Cliff Richard - Back from the Wilderness Singles and Albums 1975 - 1995

So do I. It´s a pity, in a way, that they stuck on a B-side. The thought behind it may have been to show that Cliff has many facets, and a popular single is perhaps a good place for an above-average song. Still, I do feel that the song could have been an A-side, just to show Cliff´s diversity. It couldn´t have been more different from the A-side...

The ploy might have worked it "the old days", when people actually played the B-sides. Extra tracks on CD singles don´t get the same interest, I think.

It would have been great to put together an album of Cliff "rockers" from the 80s and 90s. Call it "BORN TO ROCK´N´ROLL", and include, for instance: "BORN TO ROCK´N´ROLL", "MARMADUKE", "LEARNING HOW TO ROCK´N´ROLL", TINY PLANET", "NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON´T", LA GONAVE", "HEY MR. DJ", "THIEF IN THE NIGHT", "ROCK THAT DOESN´T ROLL", "LOVE STEALER", "NEVER SAY DIE (GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE)", "HEART USER". Not all of these are rockers, but I think it would have been a good album.

 

"JESUS" was the newest track on "BEST OF CLIFF, VOL. 2", and it was one of those singles that passed by without really being noticed. I can see a couple of reasons: The lyrics - and the title - might put some people off. It´s also rather repetitive. As I have said on numerous occasions, I go against the stream on this one. There are several good Things about this single: 1. The arrangement. It sounds explosively live a 70s track, and the drums in particular are amazing. I don´t know what they did to achieve that sound, but I love it. 2. The a cappella bit towards the end, where they repeat the chorus with no instruments, and the bring all the instruments back. That´s the way to re-start the interest in the song. 3. The sequencing on "BEST OF CLIFF, VOL. 2" probably did a lot to help it - after it had run its course in the charts, peaking at No. 35 in the UK. (It didn´t chart anywhere else.) Coming after the heavy and serious - and great! - "THROW DOWN A LINE", "JESUS" becomes a very welcome light snack, starting with those great drums.

I know most of you hate the song, and I accept that, of course. I just happen to have a soft spot for it, mainly for the three reasons stated above, and because of pure, unadulterated nostalgia. But that´s allowed, right?

Robert Porter:
"I didn't record a gospel song for a long time after I became a Christian. And Jesus was the first one I did. I was convinced that it would be wrong for me just to record a single-- religious sort of gospel content single-- just because I was a Christian. And I wanted very much to be sure that it was a good song. And I waited a long time for that particular song, Jesus. But when it came, I instantly knew I had to record that one. We spent a bit time on it too, of course, and did a, you know, did some phasing on it and gave it some effect. And I must say, I was really quite pleased with the recording. And I still use it on stage. "
Cliff Richard (1974 - The Music And Life Of Cliff Richard collection)
"1972 turned out to be another poor year chart-wise, with only Living In Harmony showing enough promise to chart, as the previous one Jesus failed to appeal to a mass audience. [...] February 26, 1972: Cliff's 56th single, Jesus/Mr. Cloud, is released. Reviewer Danny Holloway write: 'This is Cliff singing to his main man, asking him to come back to earth and save us from the scum and filth we live in. The song isn't exactly heavyweight, but that won't stop the mums and vicars from buying it.'"
Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 - The Complete Chronicle)
"So it's strange that when, five years [after the release of Good News], in 1972, Cliff released his first religious single, it was to become his worst-selling record to date and didn't even make the Top 30. There was no apparent reason why Jesus should have failed, unless the subject matter was felt to be too overly religious."
Peter Lewry and Nigel Goodall (March 2007 - liner notes for Help It Along Remaster CD)
"His first attempt to put out a religious song as a single was a resounding flop. Jesus, released in 1972 was his worst-selling single to date and didn't even make the top 30."
Steve Turner (2008 January - Cliff Richard - The Biography (revised edition))
"Then in 1972 came a single called Jesus. Robin Turner of Heavenly Records remembers being a teenager, 'head full of all the usual prejudices that 18-year-olds have' and hearing the song. 'It absolutely floored me. The most amazing thing wasn't that I was having my mind blown by Cliff, it was that I was being mindblown by a Christian rock record that sounded like a pill-ravaged Primal Scream circa Movin' on Up.' To add to the fun, Jesus was written by somebody called Hamburger. [...] Jesus (1972): Almost comically OTT – 'Save us from the love of death' – the fuzzy, breakbeat arrangement and gospel back-ups render it, literally, glorious."
Bob Stanley (September 17, 2009 - The Guardian)

