Tapestry of Delights:
This Oxford-based raw R&B group's 45s are now extremely rare and sought-after. They were originally known as The Cornflakes and also recorded a further 45 as Mal and The Primitives. Musically, comparable to the early Pretty Things, you won't need a second mortgage to get to hear these 45s. They're considered to be such definitive British R&B recordings that they've been heavily compiled and are well worth a spin.
They also recorded four acetates for Pye; one of which was the superb Oh Mary, a grinding R&B number. Jimmy Page is also said to have helped out on their second 45, whilst Help Me was also recorded by The Rebounds.
In 1965 Mal joined the band and they relocated to Italy as a quartet (at least according to the photo on their 1967 album). Aside from Mal, they comprised Jay Roberts (vcls, gtr) from the original line-up, Pick Withers (drms) and one other. Withers was later in Spring and Dire Straits. He stayed in Italy with The Primitives for three years. Line-up recorded two singles and the an album Blow-Up (Arc ) 1967. This R'n'B/soul-influenced album has been reissued in the nineties and the re-issue includes both sides of their debut Italian single Yeeeh!.../L'Ombra Di Nessuno (which is Dozier-Holland's Standing In The Shadow Of Love, with Italian lyrics) along with their follow-up Italian 45 Johnny No (Hoyt Axton's Thunder 'n Lightnin') and other cover versions like Stevie Winwood's Gimme Some Lovin', The Strangeloves' Cara Lin, Gina Gina (which is Holland-Doziers' Reach Out I'll Be There), Don Covay's Sookie Sookie, which was later covered by Steppenwolf, Charlie Rich's Mohair Sam and an original penned by Jay Roberts Mister Haertache (which is misspelt like this on the sleeve). There's also an Italian song Ma Beata Te, penned by Cassia-Roberts, though from the soul style of the song the Roberts in question is probably Rocky Roberts, a black American singer also based in Italy at the time, who also recorded Gina Gina.
In 1968 came the Burt Bacharach-penned single Bombolina, credited to Mal and The Primitives, but in fact it was just by Mal. Then Mal parted from the group and started to record as Mal dei (from the) Primitives and later just as Mal. His recordings were MOR pop songs sung in Italian, including some covers of songs by The Bee Gees and Tom Jones. He even recorded a single in Greek when he visited Athens in 1970 with a backing rock group for a concert. The real surprise was that tucked away on the 'B' side was him singing a great version of Deep Purple's Black Night. Mal remained in Italy at least until the mid-seventies and, in 1976, he released an album which contained four songs by professional Italian songwriters and six songs of his own, all in Italian. ~ (Vernon Joynson / Costas Arvanitis)
01. Help me 3:39
02. Let them tell 2:16
03. You said 2:19
04. How do you feel? 2:25
05. Every minute of every day 2:12
06. Pretty little face 2:08
07. Forget it 2:03
08. Your friend 2:39
09. Lonely Room 2:05
10. Tell your friend 2:29
11. Oh Mary (demo) 2:50
12. Oh Mary 2:07
13. I don't feel myself 2:43
14. Mr Heartache 2:38
15. Tears in my eyes 3:49
16. Gimme some loving 4:22
17. L'Ombra de nessuno (Standing in the shadows of love) 2:56
18. No response 3:09
19. Johnny no (Thunder & lightning) 3:11
20. Cara - Lin 3:33
21. Yeeeeeeh! (I ain't gonna eat my heart out anymore) 3:13
22. Girs, Gira (Reach out, I'll be there) 3:08
23. Every minute of evry day 2:17
24. Mister Heartache 2:20
25. Ma beata te 3:10
26. Sookie, sookie 2:51
27. Mohair Sam 2:45
28. L'Incidente (Soul Finger) 2:52
lineip in darious times:
GEOFF EATON lead gtr
ROGER JAMES bs
JAY ROBERTS vcls, gtr
JOHN E. SOUL gtr, keyb'ds
MIKE WILDING drms
MAL (PAUL B. COULING) vcls
PICK WITHERS drms
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