what Frank is listening to #220 – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY – Dowdy Ferry Road – (Big Tree) – 1977
I knew next to nothing about these guys despite the fact I occasionally see their records in op shops.
History, from allmusic: Although considered a mid-'70s phenomenon, and often misidentified in peoples' memories as a one-hit act, they actually charted six Top 40 pop singles, four of them Top Ten, in just four years. Their history actually goes back a decade prior to their first and biggest hit, "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight." The duo first met in high school in Dallas, TX, during the early '60s.
Dan Seals, as he was known formally and as he later re-established himself as a country artist in the 1980s, came from what, by anyone's definition, could be considered a musical family. Born in McCamey, TX, in 1948, he was the son of E.W. "Waylon" Seals, a pipe fitter and repairman for Shell Oil who also played guitar and bass, and was an alumnus of bands led by Ernest Tubb and Bob Wills. Dan learned to play upright bass at age four and soon after, he was playing in the family band founded by his father. His older brother, Jim Seals, enjoyed a considerable career of his own as a member of the Champs from 1958 through the mid-'60s ( and also as one half of Seals & Croft). His other brother is successful country musician Eddie Seals (of Eddie & Joe), while his cousins included composers Chuck Seals (author of "Crazy Arms") and Troy Seals (who later married rock & roll singer Jo Ann Campbell), Brady Seals (of Little Texas), and country singer Johnny Duncan.
John Colley was a classically trained pianist and attended the same school. The two began working together as members of a series of local cover bands, including Playboys Five and Theze Few. They took an early run at recording success in association with Shane Keister in a series of demos done in Nashville as the Shimmerers, but the death of their producer before he could secure a recording deal ended their prospects.
This is 70s soft rock.
Think The Doobie Brothers, Bread, The Carpenters, Jackson Browne, America, Chicago, Steely Dan, James Taylor.
Look, every genre has its highs, and soft rock is no exception but there is so much dross in there that it is hard to overcome. Soft Rock emerged in the '70s, as a reaction to the heavy, and largely, raw or experimental, sounds of the 1960s. The instruments were turned down and the singing was quiet and soothing without any emotion. There were no jagged edges, everything was buffed and polished. The songs were all melodies, sometimes with a point, but the production was awfully slick. It provided a safe alternative to the sweaty sex of disco, the hopped up speed of rock 'n' roll and power pop and the violence of punk. It was, largely, music for people not really into music. All this would be forgivable but for the fact that it evolved into the synthesized and programmed sounds of adult contemporary music in the 1980s….Phil Collins, Bryan Adams, Sade, Sting, Lionel Ritchie, Michael Bolton, Joe Cocker.
This cannot be forgiven.
Putting aside questions of forgiveness, there are some good tracks in the genre and a lot of good acts have flirted with soft rock.
But, ultimately, this makes James Taylor sound like punk.
I note that the great Bergen White arranged the strings and did the woodwinds on a couple of songs ("Love is the One" and "Holocaust")
Tracks (best in italics)
- Dowdy Ferry Road – Seals – soft rock, 70s style …to my ears this is 100% rubbish.
- It's Sad to Belong – Goodrum – a #1 on the "adult contemporary" charts ….another word for the "soft rock charts" or "play it safe, adult loser charts". It's good for what it is but …. it is schmaltz. There is an interesting lyric though, about an existential unrequited love. If you are keen on the songs history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Sad_to_Belong
- Soldier in the Rain – Coley, Dalton – a little Art Garfunkel in here but not a bad example of the serious, wounded adult song.
- Love Is the One Thing We Hide – Seals – A not so good example of the wounded adult song … the minor key is nice though.
- Gone Too Far – Coley – catchy, probably not memorable, but catchy.
- Where Do I Go from Here – McGee – fuck, good question .. down hill I expect.
- Falling Stars – Coley – I need a drink.
- You Know We Belong Together – Coley, Seals – a big drink, in a big glass.
- Don't Feel That Way No More – Seals – no more, please.
- Holocaust – Seals – the last song ends on a high … relatively speaking.
And…
Crap, slick, but crap. Tape a track or two and sell.
Chart Action
US
Singles
1977 Gone Too Far The Billboard Hot 100 #23
1977 It's Sad to Belong Adult Contemporary #1
1977 It's Sad to Belong The Billboard Hot 100 #21
Singles
1977 Gone Too Far The Billboard Hot 100 #23
1977 It's Sad to Belong Adult Contemporary #1
1977 It's Sad to Belong The Billboard Hot 100 #21
Album
1977 #80
England
Singles
Singles
Album
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Sounds
It's Sad to Belong
and attached
Soldier in the Rain
Gone Too Far
Where Do I Go from Here
Holocaust
attached
Others
Review
Bio
Website
Trivia
- allmusic: Originally known as Colley & Wayland (Seals' middle name), the name didn't quite work and a change was needed as proposed by Jim Seals. "England Dan" was a reference to the fact that Dan Seals, when the Beatles first hit in America in 1964, had fixated on the Liverpool quartet and briefly affected an English accent; "Ford" was added to John Colley's name, and the spelling of his last name shortened to "Coley" to assure its proper pronunciation.
Other Comments
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(Originally posted: 31/07/2011)
