THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
887) Dave Berry — “The Coffee Song”
Here is one of Dave’s (see #554, 778) great later pocket symphonies, from ‘68. Richie Unterberger tell us that:
Berry’s fourth and final 1960s album was the sound of a man falling behind and out of step with the pop trends of the day, even as he strained to keep somewhat abreast of them in a fashion that wouldn’t alienate his mainstream constituency. [It] is, like his previous ’60s LPs, a weird hit-and-miss hybrid of styles . . . . [H]e tossed in odd, spooky, orchestrated pop tunes that made it impossible to write the album off, like “The Coffee Song,” which vaguely recalls the early Bee Gees . . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/album/68-mw0002861455
I love the exotic “Kashmir”-like flourishes.
I need to thank Mike Brant for pointing out that Cream recorded this song — (yes, “Coffee” by Cream)! Bill says that “According to Chris Welch’s great book, Cream, The Coffee Song was recorded at their first studio session on August 3, 1966, along with Beauty Queen and You Make Me Feel.” (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/cream-the-coffee-song.169666/) And Jae says that the song made it onto “the 1966 Swedish release” of Fresh Cream.” (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/cream-the-coffee-song.169666/) I still like Dave Berry’s version better. So shoot me (just don’t shoot the deputy too)!
Nostalgia Central gives us a grounding:
In 1961 [Berry, born David Holgate Grundy] assumed his stage surname when invited to front The Cruisers . . . . [They] flogged a predominantly Chicago blues repertoire . . . [including] Dave’s idol (and namesake), Chuck Berry. . . . Berry’s big break came when Mickie Most . . . saw him perform . . . and [then] supervised a demo recording session for submission to Decca . . . . [Berry’s] stage presence was almost unclassifiable, and it was not enough for him to simply stand and sing a song. He made a point of appearing from behind pillars (it may take a full five minutes for him to emerge completely) and staring straight ahead while making strange beckoning arm-movements. These abstract hand-ballets would have seemed sinister were it not for the subtle merriment in his oriental eyes. . . . The Crying Game took Berry into the Top Five in September 1964 . . . . [and a] cover of Bobby Goldsboro’s Little Things restored Dave to the UK Top 10, but – apart from a disinclined 1966 recording of the sentimental Mama – this was his last bite of that particular cherry.
https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-a-to-k/artists-d/dave-berry/
Unterberger adds:
Briefly a big star in Britain in the mid-’60s, Dave Berry faced the same dilemma as several other British teen idols of the era: R&B was obviously nearest and dearest to his heart, but he needed to record blatantly pop material to make the hit parade. It was also obvious that Berry was in fact much more suited toward pop ballads than rough-and-tumble R&B, regardless of his personal preferences. At his peak, his output was divided between hard R&B/rockers and straight pop. . . . He made a rather good go of it . . . with romantic pop/rock ballads . . . . [H]e never made the slightest impression on the U.S. market . . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dave-berry-mn0000959279
Here’s Cream:
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