RPM Productions News...... September  2007

Richard Barnes - Take To The Mountains (RPM Retro 815 )
Bass Guitarist/vocalist in The Quiet Five until 1968( see The Quite Five When The Morning Sun Dries The Dew RPM 308) Richard Barnes became known for possessing a Lou Christie rivalling vocal range, and epic singing style . Manager Gerry Bron partnered Barnes to his published writer Tony Hazard to help produce song demos- which they did for: Manfred Mann, The Hollies, The Tremeloes, Hermans Hermits, Lulu, Gene Pitney, Andy Williams and Cliff Richard. (see also Tony Hazard Sing Tony Hazard Rev-Ola CRREV190). Barnes then recorded 7 singles and 1 Lp (UK and US alt. version) , produced by Bron, and all released through Philips. His 3rd single Take To The Mountains hit the top 40 in the UK. Several singles, all penned by Hazard made the charts in France, Holland , Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and even a no. 1 in The Lebanon !

Our Take To The Mountains album is a combination of the US and UK Lps, the singles and unreleased tracks. The track Tomorrow Never Comes is an absolute standout. It has soul, hits every octave, sweeps along pulling the emotional heart strings (in modern terms akin to David MacAlmont).

Birds 'N Brass - Soundsational Sort Of Soul (RPM Retro 816 )
Drawn mainly from a pair of rare and sought-after UK-only LP's issued in the early 1970's under the name 'Birds n' Brass' on the Rediffusion label, the tracks were created by arranger and composer Keith Roberts, famous for his contributions to Scott Walker's classic albums. In addition we have 10 tracks never released on commercial vinyl, but were recorded for Rediffusions production library.

These tracks are played on by many of the top UK session players of the day with vocal contributions by Barbara Moore and today are considered lounge funk classics. Sort of Soul and Fritzy Baby were given a club DJ and collectors 7” release a couple of years ago, with the following PR spin : “'Fritzy Baby' is a superb, atmospheric slab of blaxploitation-styled jazz funk, with beautiful flute work, chunky wah guitar and lashings of big drums. Plenty of sample potential here! ”

Briley & Engel - Between The Sea and The Sky (RPM Retro 818 )
Imagine coming off the back of a defunct group ,with no hits, but who have admittedly just released one of the best pop psych singles in the Uk ever, and being thrown into George Martins Air Studios on a publishing/production deal and told there you are boys “make an album” . A slight license with the factual there but essentially this is what happened to Martin Briley and Brian Engel .In 1969, late of Mandrake Paddle Steamer and their classic Strange Walking Man, these late teens art students were given access to Air Studios and budgets for orchestras plus musicians to come up with hit singles. What they actually came up with was an almost concept album that exhibited all that had influenced them to that point, and let loose their humour and imagination. Sadly with the exception of one single (Pale Green Vauxhall Driving Man ) released under the name Prowler, a couple of years after the event, the recordings lay on the shelf, and are released for the first time now.

Briley played with Greenslade and then as session guitarist with the Hunter Ronson band, Meatloaf and Ellen Foley. Three solo albums and a US top 40 hit Salt In My Tears followed. He continues as a songwriter for international artists and backing vocalist. Briley and Engel further combined in the respected 70s pop project Liverpool Echo (released on Rev-Ola, The Liverpool Echo CRREV 131) . Engel today is a major international song publisher.

Johnny Nash - Tears On My Pillow (RPM Retro 819)
The mass appeal of Nash is summed up very well by Charlie Gillett in the Sound Of The City where he wrote “The combination of his flawless vocal, a catchy pop song and the immaculate rhythm track overcame radio resistance to reggae” . “Nash's reggae rhythms supply the pulse, the horns, keyboards and Nash's voice carry his sound far beyond the audience which would just listen to a catchy dance number”. All is present on this original LP from Nash in 1975 which spawned the title tracks as a no.1 single in the US and UK in the same year, and included three songs written for him by his protege Bob Marley. As well as the Reggae credentials the album also boasts contributions from the musical worlds of jazz,african music, rock, soul from musicians including Herbie Hancock, Hugh Masakela, ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick, Bobby Womack and co-producer Bunny Sigler.