60s Night Out in the UK

It was billed as a 60s Night Out and even if the train ride was four hours long with two switches, we couldn’t resist the adventure of traveling from London to the small Worcestershire town of Redditch to watch The Fortunes and The Ivy League perform at the Palace Theater recently.

We were lucky to book tickets a week before because there were only two seats left in the stalls or orchestra section. A call to the friendly Palace Theater receptionist was all it took. There were only 425 seats in all, 218 in the stalls and 207 in the circle (balcony) section. Tickets went for one price only — the equivalent of P1,350.

The show started at 7:30 p.m. with The Fortunes initially mounting the stage. Not a single original member of the band that took You’ve Got Your Troubles, I’ve Got Mine to No. 4 in the British charts in 1965 was in the lineup. Founding lead vocalist Rod Allen died of liver cancer only three months before and bald-headed Eddie Mooney, who used to back up Liverpool singer Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas, was the new frontman on bass guitar. Mooney’s three companions — keyboards player Bob Jackson (formerly of Badfinger), lead guitarist Mike Smitham and drummer Paul Hooper — have performed with The Fortunes for over 10 years now.

The Fortunes never made it to No. 1 although they had five Top 15 singles in the UK, including Here It Comes Again, This Golden Ring, Freedom Come, Freedom Go and Storm in a Teacup. Additionally, they charted with Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again and That Same Old Feeling in the US. The Fortunes also recorded two popular Coca-Cola jingles in 1967 and their song Caroline was the long-time anthem of the UK pirate station Radio Caroline.

Known for their four-part harmonies, The Fortunes often used an orchestra to augment the sound of their records. Allen and original guitarist Barry Pritchard formed the backbone of the vocals like Allan Clarke and Graham Nash of The Hollies. Allen sang lead like Clarke and Pritchard provided the high harmony like Nash.

When Pritchard died in 1999, Allen persevered in keeping The Fortunes alive.

First on The Fortunes’ set list was Here It Comes Again. Next, Mooney did Bad To Me as a tribute to Kramer. Jackson sang the Badfinger hit Come and Get It, also a tribute to his former band, before returning to The Fortunes repertoire with Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again and Freedom Come, Freedom Go. Then, it was Leo Sayer’s When I Need You;  Badfinger’s Day After Day, I Can’t Make You Love Me (from The Fortunes’ 1999 album Some Bridges);  The Beatles’ Here Comes The Sun; Orleans’ Dance With Me; Cilla Black’s You’re My World; Storm in a Teacup; Badfinger’s Without You (covered by Mariah Carey and Harry Nilsson); Badfinger’s No Matter What; The Walker Brothers’ The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore and finally, You’ve Got Your Troubles, I’ve Got Mine.

Performing songs by The Beatles, Orleans, Black, The Walker Brothers, Kramer and Badfinger was a testament to The Fortunes’ versatility. They didn’t use complicated sound machines only the basic instruments that gave their music a distinct ‘60s sound.

During intermission, Jackson — who has taken over Allen’s role as band leader — said they’d love to do a Philippine tour if invited. Since the Filipino audience isn’t too familiar with many of The Fortunes hits, their expansive repertoire will at least ring a bell.

Jackson said Allen himself recommended Mooney as his replacement when he quit the group after falling ill. Allen appealed to the other band members to continue performing.

Last year, Jackson quit for a while and was replaced by former Rockin’ Berries vocalist Geoff Turton (You’re My Girl; He’s In Town, She’s Not Like Any Girl). Jackson later returned when Turton, who enjoyed a solo career as Jefferson (Color of My Love) left.

“We invited Geoff back when Rod got sick,” said Jackson. “But he couldn’t break away from the Berries identity to join us. We never held auditions to find a replacement for Rod. We sought out Eddie and we’re glad he accepted our offer.”

In the second half of the program, The Ivy League put on an act that was a mixture of risqué comedy and music. None of the three members — bass guitarist Jon Brennan, guitarist Michael Brice and drummer Dave Buckley — was part of the original band that recorded the hits Tossin’ And Turnin’, Funny How Love Can Be and That’s Why I’m Crying.  John Carter, Ken Lewis and Perry Ford were The Ivy League originals who introduced falsetto in their melodic three-part harmony.

Buckley’s falsetto was in fine Ivy League tradition. He hit the high notes effortlessly. Like Brice and Brennan, he has over 35 years of pop music experience so longevity is an Ivy League trademark.

The Ivy League’s instruments were different from The Fortunes’ standard set-up. Buckley’s drum kit wasn’t the full version but a capsulized edition while Brice strummed on a synthesizer guitar which, like a mellotron, could be tweaked to create a wide range of sounds.

To get the crowd rocking, The Ivy League began with The Clapping Song. Their song list included the group’s three hits plus Roy Orbison’s Oh, Pretty Woman; The Searchers’ When You Walk in the Room;  Queen’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love; and the instrumental Exodus with Brice on synthesizer guitar.

At the Palace lobby, CDs and DVDs of both bands were on sale. You couldn’t help but buy the merchandise if only to remember that one night in the small town of Redditch, The Fortunes and The Ivy League brought back the ‘60s sound in the new millennium.