(Review by Bruce Eder, "Rockasteria.Blogspot.co.uk"): "'The Foundations' were a surprisingly obscure late-'60s outfit, considering that they managed to reach the tops of the both the British and American charts more than once in the space of a year and had a solid three years of recordings.
"At the time of their debut in mid-1967, they were hailed as being among the most authentic makers of soul music ever to emerge from England - the best practitioners of the 'Motown' sound to be found on the far side of the Atlantic - and were also accepted in jazz circles as well. 'Baby Now That I've Found You', [the featured Jam] 'Build Me Up Buttercup' and 'In the Bad, Bad Old Days' were the biggest hits for this multi-racial octet, made up of Londoners and West Indians.
"'The Foundations' were formed in January 1967 in the basement of a local coffee bar in Bayswater, gathered together through advertisements in 'Melody Maker'. Lead singer Clem Curtis was a former boxer from Trinidad, while lead guitarist Alan Warner had been making his living in the printing trade in London while waiting for music to pay off.
"Flautist/saxman Pat Burke hailed from Jamaica, tenor saxman Mike Elliott had played with Colin Hicks (brother of Tommy Steele) in his band the 'Cabin Boys', as well as in several jazz bands, and trombonist Eric Allan Dale was another jazz veteran. Tony Gomez (keyboards), Peter Macbeth (bass), and Tim Harris (drums) rounded out the lineup. They selected the name 'Foundations' based on their surroundings, a rehearsal space in the basement of a building.
"'The Foundations' split in 1970, and by the middle of the decade that followed, Curtis revived the band - but so had Young, and both outfits were called 'The Foundations'. A lawsuit resulted in Curtis getting the rights to the original name, while Young was allowed to use the 'New Foundations'.
"The group remains fondly remembered, if not often written about, in England, and it achieved some fresh international recognition in 1998 when 'Build Me Up Buttercup' appeared prominently in the hit movie 'There's Something About Mary'. Curtis continues to perform in a revived version of the group, and he and Warner have recorded new versions of 'The Foundations' classic numbers."
14 Comments (since 19 Jul 2015)
leejohnson
(Review by Bruce Eder, "Rockasteria.Blogspot.co.uk"): "'The Foundations' were a surprisingly obscure late-'60s outfit, considering that they managed to reach the tops of the both the British and American charts more than once in the space of a year and had a solid three years of recordings.
leejohnson
"At the time of their debut in mid-1967, they were hailed as being among the most authentic makers of soul music ever to emerge from England - the best practitioners of the 'Motown' sound to be found on the far side of the Atlantic - and were also accepted in jazz circles as well. 'Baby Now That I've Found You', [the featured Jam] 'Build Me Up Buttercup' and 'In the Bad, Bad Old Days' were the biggest hits for this multi-racial octet, made up of Londoners and West Indians.
leejohnson
"'The Foundations' were formed in January 1967 in the basement of a local coffee bar in Bayswater, gathered together through advertisements in 'Melody Maker'. Lead singer Clem Curtis was a former boxer from Trinidad, while lead guitarist Alan Warner had been making his living in the printing trade in London while waiting for music to pay off.
leejohnson
"Flautist/saxman Pat Burke hailed from Jamaica, tenor saxman Mike Elliott had played with Colin Hicks (brother of Tommy Steele) in his band the 'Cabin Boys', as well as in several jazz bands, and trombonist Eric Allan Dale was another jazz veteran. Tony Gomez (keyboards), Peter Macbeth (bass), and Tim Harris (drums) rounded out the lineup. They selected the name 'Foundations' based on their surroundings, a rehearsal space in the basement of a building.
leejohnson
"'The Foundations' split in 1970, and by the middle of the decade that followed, Curtis revived the band - but so had Young, and both outfits were called 'The Foundations'. A lawsuit resulted in Curtis getting the rights to the original name, while Young was allowed to use the 'New Foundations'.
leejohnson
"The group remains fondly remembered, if not often written about, in England, and it achieved some fresh international recognition in 1998 when 'Build Me Up Buttercup' appeared prominently in the hit movie 'There's Something About Mary'. Curtis continues to perform in a revived version of the group, and he and Warner have recorded new versions of 'The Foundations' classic numbers."
leejohnson
The record, released in December 1968, got to No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1969. It was also a No. 2 hit in the UK in the same period. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Build_Me_Up_Buttercup
gambiller
yes
shitsterbauer
Jam.
hsmagnet
am top40 radio staple
clementix
Solid; pop song making at its best.
21schizoid
Friday night...late wee bar/club...mates...drunk...singalonga...shocking dance moves... ;-D
leejohnson
@21schizoid Oooh, a few memory cells jogged there, then!!! :D
21schizoid
Just the odd one, here and there... ;-D