Simon Dupree and the Big Sound

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Without reservations
  UK 39 08/19/1967 (1 week)
Singles
Kites
  UK 9 11/22/1967 (13 weeks)
For Whom the Bell Tolls
  UK 43 04/03/1968 (3 weeks)

Simon Dupree and the Big Sound was a British pop group in the second half of the 1960s.

Band history

The three brothers Ray (* 1949; bass, guitar, violin, vocals), Derek (* 1947; vocals, bass, saxophone) and Phil Shulman (* 1937; vocals, saxophone, trumpet) began their musical careers as “The Howling Wolves "Which became" The Road Runners ". They performed in the Portsmouth area and played rhythm and blues . In early 1966 they called themselves "Simon Dupree and the Big Sound". The other band members were Peter O'Flaherty (* 1944; bass), Eric Hine (* 1944; keyboards) and Tony Ransley (* 1944; drums).

They got a record deal with Parlophone . The first singles went largely unnoticed. It was only when they moved in the direction of psychedelic rock at the urging of their management that they had a top hit with Kites in late 1967 - it should remain their only one.

For a short time they had Reginald Dwight on tour as a keyboardist - he later made a career as Elton John .

At the end of 1968 they released the single We Are the Moles (Part 1) / (Part 2) under the band name "The Moles" . Soon there were rumors that the Beatles were behind the pseudonym - with Ringo Starr as the lead singer. But Syd Barrett revealed that Simon Dupree & the Big Sound were the moles.

In 1969 the group broke up, only to reappear in 1970 as Gentle Giant with a radical change in style.

Discography

Albums

  • 1967: Without Reservations ( Parlophone PMC 7029 or PCS 7029)
  • 1982: Amen (Compilation, See for Miles Records / Charly Records CM 109)
  • 2004: Part of My Past (compilation)

Singles

  • 1966: I See the Light / It Is Finished (Parlophone R 5542)
  • 1967: Reservations / You Need A Man (Parlophone R 5574)
  • 1967: Day Time, Night Time / I've Seen It All Before (Parlophone R 5594)
  • 1967: Kites / Like the Sun Like the Fire (Parlophone R 5646)
  • 1968: For Whom the Bells Toll / Sleep (Parlophone R 5670)
  • 1968: Part of My Past / This Story Never Ends (Parlophone R 5697)
  • 1968: Thinking About My Life / Velvet and Lace (Parlophone R 5727)
  • 1968: We Are the Moles, Part 1 / We Are the Moles, Part 2 (Parlophone R 5743, as "The Moles")
  • 1969: Broken Hearted Pirates / She Gave Me the Sun (Parlophone R 5757)
  • 1969: The Eagle Flies Tonight / Give It All Back (Parlophone R 5816)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ UK chart history
  2. ↑ a b c Allmusic, see web links
  3. ↑ a b c P. O'Flaherty: Simon Dupree & The Big Sound (English)