Tinkerbells Fairydust
Encyclopedia
Tinkerbells Fairydust was a British
pop
group
in the late 1960s, who hailed from east London
. They recorded three singles and one album for the Decca
label
.
, the band members were:
two singles
with Decca: "Happy" / "Once Again", and "Enjoy It" / "Make Mine Music". Prior to that, various personnel had played in Tommy Bishop's Ricochets (for one single on Decca) and Easy Come Easy Go (previously known as Dave & The Strollers).
In 1968, members of the band worked with Jeff Lynne
. Lynne's song "Follow Me Follow" was recorded as a demo
. Lynne's first proper band The Idle Race released their version on their debut album in 1968. Tinkerbell's Fairydust recorded a proper version as the b-side
to their third and final single, "Sheila's Back In Town".
by Vic Smith
, who went on to produce The Jam
and Black Sabbath
.
They never had any chart
success in the UK
. They did however make the charts in Japan
where "Lazy Day" reached number two (held off the top spot by The Beatles
' "Hey Jude
").
Their second single, "Twenty Ten", was a Bach
-inspired minor key piece of harmony psychedelia, with wah-wah vox organ, mellotron
flutes, Spanish style guitar, and choir-like vocals. The lyrics
alluded to the year 2010 which was still 43 years away in 1967. Despite finding favour with the BBC Radio
DJ
John Peel
, it was a commercial flop.
Their third single, "Sheila's Back In Town", was released in January 1969 in the UK. It made the Top 10 in Japan.
, resulting in his "Mother's Little Helper" single. They also acted as session
backing vocalist
s at the Decca West Hampstead
studios for the "Tommy Bishop Rock and Roll Revival Show" recordings.
s.
It was due for release in December 1969 on the Decca record label, and was allocated the Cat Number Decca SKL/LK 5028. However it was withdrawn prior to release, 'officially' due to the band splitting up - but the more likely reason was due to Decca's severe financial problems at the time. Some test pressings were made (and 4 or 5 'finished' copies), but it was withdrawn prior to the release date with only a tiny handful of copies left in existence.
The extreme rarity of this album has pushed up its collectability rating to where, in 2007, a shabby scratched copy was sold on Ebay for £1,200 and since then (in 2009 & 2010) two other copies have sold in excess of £2000. It is regarded by collectors as one of the most valuable pop/psych albums of all time.
In 1998, a CD
and LP reissue circulated with alternative artwork. In 2009, it was reissued again on vinyl LP (with the identical artwork to the original) on Acme Records while an expanded CD was released on Cherry Red's psychedelic imprint, Grapefruit, with various bonus tracks and the band's approval.
(Issued on Carnaby Boutique X-0443276CD), 1998)
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
in the late 1960s, who hailed from east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. They recorded three singles and one album for the Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
Personnel
Signed to manager Don ArdenDon Arden
Don Arden , born Harry Levy, was an English music manager, agent and businessman, best known for overseeing the careers of rock groups Small Faces, Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath....
, the band members were:
- Stuart Attride (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocalsHuman voiceThe human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
) - Gerry Wade (bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals) - Steve Maher (guitar, vocals)
- Barry Creasy (drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, vocals) - Chas Wade (drums, vocals)
- Eileen Woodman (Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, vocals) - Dave Church (vocals)
- Pete Hole (guitar, vocals)
History
Previously, billed as The Rush, they had recordedSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
two singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
with Decca: "Happy" / "Once Again", and "Enjoy It" / "Make Mine Music". Prior to that, various personnel had played in Tommy Bishop's Ricochets (for one single on Decca) and Easy Come Easy Go (previously known as Dave & The Strollers).
In 1968, members of the band worked with Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
. Lynne's song "Follow Me Follow" was recorded as a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
. Lynne's first proper band The Idle Race released their version on their debut album in 1968. Tinkerbell's Fairydust recorded a proper version as the b-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to their third and final single, "Sheila's Back In Town".
Singles
After the name change to Tinkerbells Fairydust they recorded the single "Lazy Day", producedRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Vic Smith
Vic Coppersmith-Heaven
Vic Coppersmith-Heaven is an English sound engineer and record producer, best known for his production work with The Jam.-Career:...
, who went on to produce The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
.
They never had any chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
success in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. They did however make the charts in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where "Lazy Day" reached number two (held off the top spot by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Hey Jude
Hey Jude
"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song widely accepted as being written to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce—although this explanation is not...
").
Their second single, "Twenty Ten", was a Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
-inspired minor key piece of harmony psychedelia, with wah-wah vox organ, mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
flutes, Spanish style guitar, and choir-like vocals. The lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
alluded to the year 2010 which was still 43 years away in 1967. Despite finding favour with the BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, it was a commercial flop.
Their third single, "Sheila's Back In Town", was released in January 1969 in the UK. It made the Top 10 in Japan.
Other recording sessions
The band also backed Gene Latter at a recording session at the Lansdowne Studios, Holland ParkHolland Park
Holland Park is a district and a public park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London, England.Holland Park has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive large Victorian townhouses, and high-class shopping and restaurants...
, resulting in his "Mother's Little Helper" single. They also acted as session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
s at the Decca West Hampstead
West Hampstead
West Hampstead is an area in northwest London, England, situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to the east, and South Hampstead to the south. Until the late 19th century, the locale was a small village called West End...
studios for the "Tommy Bishop Rock and Roll Revival Show" recordings.
The album
An eponymous Tinkerbells Fairydust album was prepared, using four of the tracks from their previous singles and a number of cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s.
It was due for release in December 1969 on the Decca record label, and was allocated the Cat Number Decca SKL/LK 5028. However it was withdrawn prior to release, 'officially' due to the band splitting up - but the more likely reason was due to Decca's severe financial problems at the time. Some test pressings were made (and 4 or 5 'finished' copies), but it was withdrawn prior to the release date with only a tiny handful of copies left in existence.
The extreme rarity of this album has pushed up its collectability rating to where, in 2007, a shabby scratched copy was sold on Ebay for £1,200 and since then (in 2009 & 2010) two other copies have sold in excess of £2000. It is regarded by collectors as one of the most valuable pop/psych albums of all time.
In 1998, a CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and LP reissue circulated with alternative artwork. In 2009, it was reissued again on vinyl LP (with the identical artwork to the original) on Acme Records while an expanded CD was released on Cherry Red's psychedelic imprint, Grapefruit, with various bonus tracks and the band's approval.
Singles
- "Lazy Day" / "In My Magic Garden" (Decca F 12705) 1967
- "2010" / "Walking My Baby" (Decca F 12778) 1968
- "Sheila's Back In Town" / "Follow Me Follow" (Decca F 12865) 1969
Album
- Tinkerbells Fairydust 1969 (Decca LK/SKL 5028) 1969 (unreleased - apart from a handful of 'pre-release' copies that escaped destruction by the factory)
(Issued on Carnaby Boutique X-0443276CD), 1998)
Compilation albums
- "Twenty Ten" on Rubble Vol. 6, The Clouds Have Groovy Faces (LP) and Rubble Vol. 4 (CD)
- "Marjorine" and "You Keep Me Hanging On" on Syde Trips, Vol. 4 (LP)
- "In My Magic Garden" on British Psychedelic Trip, Vol. 3 (LP) and Great British Psychedelic Trip, Vol. 2: 1965-1970 (CD)
- "Lazy Day on" British Psychedelic Trip, Vol. 4 (LP) and Great British Psychedelic Trip, Vol. 2 (CD)
- "Twenty Ten" on Beatniks & Hipsters '71 (LP)