Rating: **** (4 stars)
Title: The Birthday Party
Company: Liberty
Catalog: LST-7603
Year: 1968
Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+
Comments: original inner sleeve
Available: 1
Price: $70.00
The Idle Race trace their roots back to Birmingham, England's Mike Sheridan & the Nightriders. Following namesake Sheridan's 1966 decision to pursue a solo career, bassist Greg Masters, rhythm guitarist/singer Dave Pritchard and drummer Roger Spencer recruited former Carl Wayne & the Vikings guitarist Johnny Mann. Renaming themselves The Nightriders, Mann quit within a matter of months and was quickly replaced by singer/guitarist Jeff Lynne. Signed by Polydor, by 1967 the band had begun experimenting with a series of new sounds, in the process dropping the old name in favor of The Idle Race. With support from friend/admirer Roy Wood (then with Birmingham's The Move), 1967 saw the band signed to Liberty Records. A series of psychedelic singles ("The Imposters of Life's Magazine" b/w "Sitting In My Tree" Liberty catalog LBF 15026), "The Skeleton and the Roundabout" b/w "Knocking Nails Into My House" Liberty catalog LBF 15054 and "The End of the Road" b/w "Morning Sunshine" Liberty catalog LBF 15101), generated considerable media attention but did little in terms of sales. In spite of the absence of sales, in an uncharacteristic show of corporate faith, the lack of sales didn't disheartening Liberty executives who readily agreed to finance an album.
Having previously worked with engineers Eddie Offord and Gerald Chevin, Wood convinced the pair to check Idle Race out at a local concert and to subsequently sign on to produced the quartet's debut LP. Released in late 1968, "The Birthday Party" offered up a mix of the band's previous three singles (both "A" and "B" sides) and seven new studio selections. As with the earlier singles, the spotlight was clearly on Lynne who handled vocals, lead guitar and was credited with penning the majority of material. Musically the collection offering up a distinctively English blend of styles including music hall ("Lucky Man"), pseudo-classical arrangements ("Birthday" foreshadowing future Move and ELO projects), and upbeat out-of-their-minds psychedelia ("Morning Sunshine"). Complete with creative production touches, cryptic melodies ("Skeleton and the Roundabout") and jaunty melodies ("I Like Toys"), it made for a wonderful package. While the set didn't do much commercially, it attracted considerable critical recognition in the press (supposedly even The Beatles were impressed). For you trivia hounds, the American released featured a different and far less elaborate cover - the UK release featured a gatefold sleeve.
"The Birthday Party" track listing:
1.) Skeleton and the Roundabout (Jeff Lynne) - 2:16
2.) Happy Birthday - 3:16
3.) Birthday (Jeff Lynne) - 2:09
4.) I Like My Toys (Jeff Lynne) - 1:45
5.) Morning Sunshine (Jeff Lynne) - 2:45
6.) Follow Me, Follow (Jeff Lynne) - 2:45
7.) Sitting in My Tree (Jeff Lynne) - 2:50
8.) On With the Show (Jeff Lynne) - 2:20
9.) Lucky Man (Jeff Lynne) - 2:35
10.) Don't Put Your Boys in the Army, Mrs. Ward - 2:10
11.) Pie in the Sky (Pritchard) - 2:23
12.) The Lady Who Said She Could Fly (Jeff Lynne) - 2:17
13.) End of the Road (Jeff Lynne) - 2:05
