Beautiful People (album)

Last updated

Beautiful People
Beautiful People - NS.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 1971
Recorded1970-71
StudioIBC Studios, London
Genre Pop, MOR
Length37.18 (UK), 38.56 (US)
Label Philips, Elektra (US)
Producer David Mackay
The New Seekers chronology
Keith Potger and the New Seekers
(1970)
Beautiful People
(1971)
New Colours
(1971)

Beautiful People is a 1971 album by UK pop group The New Seekers. This was the group's third album and their last one released in the UK on the Philips record label. It was their first to be solely produced by David Mackay, who would guide the group through their most successful period over the next two years.

Contents

Overview

The New Seekers had found top 20 success in the US with the song "Look What They've Done to My Song Ma" in 1970, which was also a more minor hit in the UK. Subsequent singles, however, failed to attract as much attention until mid-1971 when they released "Never Ending Song of Love", which was featured on this album. The song rose to #2 in the UK and became one of the biggest selling singles of the year, remaining on the chart for 17 weeks. This album, which was released in May 1971 also included the earlier singles "When There's No Love Left" (released in December 1970) and the US-release "Beautiful People", which was written by Melanie Safka, who had also penned the group's first hit. [1] This latter single made #67 on the Billboard Hot 100. [2] The US version of the album differed from the UK release with a slightly different track listing. This was the group's first album release there and reached #136 on the US album charts. [1]

Beautiful People was released on Compact Disc in 2008 as a double-pack with their 1972 album Circles.

Track listing (UK)

Side One

  1. "One" (Harry Nilsson) 3.11
  2. "Beautiful People" (Melanie Safka) 3.50
  3. "Never Ending Song of Love" (Delaney Bramlett) 3.13
  4. "Look What You Have Done" (Robb Royer, James Griffin) 2.32
  5. "When There's No Love Left" (Brian Peacock, Rob Lovett) 3.43
  6. "There's a Light" (Hans Poulsen) 2.09

Side Two

  1. "Blackberry Way" (Roy Wood) 2.38
  2. "Cincinnati" (Peter Doyle) 3.28
  3. "Eighteen Carat Friend" (Bruce Woodley) 2.55
  4. "Ain't Love Easy" (Carol Hall) 3.24
  5. "Your Song" (Elton John, Bernie Taupin) 3.21
  6. "I'll Be Home" (Randy Newman) 2.54

Track listing (US)

Side One

  1. "One"
  2. "Allright My Love" (Keith Potger, David Groom) 2.58
  3. "Ain't Love Easy"
  4. "Blackberry Way"
  5. "When There's No Love Left"
  6. "Your Song"

Side Two

  1. "Look What They've Done to My Song Ma" (Melanie Safka) 3.21
  2. "Cincinnati"
  3. "Eighteen Carat Friend"
  4. "Beautiful People"
  5. "I'll Be Home"
  6. "Never Ending Song of Love"
Never Ending Song of Love
Never Ending Song of Love - NS.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 1972
Recorded1970-71
Genre Pop, MOR
Length37.18
Label Polydor
Producer David Mackay
The New Seekers chronology
We'd Like to Teach the World to Sing
(1972)
Never Ending Song of Love
(1972)
Circles
(1972)

Never Ending Song of Love

By mid 1972, the group had achieved major success in the UK with two more top two hits; "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" and "Beg, Steal or Borrow" as well as a #2 album We'd Like to Teach the World to Sing . Eager to cash in on this, the group's new record company Polydor, licensed the tracks from Philips and re-released the album in May 1972 under the new title Never Ending Song of Love. [1] Where the original album had failed to chart in the UK, this time the album entered the charts in August, peaking at #35 and remaining in the top 50 for four weeks. [3]

One reviewer at the time made mention of the fact that it was a re-release and said of the album; "It could rate as one of the best things they have ever done - there's a fine choice of songs...and they can sing well." [4]

Track listing

Side One

  1. "Never Ending Song of Love"
  2. "Beautiful People"
  3. "One"
  4. "Look What You Have Done"
  5. "When There's No Love Left"
  6. "There's a Light"

Side Two

  1. "Blackberry Way"
  2. "Cincinnati"
  3. "Eighteen Carat Friend"
  4. "Ain't Love Easy"
  5. "Your Song"
  6. "I'll Be Home"

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Seekers</span> Australian folk group

The Seekers were an Australian folk-influenced pop group originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were especially popular during the 1960s, with their best-known configuration of Judith Durham on vocals, piano and tambourine; Athol Guy on double bass and vocals; Keith Potger on twelve-string guitar, banjo and vocals; and Bruce Woodley on guitar, mandolin, banjo and vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The New Seekers</span> British pop group

The New Seekers were a British pop group, formed in London in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music would have pop as well as folk influences. They achieved worldwide success in the early 1970s with hits including "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me" and "Beg, Steal or Borrow."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie C</span> English singer

Melanie Jayne Chisholm, professionally known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer-songwriter, DJ, businesswoman and media personality. As one of the five members of the Spice Girls, she was nicknamed Sporty Spice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie (singer)</span> American singer

Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk, professionally known as Melanie or Melanie Safka, is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for the 1971–72 global hit "Brand New Key"," plus her 1970 version of "Ruby Tuesday" which was originally written and recorded by the Rolling Stones, her composition "What Have They Done to My Song Ma", and her 1970 international breakthrough hit "Lay Down ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Know Him So Well</span> Duet from the album/musical Chess

"I Know Him So Well" is a duet from the concept album and subsequent musical Chess by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It was originally sung by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson. In this duet, two women – Svetlana, the Russian chess champion's estranged wife, and Florence, his mistress – express their bittersweet feelings for him and at seeing their relationships fall apart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie Blatt</span> English singer

Melanie Ruth Blatt, also known as Mel Blatt, is an English singer. She rose to fame in 1997 as a member of the girl group All Saints. The group have gained five UK number-one singles, two multi-platinum albums and two BRIT Awards, and have sold over 10 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will You Love Me Tomorrow</span> 1960 single by the Shirelles

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow", sometimes known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song with words by Gerry Goffin and music composed by Carole King. It was recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was the first by an African-American all-girl group to reach number one in the United States. It has since been recorded by many other artists including a 1971 version by co-writer Carole King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Are Everything</span>

"You Are Everything" is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed and originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackberry Way</span> 1968 single by The Move

"Blackberry Way" is a 1968 single by British band The Move. Written by the band's guitarist/vocalist Roy Wood and produced by Jimmy Miller, "Blackberry Way" was a bleak counterpoint to the sunny psychedelia of earlier recordings. It nevertheless became the band's most successful single, reaching number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Is the Drug</span> 1975 single by Roxy Music

"Love Is the Drug" is a 1975 song from English rock band Roxy Music's fifth studio album Siren, released as a single in September 1975. Co-written by Bryan Ferry and Andy Mackay, the song originated as a slower, dreamier track until the band transformed its arrangement to become more dance-friendly and uptempo. Ferry's lyrics recount a man going out looking for action.

Peter John Doyle was an Australian pop singer who had success with a number of Top 40 hits in Australia in the 1960s, then success internationally as a member of the New Seekers in the early 1970s, before resuming a solo career in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)</span> 1993 single by Sub Sub

"Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" is a song by British dance music act Sub Sub, released on 29 March 1993 as the second single from their debut album, Full Fathom Five (1994). It features Temper Temper's Melanie Williams on vocals. The song was the act's biggest single, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart, number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart and becoming one of many dance singles in 1993 to cross over into mainstream popularity in the UK. In the accompanying music video, Jimi Goodwin plays bass, Jez Williams plays keyboards and percussion, and Andy Williams plays keytar. After struggling to repeat the success of the single, and after a fire destroyed the band's Ancoats studio in 1996, the group eventually reformed with a radically different sound as Doves in 1998.

<i>Wed Like to Teach the World to Sing</i> Album by The New Seekers

We'd Like to Teach the World to Sing is the name given to two albums by UK pop group The New Seekers. The first of these, released in late 1971, was a repackaging of their previous album New Colours and was released in the US. The second version of the album was released in the UK and Europe in 1972 with a new line-up of tracks. Both albums however contained the song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing ".

<i>New Colours</i> 1971 studio album by The New Seekers

New Colours is a 1971 album by UK pop group The New Seekers. It was their first album released on the Polydor label.

<i>Keith Potger and the New Seekers</i> 1970 studio album by Keith Potger and The New Seekers

Keith Potger and the New Seekers is a 1970 album by the UK-based pop group The New Seekers. It was the group's second album and their only one to feature the group's founder Keith Potger as a member.

<i>Live at the Royal Albert Hall</i> (The New Seekers album) 1972 live album by The New Seekers

Live at the Royal Albert Hall is a 1972 double-album by British pop group The New Seekers. The album was released in November, having been recorded some months earlier.

<i>Steppin Out</i> (Neil Sedaka album) 1976 studio album by Neil Sedaka

Steppin' Out is a 1976 album containing the works of Neil Sedaka. In America it was the third and final album of a trilogy of albums issued by The Rocket Record Company. Outside America Steppin' Out was issued on the Polydor label. In 1998, the Varèse Sarabande label reissued Steppin' Out and included four bonus tracks.

<i>Farewell Album</i> 1974 studio album by The New Seekers

Farewell Album is the final album released by The New Seekers in their early 1970s hit-making line up, released in 1974. It is also the group's last release on Polydor Records.

<i>The Seekers</i> (1975 album) 1975 studio album by The Seekers

The Seekers is the seventh studio album by Australian group the Seekers. The album was released in May 1975. Louisa Wisseling provided the vocals. It was the first The Seekers' album not to feature the vocals of Judith Durham. The lead single "Sparrow Song" was released in May 1975, peaking at number 7 on the Kent Music Report. A second single "Reunion" was released in November 1975 and peaked at number 83.

"What Have They Done to My Song Ma" is a song written and performed by Melanie Safka. It was co-written by HM Saffer II, a notable American painter and musician who worked for Warner Brothers Productions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Thenewseekers.com". www77.thenewseekers.com.
  2. "The New Seekers US singles". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  3. "Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  4. "Lyn Paul website: New Seekers - UK Albums". www.lynpaulwebsite.org.