what Frank is listening to #16 – DON FARDON – Released – (Youngblood) – 1970
One of the English 60s bands I really got into, way back when, was "The Sorrows". When I say "I really got into" I mean I found a single which I loved ("Take a Heart " (1965)) and then I found another single ("You've Got What I Want" (1966)) which I recollect wasn't as good but still better than a lot of the other British Invasion stuff. After that I searched for more music and couldn't find anything (pre-internet days).
What was great about the single though was the percussion and fatalistic mood (The Sorrows were from Coventry and maybe the World War 2 aerial bombing of Coventry was in the bands collective psyche?), and the voice of lead singer, Don Fardon. Fardon has a deep, resonant voice like a less cheesy version of Tom Jones (though at times he is firmly in Tom Jones territory – especially in his solo work)
The Sorrows only put out one album which I have never even seen. Fardon went solo in about 1969 and promptly had a hit with the very American themed "Indian Reservation" (#2, 1968) … from his myspace site:
In one incredible year, Don Fardon outsold Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, the Bee Gees and Status Quo in the singles chart. Indian Reservation was a worldwide smash in 1971, going on to sell more than three million copies. It had already been an international hit on its initial release in 1968 but inexplicably flopped in the UK. It was only after the box office success of western Soldier Blue – which had a similar theme of the cruelty dished out to Native Americans – that Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis persuaded Fardon's record label to re-release it.
This album seems to be a cash-in on the "Indian Reservation" hit .
The tracks are certainly American themed … wouldn't you think?
- Indian Reservation
- Riverboat
- California Maiden
- Hudson Bay
- Mississippi Woman
- New York City
- Miami Sunset
- 6:10 Phoenix Gone
- Cheyenne
- San Diego
Not bad for a kid from Coventry.
Thematically, though not musically, Fardon has taken a leaf out of the Pat and Lolly Vegas (Redbone) songbook. Indian themes (though Pat and Lolly were actually native Americans), and songs about American places and people met along the way. Having said that I think most of the tracks, apart from I"ndian Reservation", are by English writers.
Apart from "Indian Reservation" (and I actually prefer the Paul Revere and the Raiders version with Mark Lindsay more (that went to #1 in the US in 1971), the best tracks are "Mississippi Woman", "6:10 Phoenix" and "Cheyenne"(which has echoes of The Sorrows)
Normally I wouldnt keep this, but …. it fleshes out part of my collection and … I still like The Sorrows.
Though I have seen it on ebay for $10-20 I much prefer this punters optimism
sounds:
like I said I prefer Mark Lindsay's version:
The Sorrows:
The Sorrows relocated to the continent .. this is from a film:
myspace:
Fardon's version of the Kinks "Lola" can be found here:
The Sorrows:
Phil will be happy to know (and I would be surprised if he doesn't know the track) that Fardon went on to enjoy success with "Belfast Boy" about George Best. I suspect this is the reissue that Fardon re-released after George died:
(originally posted: 25/04/2009)
