THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,044) Georgie Fame — “Getaway”
WARNING: If you are from the UK, do not read any further as “Getaway” hit #1! However, it only reached #70 in the U.S. It had “[t]he perfect sound for the emerging summer of love with its carefree mood” (Max Bell, https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/georgie-fame/) and is “every bit as good as ‘Yeh Yeh'”. (Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) As an extra-special treat, the song is presented with a super-cool video created by a German TV show.
Millie Zeiler says that:
Coming from the album, Sweet Things, “Get Away” was a summer of 1966 hit for Georgie Fame as this single topped the UK Singles Chart. It also became a number one hit in Canada, as well as peaking within the top forty official music charts belonging to Australia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden. Originally written as a jingle for a commercial, this song became a big fan favorite not long after it was first released. . . . Immediately after “Get Away” was used as a jingle for National Petrol, it was reworked to become a single that would become one of Fame’s signature songs. Between the fast lyrics and brassy instrumentation, this hustling favorite beautifully balanced the world of jazz and rock and roll in what is still regarded as perfect harmony.
https://www.classicrockhistory.com/top-10-georgie-fame-songs/
I like to think I was named in honor of Georgie Fame (see #103, 169, 634, 695, 721) Hey, my mother used to call me Georgie, and we share the same initials (along with gluten-free items!). If only I were so cool! As Oregano Rathbone has said, “[i]t’s imperative not to trust anyone who doesn’t love Georgie Fame, though we can’t begin to imagine what kind of monster such a person would have to be.” (https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/whole-worlds-shaking-complete-recordings-1963-66)
As to Georgie, Max Bell says:
Georgie Fame . . . is one of British R&B music’s founding fathers. . . . [with immense] cultural influence. . . . The black music he championed with his band The Blue Flames brought new sounds to Swinging London and bossed venues like the Flamingo Club and the Marquee where he turned the English mod movement on to a whole bag of soul and authentic US urban and country sounds and also the ska and early reggae he heard in the Jamaican cafes and clubs in the Ladbroke Grove area of London. . . .
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/georgie-fame/
Steve Huey adds that:
Georgie Fame’s swinging, surprisingly credible blend of jazz and American R&B earned him a substantial following in his native U.K., where he scored three number one singles during the ’60s. . . . Early in his career, he . . . peppered his repertoire with Jamaican ska and bluebeat tunes, helping to popularize that genre in England; during his later years, he was one of the few jazz singers of any stripe to take an interest in the vanishing art of vocalese, and earned much general respect from jazz critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/georgie-fame-mn0000543055/biography
As to Fame’s early history, Bell tells us that:
[He] depart[ed] to London aged 16 to seek his fortune. He touted his talents up and down the legendary Tin Pan Alley area of Denmark Street just off Soho where he was spotted by impresarios Lionel Bart and Larry Parnes who christened him Georgie Fame – somewhat against his will. Working with touring rock and rollers like Joe Brown, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran young Fame became battle-hardened and was snapped up by Billy Fury in 1961 to lead his backing band The Blue Flames for whom he arranged and sang. The Blue Flames and Fury parted company and so Georgie took over . . . .
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/georgie-fame/
Steve Huey again:
The[ Flames’] budding reputation landed them a residency at the West End jazz club the Flamingo, and thanks to the American servicemen who frequented the club and lent Fame their records, [Fame] discovered the Hammond B-3 organ, becoming one of the very few British musicians to adopt the instrument in late 1962. From there, the Blue Flames became one of the most popular live bands in London. In 1963, they signed with EMI Columbia, and in early 1964 released their acclaimed debut LP, Rhythm and Blues at the Flamingo. It wasn’t a hot seller at first, and likewise their first three singles all flopped, but word of the group was spreading. Finally, in early 1965, Fame hit the charts with “Yeh Yeh,” . . . . [which] went all the way to number one on the British charts . . . . His 1965 LP Fame at Last reached the British Top 20, and after several more minor hits, he had another British number one with “Getaway” in 1966. After one more LP with the original Blue Flames, 1966’s Sweet Thing, Fame broke up the band and recorded solo . . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/georgie-fame-mn0000543055/biography
Here is a live version on Beat Club:
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