the collector's market. Miscredited as ‘Bryn Hayward’, Haworth then played electric and acoustic guitars on “Get Yourself Together” on Andrew Leigh’s 1970 Polydor solo album “Magician” (ex Spooky Tooth, Matthews Southern Comfort). He also turned up on two Jackie Lomax albums - "Home Is Where My Head Is" from 1971 and "Three" from 1972 - both were on Warner Brothers and have been reissued by Rhino (with extra tracks) where he plays on almost every cut. He then took his songs to A&R man Richard Williams who signed him to Island Records in 1973. Which is where this CD comes in...

UK released June 2004 - "Let The Days Go By/Sunny Side Of The Street" by BRYN HAWORTH on Gott Discs GOTTCD003 (Barcode 881881000323) offers his first two albums on Island Records from 1974 and 1975 Remastered onto 1CD and breaks down as follows (78:46 minutes):

1. Grappenhall Rag

2. All I Want

3. I Won’t Lie (This Time)

4. Ee I Love You Lass

5. Miss Swiss

6. Let The Days Go By

7. Get Yourself A Man [Side 2]

8. Time Has Come

9. Whims And Ways

10. All I Need Is A Home

11. Anywhere You Want To Be

Tracks 1 to 11 are his debut album "Let The Days Go By" released October 1974 in the UK on Island ILPS 9287

12. Good Job

13. Pick Me Up

14. Darlin’ Cory

15. Dance

16. Peace Of Mind

17. Give All You Got To Give [Side 2]

18. Heaven Knows

19. Sunny Side Of The Street

20. Used

21. Thank The Lord

Tracks 12 to 21 are his 2nd and last album for the label released May 1975 on Island ILPS 9332. Both albums were first released on CD in Japan by Vivid Sound in 2003 in 5" card repro sleeves, but they're hard to find now and expensive. This 2004 issue is the first official UK CD release of these rare LPs. 

Both albums featured musicians from great British bands of the time - "Let The Days Go By" had Pete Wingfield (formerly of Jellybread) on Keyboards, Gordon Haskell (of Fleur-De-Lys and King Crimson) on Bass, John Porter (of Roxy Music) also on Bass, Terry Stannard, Alan Spanner and Mel Collins from Kokomo (ex Arrival and The Grease Band) on Drums, Bass and Saxophone - while John Rabbit Bundrick played Hammond Organ on "I Won't Lie (This Time)". The second album featured Dave Mattacks, Dave Pegg and Dave Swarbrick from Fairport Convention and again members of Arrival. Haworth played the mandolin and all electric and acoustic Guitars in his unique melodic sliding style.

Packaging - each record initially came with inner sleeves, but neither is reproduced in the 16-page booklet - however, the booklet more than makes up for it. You get the lyrics and full musician credits for the two albums, a 4-page history by Mark Chatterton and even a picture of his band on tour in 1974. The colour photo on the back of the booklet is the rear sleeve of "Let The Days Go By" and beneath the see-through CD tray there's even a glowing NME review of his debut album.  It's very tastefully done. The outer card wrap tells us it's digitally remastered but doesn't advise by who or where (licensed from Universal music). The sound quality is excellent, certainly clearer than the vinyl counterparts I've worn out after years of use.

Musically - his debut is far removed from that Sixties psych and beat sound - it's more CSNY with religious lyrics. It's all plucked acoustic guitars, mandolins, a gorgeous instrument called a Harpoleck and superb slide electric guitar. Haworth made the Harpoleck something of a feature on his albums; it looked like a Harp in your lap - or the inside of a small piano - and when you drew the plectrum across its taught strings, it gave a sort of elevated 12-string guitar sound - beautiful. The second album rocked out a bit more with very catchy tunes like "Picks Me Up" (lyrics above) - even showing a bit of menace on "Used".

If you wanted a lay-of-the-land, "Darlin' Cory" appeared on 2009's "Meet On The Ledge" 3CD box set featuring Island's Folk and Folk/Rock acts - it's a Denis Blackham remaster and is available on iTunes as a purchase or a listen.