• Running Time: 4:15
• Record Date: December 14, 1971
• Record Location: Abbey Road, London
• Written By: Pierre Darjean (words) & Michel Hamburger (music)
• Arranged By: Nick Ingman
• Produced By: Norrie Paramor production by Nick Ingman
• Engineered By: Peter Vince
• Performed By: Cliff Richard (vocals), Nick Ingman (orchestra conductor), Nick Ingman Orchestra (all other instruments)

Sorry about the chrackles and pops...

 

The B-side of "JESUS" - Hm... That sounds a bit odd - was a nice ballad by those perennials Guy Fletcher and Douglas Flett, called "MR. CLOUD". It was included on the lovely compilation album "POWER TO ALL OUR FRIENDS" in 1973, and it´s one of those pleasant, mellow B-sides that Cliff recorded so many of in the 70s. Musically, it reminds me a little bit of "NOTHING LEFT FOR ME TO SAY", the 1977 B-side of "MY KINDA LIFE". If you´re in the right mood, this could be one of the great Cliff B-sides. Personally, it´s on my shortlist. I feel tempted to put together a CD-R of songs written by those two guys - "WITH THE EYES OF A CHILD", "MR. CLOUD", "POWER TO ALL OUR FRIENDS", DON´T TURN THE LIGHT OUT", "BABY, YOU´RE DYNAMITE", "SING A SONG OF FREEDOM" and many more. There wouldn´t be many rock´n´roll tracks, but it would make a great pop record.

Robert Porter:
"February 26, 1972: Cliff's 56th single, Jesus/Mr. Cloud, is released."
Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 - The Complete Chronicle)
"Early 1972 saw the release of Jesus, which had Mr Cloud as its B-side."
Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (2008 - liner notes for Rare B-Sides 1963 - 1989 album in the ...And They Said It Wouldn't Last! {My 50 Years In Music} set)

• Running Time: 3:45
• Record Date: April 28, 1971
• Record Location: Abbey Road, London
• Written By: Guy Fletcher & Doug Flett
• Arranged By: Brian Bennett
• Produced By: Norrie Paramor
• Engineered By: Unknown
• Performed By: Cliff Richard (vocals), Brian Bennett (orchestra conductor), Brian Bennett Orchestra (orchestra and all other instruments)

 

I think I´ll take a little detour from the "RARE B-sides" CD and include a couple of postings of the remaining songs from from the "BEST OF CLIFF, VOL. 2" album, and cover songs like "MARIANNE", "I´LL LOVE YOU FOREVER TODAY" - you´ve gotta look forward to that one, Stephen! You may skip it, of course... - "THE JOY OF LIVING" etc. Three of them were already covered when we did the "40 GOLDEN GREATS" - "THROW DOWN A LINE", "GOODBYE SAM, HELLO SAMANTHA" and, eh, "SING A SONG OF FREEDOM", which I now realise I served re-heated in this context. Sorry about repeating myself. For the first two, I don´t think I covered the B-sides. So I´ll do those.

After those, we´ll return to "scheduled programming". I have enjoyed writing about these mostly underrated singles. Underrated singles from an underrated singer.

 

I actually like the record "Jesus". The Good News album did not do anything for me at all. It just wasn't a rock album and sounded poorly recorded. "Two a Penny" was a pretty good album in spots. I think "Jesus" was a step toward "Small Corners". At least Cliff was doing a record that he knew wouldn't be commercially successful...he was taking chances.

