THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,285) Timebox — “Gone Is the Sad Man”
This ’68 B-side is a “near-perfect piece of English psychedelic pop”, the “exuberant harmonies and . . . soulful lead vocal . . . swoop and glide”. (Mike Stax, liner notes to the CD comp Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969) It is a “gem” with a “gorgeous melody” (Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited), where “[b]ackwards guitars, boogie pianos and mellow vibraphone collide”. (liner notes to the CD comp Acid Drops, Spacedust & Flying Saucers: Psychedelic Confectionery from the UK Underground 1965-1969)
As to Timebox, Jon “Mojo” Mills tells us:
The roots of Timebox lay in local band Take 5 in 1965 in Southport, a small northern English coastal town . . . near Liverpool[]. . . . [The band] turned professional and headed towards London. . . . [T]hey were soon working on package tours . . . as well as striking up a residency at the legendary the Whiskey a Go Go. With two singers leaving . . . U.S. singer John Henry was drafted in and the band changed their name to Timebox — an American term for a prison cell. Signed to Piccadilly in February 1967, their debut single, “I’ll Always Love You” b/w “Save Your Love,” . . . was released and displayed an early jazz-tinged, soulful talent. Following this, more turns of fate occurred, with ex-G.I. Henry being whipped back off to the U.S.A by officials . . . . Mike Patto, who had played with the Bo Street Runners and the Chicago Line . . . joined Timebox after a few illustrious jams and took on a prominent role as vocalist and songwriter. . . . Timebox soon became a hot live act. Many who saw them claimed Timebox to be one of the first rock bands in London to really explore jazz in a rock context. A wonderful performance at the Windsor Jazz Festival on August 12, 1967, caught the eye of Decca producer Gus Dudgeon, who immediately signed them to the label’s subsidiary Deram. The first 45, a fantastic version of Tim Hardin’s “Don’t Make Promises,” was backed by the even better Ollie original “Walking Through the Streets of My Mind,” which combined sharp blue-eyed soul harmonies with a psychedelic arrangement. The follow-up — again a classic example of British soul — was a cover of the Four Seasons’ “Beggin” and reached number 38 in the charts. . . . The problem was that even Deram viewed Timebox as a pop band, and so the more experimental songs were left in the can while the silly sing-a-long tune “Baked Jam Roll in Your Eye,” written for fun when the band members were drunk, was the next release in March 1969. It’s styling was a little too late for the era of novelty psychedelia, and of no interest to the more rock-oriented record buyer . . . . By the summer of 1969, things were turning sour. The final release, “Yellow Van,” was a great record and polite enough for airplay, but was banned due to the nature of the lyrics. This really was the end of the road for Timebox who had had a hard time at the best of times. The nucleus of the band merged into Patto, who released three albums in the 1970s.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/timebox-mn0000602690#biography
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
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