There's a certain peaceful and positive quality about these albums that I've always loved. "Heaven Knows" is as sweet as Seventies singer-songwriter gets. Great stuff. Recommended.

PS:

Further places to look for his work:

Haworth played guitar on Badger's "White Lady" (Epic EPC 80009) and John Cale's "Fear" (Island ILPS 9301) both from 1974. He put in lovely Mandolin work on "Somebody Who Loves You" and menacing slide guitar on "Like Fire" on "Joan Armatrading" - her extraordinary "Love & Affection" album from 1976. He plays guitar on Andy Fairweather-Lowe's 1976 album "Be Bop & Holla" (AMLH 64602). Haworth then signed to A&M Records and released probably his most accomplished album - the varied and beautiful "Grand Arrival" (1978 on AMLH 68462). Around this time, he even secured an end of program slot on Bob Harris's "Old Grey Whistle Test" in the UK where he and his band did a blistering version of "Beans On Toast" from "Grand Arrival". "Grand Arrival" was in turn followed by "Keep The Ball Rolling" (1979 on AMLH 68507) which featured Cliff Richard on 2 tracks and Pete Wingfield again on Keyboards. He later played on Ian Matthews "Stealin' Home" album and several of the Gerry Rafferty Eighties albums. He did work for Chris De Burgh, Cliff Richard, Amazing Blondel and even Dana Gillespie. There after it was full-on Christian Music LPs on the Chapel End and Word labels (UK only releases) and other CDs right up to the 2010 where he's released 2 new albums and still commands a dedicated and loyal audience.

PPS: Would someone please reissue “Smith Perkins Smith” – it was on Island Records in 1972 – they sounded like the UK’s answer to CSNY. Only made one album but it was a sweetie… 

"Eighteen With A Bullet - The Island Recordings" by PETE WINGFIELD. A Review of the 2008 Cherry Red Records CD Retrospective by Mark Barry...

"...A Whole Pot Of Jelly For A Little Slice Of Toast..."

Having cut his musical teeth as Lead Vocalist and Keyboard Player in the British Blues Band JELLYBREAD (they did two albums for the Blue Horizon label) - PETE WINGFIELD then went into touring (Van Morrison and The Hollies) and session work. He contributed to B.B KING'S "In London" in 1971, KEEF HARTLEY'S "Seventy-Second Brave" in 1972 and one of my favourite LPs of the Seventies "Let The Days Go By" by BRYN HAWORTH in 1974 (see separate review). He then finally realized a lifetime dream by signing to Island Records (there's a Sue single on the left side of the album sleeve as a homage). Which brings us to this dinky little CD. 

Released September 2008 – “Eighteen With A Bullet: The Island Recordings” on Cherry Red CDMRED 369 (Barcode 5013929136922) centres round his only album and hit single for that world-famous and much loved label. Here’s the eggs-over-easy details (79:15 minutes):

1. Eighteen With A Bullet

2. A Whole Pot Of Jelly

3. Hold Me Closer

4. Shadow Of A Doubt

5. Anytime

6. Please

7. Lovin’ As You Wanna Be

8. Kangaroo Dip

9. Number One Priority

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Breakfast Special" (minus its last track "Shining Eyes") issued September 1975 on Island ILPS 9333 in the UK

10. Bubbling Under

11. Giving It Up For Love

12. Scratchy 45s

13. I Wanna try

14. Making A Good Thing Better 

15. We Fit Together 

16. Same Old Thing Goin’ On 

17. That’s How The Chances Go Round

18. Eyes In The Back Of My Head 

Tracks 10 to 18 are the previously unreleased never issued follow-up album "Love Bumps & Dizzy Spells" in its entirety (no ILPS catalogue number allocated)

The band consisted of:

PETE WINGFIELD on Keyboards and Vocals 

JOE "JAMMER" WRIGHT on Guitars

DeLISLE HARPER on Bass and GLEN LE FLEUR on Drums and Percussion

(The above were THE OLYMPIC RUNNERS minus MIKE VERNON) 

The Guests included: 

CHRIS MERCER of THE KEEF HARTLEY BAND played Horns and Brass on "Kangaroo Dip", "Same Old Thing Goin' On" and "Scratchy 45s". 