 

I like that you put that you like the record "JESUS". For me that´s part of the clue - it´s an interestingly recorded, arranged and produced song. More modern than any of his songs up to that point.

And yes, I also like that he - for once - was willing and eager to take a chance. He earns a lot of Brownie points just for that. "SMALL CORNERS" came five years later, and fullfilled the promise made with "JESUS".

I also admit that I always look forward to the sequence of "THROW DOWN A LINE" - "JESUS" when I listen to "BEST OF CLIFF, VOL. 2". There´s something interesting With the raw former being followed by the lmost fluffy latter. It reminds me of "THIEF IN THE NIGHT" being followed by "WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE" on the "NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON´T" album. It´s the same feeling - the raw, heavy track being followed by a fluffy pop records. Also interestingly, "WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE" works very well in the context of the album, but did not work as a single. It´s too fluffy for a single, but a good song that found its perfect place in the running order of its parent album.

 

I don't wish to steal your thunder here but the English lyrics to Marianne were written by Bill Owen, the actor who played Compo in the long running BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine.

Incidentally, I have a rather tenuous link to this man. Many years ago, just as I was starting secondary school, the school I went to was facing closure. Bill Owen put his name to the campaign to keep it open, and it worked!

 

I didn´t know it was the same Bill Owen! He also appeared in quite a few Carry Ons, and I love those. He was a lovely actor. Didn´t know he wrote the lyrics to this Eurovision song for Italy. Keep´em coming, Stephen! Nice to know there was a personal connection, too, however slight. I like those.

And don´t worry about stealing anyone´s thunder - there´s plenty enough thunder to go around!

 

I love info like this!

 

Sorry about my absence - though you may have enjoyed it thoroughly for all I know! - but I have been veeery busy with the show I mentioned earlier. We have had two performances today, and the next one is in two hourse or so. You´ll be glad to know the first two performances went down a storm, and the kids love the title track now. Even the "cool" kids. Very gratifying.

But back to our dear Cliff. I said I would cover the remaining singles from "BEST OF CLIFF, VOL. 2", and I start with "MARIANNE". This may not be one of the strongest cuts on the album, but I do understand why Cliff liked it. A quiet, but intense ballad that is said to have been Italy´s entry in the Eurovisiong Song Festival that year. (I have no idea whether that is actually the case.) Edit: Read Robert Porter´s quote below. He really does have all the answers!) For me, the song has special meaning because of the syllables being the exact same number as as hat of my loved one´s surname. and the melancholy and outright sadness fit my mood like a glove back in those days. So, a slight song, maybe, but, like so many other tracks on this album, I love it.

It was also the perfect track to follow the more energetic and jaunty "GOODBYE SAM, HELLO SAMANTHA". As I said earlier, I think the sequencing of this album is just about perfect.

It was a minor hit, peaking at No. 22 in the UK charts. (It rose to No. 15 in Ireland, No. 18 in Belgium, No. 37 in The Netherlands and No. 56 in Australia. Not a big hit, but it charted in more countries than many other singles of this era.)

Robert Porter:

This song, Marianne, was originally recorded and released in Italian by Sergio Endrigo for the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest (in which Cliff competed with Congratulations). In less that half a year after the song contest, Cliff recorded an English language version of the song under the same song title. Cliff did not record an Italian language version of the song, however, curiously he did record a German language version, under the same title again, in late 1968 for the Hier Ist Cliff LP.
"September 1968: Cliff's 43rd single is released-- Marianne/Mr. Nice."
Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 - The Complete Chronicle)
"And yet his more recent A-sides from the era, such as I'll Love You Forever Today, Marianne and It's All Over were totally ignored [for the Cliff Live At The Talk Of The Town concert performances]."
Peter Lewry and Nigel Goodall (March 2007 - liner notes for Live At The Talk Of The Town Remaster CD)
"Released in September 1968 the [Marianne] single charted on 25 September 1968 and reached #22 during an 8 week spell on the chart."
Peter Lewry and Nigel Goodall (March 2007 - liner notes for Established 1958 Remaster CD)

