Another one from Cliff. He recorded some good stuff at times. Like The Day I Met Marie this was written by Hank Marvin.

I saw this cited in a list of 1960s psychedelia. At the time of its release, because of its performers, I did not consider it as such.

The drum pattern in this prefigures the one in Neanderthal Man by Hotlegs, the group that was the precursor to 10cc.

Cliff Richard and Hank Marvin: Throw Down a Line

Here’s a version from 1970 as credited to Marvin, Welch and Farrar.

Marvin, Welch and Farrar: Throw Down a Line

The band Hotlegs was a kind of precursor to 10cc. The trio who recorded this (Eric Stewart, Lol Crème and Kevin Godley) all went on to be in that group as did Graham Gouldman who was a member of Hotlegs but unable to play on this for contractual reasons.

Hotlegs: Neanderthal Man

In looking the above video up I came across this recording of the song for one of those compilation albums of knock-off versions of recent hits. The singer here?

A guy who went on to become Elton John.

Elton John: Neanderthal Man

After their next LP, Seventh Sojourn, which spawned two singles in Isn’t Life Strange and I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) both of which – unlike The Story in Your Eyes – troubled the charts, the Moody Blues broke up.

During the five years they spent apart most of them released solo LPs but the most successful venture was a collaboration between Justin Hayward and John Lodge which produced the LP Blue Jays but most memorably the song Blue Guitar, a no 8 hit in the UK. According to the Wiki article above Hayward actually recorded this with 10cc rather than Lodge but nevertheless the two took “Blue Jays” on the road mainly – as I recall Lodge introducing the track on stage – because of Blue Guitar.

Here they are performing it (ie miming) on Supersonic.

Justin Hayward and John Lodge: Blue Guitar

I mentioned when I began this category that The Jeff Beck Group’s Hi-Ho Silver Lining had been the runner-up in the competition which started off these musings.

Tallyman was The Jeff Beck Group’s follow-up single and as far as I recall failed to trouble the charts in any way and as a result is much less known these days than its predecessor. Tallyman has the distinction of being written by Graham Gouldman who composed 60s hits for among others The Yardbirds and The Hollies. Gouldman is now more famous for being a member of 10cc.

The Jeff Beck Group: Tallyman

Most folk would choose I’€™m Not In Love as their 10cc song of choice but I feature this mainly because I always wanted to write a parody of it – to be called I’€™m Randy. Try Me. (But I never got around to it.)

10cc: I’€™m Mandy Fly Me