NEIL HUBBARD of KOKOMO played Guitar on "Eighteen With A Bullet" and "Hold Me Closer"

ANN O'DELL of the Progressive Outfit CHOPYN did String Arrangements on the lovely "Lovin' As You Wanna Be" and other songs as well

The16-page booklet has witty, informative and self-deprecating liner notes by Wingfield himself (a level-headed assessment of the highs and lows). There's session player photos, 7" singles pictured, sheet music, album artwork, press adverts from 1975 - all of it really well done. 

Superbly recorded and engineered at Chipping Norton Studios in the UK by BARRY HAMMOND in the first place, the original master tapes have now been remastered by NICK ROBBINS at Sound Mastering in London - and the results are beautifully clear - every instrument warm and present - a top job done. It really is fantastic just how good these tracks sound. I had "Eighteen" on a 2CD set out of the USA in 1987 called "The Island Story" just to have the song - and the sound quality here is one-hundred times better compared to that - the Doo-wop intro as clear as a bell. 10 out of 10 for SOUND.

The material is a mixture of good and bad as you can imagine - the standout tracks given an airing on seven-inch releases. "Breakfast Special" spawned three singles - the first was the biggest and is Wingfield's signature tune to this day. "Eighteen With A Bullet" b/w "Shadow Of A Doubt" was issued on Island WIP 6231 in the UK and Island IS 026 in the USA - it went to Number 7 in the UK charts in June 1975 and climbed to 18 on the American charts in October 1975 (yes that's right - 18 with a bullet!). I remember it being hugely popular throughout the whole of that summer and was played at every dance everywhere - Derrick Harriott even did a reggae cover of it in late 1975 on Trojan 7973, which scraped the low end of the UK chart. The follow-up was the fabulously catchy "A Whole Pot Of Jelly (For A Little Slice Of Toast)" b/w "Anytime" on Island WIP 6245 in the UK and IS 065 in the USA - but it inexplicably failed to chart in either country. I've always loved this completely forgotten funky little gem and is one of the reasons why I wanted this CD - the remaster of it is fantastic. The USA tried one more time for a follow-up hit with "Lovin' As I Want To Be" b/w "Please" on Island IS 051, but again it failed to chart. 

Which brings us to the unreleased album, which Island claimed wasn't 'produced' enough to release. Despite their reservations about the sound, they placed two of its songs - "Making A Good Thing Better" with OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN and "Eyes In The Back Of My Head" with PATTI LABELLE - sizable hits for both of them. The USA even issued a very popular tune with New Orleans audiences called "Scratchy 45s" on Island IS 065 in 1976, which sounds like - and name-checks Dr. John - a very cool little tune. In truth though, his falsetto vocals (similar to Alan Gorrie of the Average White Band) could wear after a while - and were focused on too much. And worse - the songs all had that 1976 clutter about them that seemed to dominate so much music of that year. Still, it's nice to hear them after all these decades - good and bad - and all of it sounding polished up and spiffing.

Wingfield's been a busy boy ever since - contributing to Stephen Bishop, Chris Farlowe, Roy Harper, The Lighthouse Family, Nine Below Zero, Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues, Colin Blunstone of The Zombies, Chris Rea, Richard & Linda Thompson, The Beautiful South, Mica Paris, Lonnie Donegan, John Miles, Phil Everly, Lindisfarne, Billy Fury, Buddy Guy and even Paul McCartney (he's on the "Run Devil Run" album in 1999). His production credits are equally impressive too - from Dexy's Midnight Runners to The James Taylor Quartet. 

Hopefully this carefully put together and superb sounding release will bring his tunes to the attention of a wider audience. Some of it has dated for sure, but there's also a lot on here that's 'so' good. A rather cool little reissue really.

Pete Wingfield is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I