Posted March 20, 200619 yr In 1968, only the Beatles sold more records in Britain than the Love Affair. Yet none of the band was over twenty, their brattish antics aggravated the cognoscenti and they didn't even play on their singles. The ace up their elegantly-embroidered Carnaby Street sleeve was Steve Ellis, an immensely talented singer whose voice belied his tender, 18-year-old frame. It may have been a cover version but "Everlasting Love" still encapsulates an era of innocent pop, an era which also spawned songs like "Young Girl", "Bend Me, Shape Me", "Silence Is Golden", "Baby Come Back" and "Baby Now That I've Found You". Some rock historians would have us believe that the late 60s were all about the blossoming of flower power, not of crude Top 30 singles. But as the beat explosion's most vital exponents - the Kinks, the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, the Small Faces - retreated to the studio to change the face of music, new names were needed to fill the void, in a world of showbiz, teen mags, clothes allowances, Top Of The Pops and screaming girls. The band were attacked for not playing on their singles, despite the fact it wasn't an unusual scenario for the time - and anyway, who wanted to hear a bunch of 'pretty boy' teenagers with mediocre talent? Singles 1968 Everlasting Love #1 1968 Rainbow Valley #5 1968 A Day without Love #6 1969 One Road #16 1969 Bringing on back the good times #9 Were they harshly judged, in a time when backing musicians played on tracks, and singers mimed on TOTP. They were banned from TOTP,one of the first bands to be banned, the musicians union were after them. The only thing for Sure is that lead singer Steve Ellis did sing the lead vocals, and a powerful voice he had at that. Even though I am not a fan off manufactured music, I do admit to liking most of their hits.
March 21, 200619 yr totally agreed.... they didnt break any barriers, they werent 'cutting edge', in a time when new styles were still being discovered the love affair was nothing more then a pop act, but what a pop act! compared to what their contemporaries were doing (tremeloes, hermans hermits, marmalade, manfred mann , dddbmt etc) the love affair were producing some of the very best pop of the 60's. i thought all of their tracks were superb, except 'on the road' which i cant recall. a great, often overlooked group, manufactured or not the quality of their tracks made it for me most acceptable.... whatever became of steve ellis?...
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