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Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders - Same (1964)
Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders
never got the recognition to which they were entitled. Usually pegged
as one-hit wonders in America for "The Game of Love"; as three-hit
wonders in England for "Um Um Um Um Um," "The Game of Love"; and their
sole big hit as a trio (post-Wayne Fontana),
"A Groovy Kind of Love," they had a lot more in them than that meager
run of successes would indicate. As this album reveals, they were a
well-above-average R&B-based British band with their own way of
embracing material as different as the Barry/Greenwich-authored "She's Got the Power," Chuck Berry's "Jaguar and Thunderbird," Curtis Mayfield's
"Girl, You Don't Know Me," and familiar British Invasion single fodder
like "A Certain Girl." They even turned in a gorgeous original, "One
More Time," co-authored by Fontana and Eric Stewart. Fontana
later squandered his reputation in an abortive attempt at a solo
career, but when he was part of the quartet, he had a combination of
power, sincerity, and class that was compelling. They weren't the most
virtuoso band to come out of Manchester, either vocally or
instrumentally, but they could put over a song with enough inspiration
and spirit so that you had to enjoy what they were doing. Every so often
they came up with a flourish in the singing, like on "Too Many Tears,"
"One More Time," and "Cops and Robbers," that comes as a surprise. This
was a brilliant debut album, incorporating new songs and a few remnants
from their early singles and EPs, making up a healthy cross-section of
their sound in 1963 and 1964, which encompassed not only the sounds of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, but also the songs of Dave Bartholomew and other New Orleans influences. The only thing missing was a concurrent hit single, their cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Um Um Um Um Um."
Personnel: Wayne Fontana (vocals, tambourine) Bob Lang (bass) Rick Rothwell (drums) Eric Stewart (guitar, vocals) Tracklist: 01. She´s Got The Power (Greenwich/Powers) 2.17 02. You Don´t Know Me (Walker/Arnold) 2.15 03. Git It (Kelly) 2.47 04. Jaguar And Thunderbird (Berry) 2.04 05. Certain Girl (Neville) 2.45 06. One More Time (Stewart/Ellis) 2.09 07. Where Have You Been ? (Mann/Weil) 2.44 08. Keep Your Hands Off My Baby (Goffin(King) 2.50 09. Too Many Tears 2.09 10. Girl Can´t Help It (Troup) 2.44 11. Cops And Robbers (McDaniel) 3.20 12. I´m Gonna Be A Wheel Someday (Bartholomew/Domino/Hayes) 1.51
