Sounds Nice was a British instrumental pop group which recorded in the 1960s.
Sounds Nice | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Pop |
| Years active | 1969–70 |
| Labels | Parlophone, Rare Earth |
| Past members | Tim Mycroft Paul Buckmaster |
Career edit
The group was founded by Tim Mycroft, keyboardist for Gun, and the name was taken from a comment by Paul McCartney on hearing a demo tape that it "sounds nice".[1]
The band's first single was a cover of "Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, re-titled "Love At First Sight", taking advantage of the original being banned by many British radio stations for its suggestive singing. It was released while the "parent" single was rising in popularity and had the advantage, unlike the original, of being played on Top Of The Pops.[2]
The single entered the UK Singles Chart at no. 45 for the week ending 6 September 1969, while the original was at no. 8; it eventually peaked at no. 18 for the week ending 18 October 1969, just as the original was displaced from the number 1 slot.[3] The song also got to no. 8 in South Africa.[4]
The follow-up was another instrumental version of a French song, "La Jeanne", suggested to the band by Patti Boyd; arranger Paul Buckmaster, after a sleepless night trying to think of an English title, settled on "Sleepless Night".[5]
It was not a hit, but Parlophone had enough faith in the concept to allow Mycroft and Buckmaster to assemble session musicians (including Clem Cattini, Herbie Flowers, and Chris Spedding)[6] to create an album of varying styles, named Love At First Sight after the band's sole success.[7]
The album also missed the charts, and the two prime movers went their separate ways; Mycroft as a soloist, and Buckmaster originally joining the Chris Farlowe-led band The Hill.[8]
See also edit
External links edit
References edit
- ^ Jones, Alan (4 August 1969). "New singles". Lincolnshire Echo: 7.
- ^ "Sounds Nice Feat. Tim Mycroft". TOTP Archive. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart on 12/10/1969 12 October 1969 - 18 October 1969". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ "Sounds Nice (UK)". SA Singles Charts. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ "Sounds Very Nice!". Whitstable Times: 3. 5 December 1969.
- ^ As noted on the album sleeve.
- ^ "New albums". Reading Evening Post: 7. 17 January 1970.
- ^ "Chris Farlowe With The Hill". Widnes Weekly News and District Reporter: 8. 15 May 1970.