• Running Time: 3:19
• Record Date: July 2, 1968
• Record Location: Chappell Studios, London
• Written By: Sergio Endrigo (music) & Bill Owen (English lyrics)
• Arranged By: Mike Leander
• Produced By: Norrie Paramor
• Engineered By: Peter Vince
• Performed By: Cliff Richard (vocals), Mike Leander (orchestra conductor), The Mike Leander Orchestra (orchestra and all other instruments)

 

The B-side of "MARIANNE" was not featured on the "RARE B-SIDES" compilations - for a very good reason. It had already been released as a bonus track on the "ESTABLISHED 1958" remaster. If you haven´t heard that album, you should seek it out. It´s one of the more enjoyable Cliff albums from this period, and there´s a lot of humour from both Cliff and The Shadows on it. The opening track is one of his best singles from this period, I think, but kept off both "BEST OF CLIFF" Vols. 1 and 2. (Most likely because it was an album track.)

"MR NICE" is hardly the strongest Cliff B-side of all time. It´s pleasant, I suppose, but there´s not that much of interest in the song. Strange, then, that this was - as far as I know - Terry Britten´s first writing credit on a Cliff single or album. Better things were to come - much better.

Robert Porter:
September 1968: Cliff's 43rd single is released-- Marianne/Mr. Nice."
Mike Read, Nigel Goodall & Peter Lewry (1995 - The Complete Chronicle)

• Running Time: 2:13
• Record Date: July 1, 1968
• Record Location: Abbey Road, London
• Written By: Terry Britten
• Arranged By: Mike Leander
• Produced By: Norrie Paramor
• Engineered By: Peter Vince
• Performed By: Cliff Richard (vocals), Mike Leander (orchestra conductor), The Mike Leander Orchestra (orchestra and all other instruments)

 

Good to hear the shows are going well.

 

Thank you for thinking of us! It´s been fun!

 

I like both sides of the single. "Marianne" is a lovely little ballad. "Mr. Nice" has a good tune and a catchy refrain. The brass tends to make it sound more of a throwaway recording. I was pleasantly surprised by it when I got the record because I didn't expect it to be any good at all.

 

Agree about the A-side. It´s lovely. Not, perhaps, what you expect to hear on a single, but I do understand why Cliff liked it, and he sings it so well. Almost understated, and it fits the song.

I hadn´t thought about the arrangement of "MR NICE". It may be the brass I don´t like about the song - it´s pleasant, but something about the recording left me dissastisfied. I still think it´s an "undercooked" song - nice, catchy melody, but not that memeorable, imo, and with lyrics that would fit on a children´s song. But, as you say, catchy enough.

 

Juts heard in an interview with Cliff that his next album will be possibly be an album of original songs, something to look forward to, i really thought that ship had sailed.

 

I really, really, really hope so!

 

Me too!

 

This is the best - and most unexpected - Cliff-related news I´ve heard in ages! (Well, since The Piano Guys single.) Like you, I never thought this would come to pass. Thank you for once again being the bearer of good tidings, Phil! Let´s hope it resembles "SOMETHING´S GOIN´ ON" instead of "WANTED".

 

It would be great if this was the case! Fingers crossed it is true.

 

Absolutely. The first one since 2004...

 

Don't forget Soulicious was mainly new songs....

 

True. I tend not to remember that album very well, and I did forget it now. I really should listen to it again. As I said, I loved the DVD of it.

 

Some very contemporary songs on 'Soulicious', such as DON'T SAY YOU LOVE ME, but I do think Percy Sledge was wasted on a cover of I'M YOUR PUPPET. I expect we will get to 'Soulicious' for further discussion in due course. I'd start with renaming the album, and giving it a different front cover.

 

A bit off topic, but one of the videos I filmed from last night.
Apologies for the quality!
There is two others I took also, which should be there somewhere.