THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,964) The Caravelles — “You Are Here”
“Smashing stuff” (Telegramsam, https://www.45cat.com/record/tf466), “a lovely pop tune” (Michael Jack Kirby, https://www.waybackattack.com/caravelles.html) from England’s unique duo the Caravelles (see #139, 186) with their “eerie close-harmony”, “breathy vocal style”. (Frank’s Jukebox, https://www.facebook.com/franks.jukebox/posts/the-caravelles-were-two-english-shopgirls-who-sang-in-pixie-dust-harmony-style-a/482176011001022/)
Laurence Purcell tells us that:
[“You Are Here” is] a lovely record, originally done by Robin Ward as “Winter’s Here”. Two words changed and, hey presto, you can sing this song all the year round. The arrangements are quite different: Ward went in for a majestic pseudo-Spector sound whereas the Caravelles’ version is more light and airy. Both are equally splendid. The Ward recording, released in the US a few months before, was not issued as a single in the UK. . . . Covered/ revived a few months later by the Caravelles . . . . [with a] completely different arrangement, but a record of equal charm . . . .
https://www.45cat.com/record/tf466, https://www.45cat.com/record/4516578
Frank’s Jukebox writes that “[t]he change in the lyrics might have ticked off composers Gil Garfield and Perry Botkin, Jr., but it makes the song more intimate and personal, and an elegant arrangement with strings shows that Harry Robinson wasn’t just a novelty-leaning eccentric.” (https://www.facebook.com/franks.jukebox/posts/the-caravelles-were-two-english-shopgirls-who-sang-in-pixie-dust-harmony-style-a/482176011001022/)
I much prefer the Caravelles’ version.
The Caravelles Origin Story Version #1
Andrew Hamilton:
A female duo consisting of Lois Wilkinson and Andrea Simpson from London, England, whose peak recording period was from 1963 to 1968. They were co-workers who entertained at office parties and amateur shows. Encouraged by co-workers to cut a record, they did a demo of “You Don’t Have to Be a Baby to Cry,” a tune they discovered on the back of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “Sixteen Tons.” They named themselves the Caravelles after the French airliner. A local company, BPR Records, liked the demo and redid the song in a professional studio.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-caravelles-mn0000633144#biography
The Caravelles Origin Story Version #2
Michael Jack Kirby:
Two teenage girls living in the London suburbs of 1963 possessed beautifully harmonious voices: Lois Wilkinson had just turned 19, shy girl Andrea Simpson was two years younger. They met while working in the office of an auto manufacturer, their musical like-mindedness leading them to one another’s homes to practice whenever possible . . . . All four mums and dads approved . . . . Older country and western songs, faves of their elders, had caught the girls’ fancy. “You Don’t Have to Be a Baby to Cry,” written by prolific songwriter Bob Merrill with Terry Shand, had been a minor U.S. country hit for Ernest Tubb in the fall of 1950, becoming more instilled five years later when chosen as the B side of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s unbelievably popular “Sixteen Tons[]” . . . . Lois and Andrea sent a simple one-take demo tape of the song to music biz types; seasoned London record man Bunny Lewis came ’round and suggested The Caravelles as a name, after the jet airliner produced in France . . . . A more polished studio recording arranged by bandleader-composer Harry Robinson . . . Lois and Andrea’s finished take possessed a fanciful innocence no previous version could have conceived. . . .
The Caravelles Origin Story Version #3
Terry Wilson:
At the time of their greatest fame, press stories told of how a blonde shorthand typist called Lois, and a brunette accounting machine operator called Andrea worked together in the same London company- and came together to play for an office party. However, in reality they were brought together by a man with an ear for talented singers called Curly Clayton- who ran a small recording Studio in Highbury, London. They were both keen to become professional singers and had both approached the studio independently. It was Clayton that suggested they might fare better as a duet. As a result of this encouragement, they learned some numbers to record as demos together- one of which was from the ‘B’-side of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “Sixteen Tons”- this was “You Don’t Have To Be A Baby To Cry”.
Michael Jack Kirby tells us of the Caravelles’ career:
Their initial approach had been to emulate the style of adolescent late-’50s hitmakers Patience and Prudence . . . . Retro by design, they sounded like they came right out of a dream. They had an image unlike other girl groups, Andrea a bit gangly, Lois always strumming away on a guitar nearly as big as she. Both were implausibly cute and that meant marketable. Lewis intended “You Don’t Have to Be a Baby to Cry” for release on his Ritz label, but the powerful Decca Ltd. provided more of a sure shot at success, so the single hit the streets in July 1963 on the Decca label with a Ritz Records logo to the right. Developing quickly, the song was in the top ten by the end of August; suddenly finding themselves inside the vortex, they toured Europe with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Del Shannon, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Beatles and another new girl singer, Cilla Black. Then Smash Records picked up the master for American release . . . . [I]t hit the U.S. top ten in December. Two months later they were on the bill of the Beatles’ very first American concert in Washington, D.C. . . . “I Really Don’t Want to Know” (another transformed country-to-pop song) had stiffed at home, so Smash skipped it, opting to promote the third single, “Have You Ever Been Lonely (Have You Ever Been Blue),” a 1932 tune with lineage to Ernest Tubb, who had a C&W hit with it in early ’49. Sounding nearly identical to its predecessor, the song barely lasted the month of February before radio and record buyers abandoned it. . . . “You Are Here” was a lovely pop tune . . . but it stalled on release that spring. Nothing worked, in fact . . . . Smash had given up after four singles and one album. U.K. 45s appeared on Fontana to no avail. Lois and Andrea called it quits in 1966…not from making music, just from each other. Don’t let it distress you…they remained good friends! Andrea kept the group going with another girl, near-Lois-lookalike Lynne Hamilton. “Hey Mama You’ve Been on My Mind” [see #139] went in a folk-rock direction. ’67 and ’68 recordings “I Want to Love You Again” and “The Other Side of Love” had more of a sunshine-pop sound. Wilkinson ventured forth on a solo career with the name Lois Lane . . . . [H]er 1968 cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Punky’s Dilemma” and a strange little tune called “Brontosaurus Named Bert” . . . have undeniable appeal. But as with the post-’63 Caravelles, the records weren’t strong sellers. A shame, since the music is quite good…all of it. . . .
As to Robin Ward, Jason Ankeny tells us that:
Famed for the 1963 ballad “Wonderful Summer,” pop singer Robin Ward was born Jacqueline McDonnell in Hawaii . . . . Raised primarily in Nebraska, she later became a Los Angeles session vocalist under her married name, Jackie Ward; for “Wonderful Summer,” her solo debut for Dot, she borrowed the name Robin from her daughter, believing it more suitable for the teen audience the record courted. A lushly dramatic classic of the girl group genre, the single reached the number 14 spot a week before the Kennedy assassination; Ward recorded five more singles for Dot but never recaptured her initial success.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/robin-ward-mn0000286184#biography
Here is Robin Ward:
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