Reflections of the Marmalade (The Anthology) - Marmalade > Reviews (1)

Marmalade

Marmalade were a Scottish group (except for drummer Alan Whitehead) who released their first four singles as Dean Ford and the Gaylords between 1964 and 1966 before changing their name. They were at their most successful between 1968 and 1972, disbanded two years later and reformed to have a final hit in 1976. Despite changes in line-up they are still playing the nostalgia circuit, with bassist Graham Knight the only remaining 1960s member.

The music

Of all the Marmalade compilations currently available, this is far and away the best. The two CDs contain 46 tracks between them, all in chronological order of release or original recording. Disc one features their 1960s output, beginning with the Dean Ford & Gaylords singles, followed by the A and B sides of their singles for the rest of the decade. Disc two takes the singles from 1970 to 1972, plus a handful of album tracks. As a bonus, there are the solo hits from 1972 and 1973 by founder member Junior Campbell, who had left but continued to work for them as musical arranger. The last track is their 'reformation' Top 10 hit from 1976.

Musically, they started out as a straightforward pop group, before veering to the fringes of psychedelia with their self-penned songs. When the record company threatened to dump them unless they became more commercial and started having hits, they recorded other peoples' songs with session musicians, before getting a new contract with another label which allowed them complete artistic freedom - and instantly gave them their most successful worldwide single ever.

As usual, I'll comment on just a selection of the songs. The Gaylords tracks are typical of the straightforward mainstream pop of their time, and show why they were more or less regarded as Glasgow's answer to the Beatles. But the songs become that little bit stronger when they became the Marmalade, the first, 'It's All Leading Up To Saturday Night', being particularly catchy. The third, 'I see The Rain', is a semi-forgotten classic. Their first self-penned A-side (Campbell and vocalist Dean Ford developed into a strong joint writing partnership), it not only has a great hook and chorus but also strong harmony vocals and a gritty guitar solo which drew praise from Jimi Hendrix as one of the best records of 1967. It was a hit - but only in Holland.

After a fourth failure, the dreamy, woodwind-driven 'Man In A Shop', the record company were desperate to find them a hit or send them packing. A minor hit for American group Grass Roots, 'Lovin' Things', did the trick in the summer of 1968, an infectious song with full-blooded strings and brass, that reached No. 6. It was followed by the similar and equally good if less successful (No. 30) 'Wait For Me Mary-Anne', and just after Christmas 1968 their most successful British hit ever, the chart-topping 'Ob La Di, Ob La Da'. A Paul McCartney song from the Beatles 'White Album', this version in my view is better than the original.

Their next single, 'Baby Make It Soon', a lovely plaintive ballad, also made the Top 10, but by now they were tired of the 'other people's songs recorded mainly with session musicians' syndrome.

A new record deal gave them full artistic control, and the first result was the epic 'Reflections of my Life', a British top three hit (No. 1 in some music papers charts) and their American breakthrough hit. With its wonderful build-up from an acoustic guitar intro to the subtle string arrangement and George Harrison-like lead guitar break, it was probably their finest moment ever. The final track on disco one, 'Rollin' My Thing', which was originally the B-side, is in effect a 12-bar blues, and very very different.

Disc two starts off with the next hit (again, No. 3), the summery 'Rainbow'. With its sparkling acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocal harmonies, it's the perfect fusion of pop and folk. The majority of the 1970s material is made up of album tracks, some of which are merely pleasant, but others superb. For me, the standouts are 'Kaleidoscope', in which a sitar plays along with the vocal melody line (you could be forgiven for thinking that it's a Beatles song written by George Harrison), the tender, beautifully orchestrated 'I'll Be Home In a Day or So', and a soulful version of the 1960s Lorraine Ellison classic, 'Stay With Me Baby'. But it's the other early 1970s singles that really shine, like the gentle 'My Little One', a song Ford wrote for his baby daughter, the infectious, brass-driven 'Cousin Norman', and finally 'Radancer', which combines Beatles-like vocal harmonies with a driving guitar backing that could have been the Stones or Status Quo.

The Junior Campbell solo hits are nearer to British soul than pop. As he had such a distinctive voice, it seems odd that he was not allowed more lead vocals with the group, especially as he and Ford wrote nearly all the original material together. 'Hallelujah Freedom' and 'Sweet Illusion' both have distinctive hooks and strong arrangements, and are as close to the vintage Motown sound as any other British performers got in the early 1970s.

Marmalade disbanded around 1974, but the former bassist and drummer recruited three new members and reformed about a year later. This new phase of their career started with a Top 10 hit, 'Falling Apart At the Seams', a pleasant enough if not exactly world-beating song, which closes this collection. A few subsequent singles and albums failed to chart.

The packaging

The CD comes in a card slipcase, and includes an eight-page foldout with a history of the group by Campbell, track listing including credits and original release dates plus catalogue numbers for each number, alongside group pictures and repros of record labels, original album and single picture sleeves, and music press memorabilia. Castle/Sanctuary CD reissues of vintage 1960s and 1970s pop/rock are generally very well-packaged, and this is no exception.

Although a few tracks are not as good as the others, there are enough classics to make this excellent value for money, and the packaging is faultless, hence five stars.