Blossom Toes
Encyclopedia
Blossom Toes were an English psychedelic
pop band active between 1967 and 1969. Initially known as The Ingoes, they were renamed and signed to manager Giorgio Gomelsky
's Marmalade label. The original line-up comprised Brian Godding
(born 19 August 1945, Wales
) (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Jim Cregan
(born James Cregan, 9 March 1946, Yeovil
, Somerset
) (guitar, vocals), Brian Belshaw (born 25 February 1944, Wigan
, Lancashire
) (bass, vocals), and Kevin Westlake (born Kevin Patrick Westlake, 5 March 1947, Dublin, Co Dublin, Ireland
— 30 September 2004) (drums).
The band's debut album, We Are Ever So Clean
is a classic example of quintessentially English psychedelia. On release, it was presented in the UK music magazine Melody Maker
as "Giorgio Gomelsky's Lonely Hearts Club Band
". Although not a major commercial success, tracks such as "What On Earth" or "Look At Me, I'm You" have helped give the album something of a cult period status as it is unearthed by successive generations of 1960s retro fans. It was included in Record Collector
s list of the "100 Greatest Psychedelic Records".
If Only For A Moment
saw the band taking a noticeably heavier and rockier direction, with Cregan and Godding's distinctive two-part guitar harmonies playing a prominent role. At this pint Westlake left, and was replaced by John "Poli" Palmer, and then Barry Reeves.
The band quit in 1970. Belshaw and Godding rejoined Westlake in B.B. Blunder, Cregan formed Stud
with Jim Wilson and Charlie McCracken, before joining Family
, as did Palmer.
The Blossom Toes contributed music to La Collectionneuse
(1967), a film by French director Éric Rohmer
and also appeared in "Popdown" (1967) by Fred Marshall.
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
pop band active between 1967 and 1969. Initially known as The Ingoes, they were renamed and signed to manager Giorgio Gomelsky
Giorgio Gomelsky
Giorgio Gomelsky is a filmmaker, impresario, music manager, songwriter and record producer. He owned the Crawdaddy Club where The Rolling Stones were house band, and he was involved with their early management. He hired The Yardbirds as a replacement and managed them. He was also their...
's Marmalade label. The original line-up comprised Brian Godding
Brian Godding
Brian Godding is a pop, rock and jazz guitarist. He was brought up, and has mostly lived, in London.He has been a member of many rock, jazz and progressive rock bands, such as The Gravediggers, The Ingoes, Blossom Toes, B. B...
(born 19 August 1945, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
) (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Jim Cregan
Jim Cregan
Jim Cregan, born James Cregan, 9 March 1946, Yeovil, Somerset, England is an English rock guitarist and bassist who best known for his associations with Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Rod Stewart. Cregan is a former husband of the singer Linda Lewis and worked with her as a record producer...
(born James Cregan, 9 March 1946, Yeovil
Yeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
) (guitar, vocals), Brian Belshaw (born 25 February 1944, Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
) (bass, vocals), and Kevin Westlake (born Kevin Patrick Westlake, 5 March 1947, Dublin, Co Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
— 30 September 2004) (drums).
The band's debut album, We Are Ever So Clean
We Are Ever So Clean
We Are Ever So Clean is the first album by The Blossom Toes.It is listed in Record Collector’s "100 Greatest Psychedelic Records".Richie Unterberger: "One of the happiest, most underappreciated relics of British psychedelia"-Track listing:Side 1...
is a classic example of quintessentially English psychedelia. On release, it was presented in the UK music magazine Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
as "Giorgio Gomelsky's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
". Although not a major commercial success, tracks such as "What On Earth" or "Look At Me, I'm You" have helped give the album something of a cult period status as it is unearthed by successive generations of 1960s retro fans. It was included in Record Collector
Record Collector
Record Collector is the United Kingdom's longest-running monthly music magazine. It distributes both within the UK and worldwide. It started in 1979.-The early years:...
s list of the "100 Greatest Psychedelic Records".
If Only For A Moment
If Only for a Moment
If Only For A Moment is the second L.P. by The Blossom Toes, released in 1969.Line-up features a guest appearance on sitar from US folk musician Shawn Phillips.- Track listing :#Peace Loving Man#Kiss Of Confusion#Listen To The Silence#Love Bomb...
saw the band taking a noticeably heavier and rockier direction, with Cregan and Godding's distinctive two-part guitar harmonies playing a prominent role. At this pint Westlake left, and was replaced by John "Poli" Palmer, and then Barry Reeves.
The band quit in 1970. Belshaw and Godding rejoined Westlake in B.B. Blunder, Cregan formed Stud
Stud (band)
Stud is a British rock band from the early 1970s, that featured two members of Taste - bassist Charlie McCracken and drummer John Wilson - along with two members of Family - former bass guitarist John Weider and future bass player, Jim Cregan.Never a very...
with Jim Wilson and Charlie McCracken, before joining Family
Family (band)
Family were an English rock band that formed in late 1966 and disbanded in October 1973. Their style has been characterised as progressive rock, although their sound often explored other genres, incorporating elements of styles like as folk, psychedelia, acid, jazz fusion and rock and roll...
, as did Palmer.
The Blossom Toes contributed music to La Collectionneuse
La Collectionneuse
La Collectionneuse is a 1967 film by Éric Rohmer. It is the fourth movie in the series of the Six Moral Tales. In 2001 the Guardian critic Philip Norman included it his list of 100 top movies of the 20th century...
(1967), a film by French director Éric Rohmer
Éric Rohmer
Éric Rohmer was a French film director, film critic, journalist, novelist, screenwriter and teacher. A figure in the post-war New Wave cinema, he was a former editor of Cahiers du cinéma....
and also appeared in "Popdown" (1967) by Fred Marshall.
Albums
- We Are Ever So CleanWe Are Ever So CleanWe Are Ever So Clean is the first album by The Blossom Toes.It is listed in Record Collector’s "100 Greatest Psychedelic Records".Richie Unterberger: "One of the happiest, most underappreciated relics of British psychedelia"-Track listing:Side 1...
(Album - October 1967, Marmalade 607001 (mono) 608001 (stereo)) [re-released as Sunbeam Records CD SBRCD5035 in 2007] - If Only for a MomentIf Only for a MomentIf Only For A Moment is the second L.P. by The Blossom Toes, released in 1969.Line-up features a guest appearance on sitar from US folk musician Shawn Phillips.- Track listing :#Peace Loving Man#Kiss Of Confusion#Listen To The Silence#Love Bomb...
(Album - July 1969, Marmalade 608010) [re-released as Sunbeam Records CD SBRCD5036 in 2007]
Singles
- "What On Earth" / "Mrs. Murphy's Budgerigar" / "Look At Me I'm You" (October 1967, Marmalade 598002 EP)
- "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) b/w "Love Is" (March 1968, Marmalade 598009) - "Postcard" / "Everybody's Leaving Me Now" (October 1968, Marmalade 598012)
- "Peace Loving Man" / "Just Above My Hobby Horse's Head" (April 1969, Marmalade 598014)
- "New Day" (signaled on the SBRCD5036 Sunbeam Records CD as "unreleased 45 A-side") b/w "Love Bomb" (October 1969, Marmalade 598022)
External links
- Blossom Toes Biography
- Brian Godding Official Website
- http://www.sunbeamrecords.com/blossom_toes.html Sunbeam Records Reissues
- Historien om klubb Filips del 1. (The history of club Filips pt. 1)
- Historien om klubb Filips del 2. (The history of club Filips pt. 2)