Grapefruit (band)

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Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Singles
Dear Delilah
  DE 24 04/15/1968 (6 weeks)
  UK 21st 02/20/1968 (9 weeks)
  US 98 03/02/1968 (1 week)
C'mon Marianne
  UK 31 08/20/1968 (10 weeks)
Deep water
  DE 19th 10/15/1969 (12 weeks)

Grapefruit was a short-lived British rock - pop band in the late 1960s.

history

The band consisted of George Alexander (bassist and singer; real name Alexander Young , brother of George, Angus and Malcolm Young (AC / DC)), John Perry (lead guitar, vocals), Pete Swettenham (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Geoff Swettenham ( Drums). The band was founded in 1967 in the environment of the Beatles' own music publisher Apple Music Publishing , after Terry Doran, who in turn was friends with Brian Epstein and the Beatles, introduced Perry to Alexander and became their band manager from then on. The idea for the band name Grapefruit came from John Lennon .

George Alexander had a contract with Apple as a songwriter since the summer of 1967, which is why the band's own compositions were published by Apple Publishing in the future . At the time, Apple was just a music publisher ( Apple Records was only formed in the spring of 1968), and so the band signed a record deal with the small US label Equinox, run by their producer Terry Melcher . Outside the US, the label's productions appeared on RCA Victor (distributed by Decca Records ).

Her first single Dear Delilah was released in early 1968 and was grapefruit's biggest hit in the UK charts at number 21. In Germany the single reached number 24 and on the Billboard Hot 100 it came to number 98. In the fall of 1968, C'mon Marianne , a cover version in the original 1967 of The Four Seasons , also made it into the top 40 in Great Britain.

The band's typical late 60s rock-pop sound is provided with psychedelic effects such as phasing . The melodious songs, mostly written by Alexander, were accompanied by string arrangements or mellotron . Sometimes they also built classical arrangements such as baroque flute tones into their recordings.

In addition to other singles, the band also released two studio albums, Around Grapefruit in 1968 and Deep Water in 1969. Rhythm guitarist Pete Swettenham was not involved in the latter. The band was expanded to include Bobby Ware (vocals, guitar, harmonica) and Mike Fowler (piano, keyboard, guitar). The single Deep Water , which was released from the last album, reached number 19 in the German hit parade at the end of 1969. At the end of 1969 the band broke up.

George Alexander went back to the studio in 1971 to record the pop single Sha-Sha b / w Universal Party with the help of his younger brother George Young and Harry Vanda - both ex- Easybeats - which was released on the Deram record label under the name Grapefruit .

Discography

Singles

  • Dear Delilah / The Dead Boot (D / UK: RCA, US: Equinox - 1968)
  • Yes / Elevator (D / UK RCA, US: Equinox - 1968)
  • C'mon Marianne / Ain't It Good (D / UK: RCA, US: Equinox - 1968)
  • Someday Soon / Theme for Twiggy (UK: Stateside, D: Columbia - 1968)
  • Round Going Round / This Little Man (UK: Stateside, US: Dunhill - 1969)
  • Deep Water / Come Down to the Station (UK / D: RCA 1969)
  • Thunder and Lightning / Blues in Your Head (D / US: RCA - 1969)
  • Lady Godiva (Come Home) / Thunder and Lightning (UK / D: RCA - 1970) °
  • Sha-Sha / Universal Party (UK / D: Deram - 1971)

° B-side in Germany Can't Find Me

Albums

  • Around Grapefruit (Stateside / Dunhill 1968, repertoire 2005)
  • Deep Water (RCA 1969, repertoire 2005)
  • Around the BBC (recordings January 1968 - July 1969, rpm 2007)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chart sources: DE UK US
  2. ↑ a b Official Grapefruit at myspace.com
  3. ^ A b Felix McGlennon Ltd. (Ed.): Record Song Book , edition March 1, 1968. Felix McGlennon Ltd., London 1968. p. 5.

Web links