The Honeycombs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Honeycombs
Origin London, England
Genre(s) Pop
Years active 1964-1967
Label(s) Pye Records
Website thehoneycombs.co.uk
Members
see below

The Honeycombs were an English Beat/pop group of the 1960s. Their most distinguishing mark was their female drummer, Honey Lantree.

Contents

[edit] Discovery

One night the group, known then as The Sheratons, was playing in a London pub, The Mildmay Tavern in the Balls Pond Road. In the audience were Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, a very prolific British songwriting team, who later wrote hits for such artists as Lulu, Elvis Presley, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich and Petula Clark. Howard and Blaikley, then working in production for BBC Television, liked what they saw and suggested the band might like to hear some of their material. The band had an upcoming audition with indie record producer Joe Meek, whom most notably had produced The Tornados, and composed their number one hit ("Telstar") in 1962, and were eager for some new material. At the audition in Meek's studio in Holloway Road, they played Howard and Blaikley's "Have I the Right?" which Meek immediately recorded.

The group's founder Martin Murray had worked as a hairdresser, Honey Lantree being his assistant. They decided to combine his profession with the name of the drummer, and changed their name to The Honeycombs. They were signed to the Pye record label. After proving a 'sleeper' for seven weeks the record took off in the summer of 1964 reaching the number one spot around the world and selling over 2 million records. It was Meek's final hit in the United States, where it was issued on the Interphon label (a Vee Jay label). The Honeycombs were managed by Howard and Blaikley who went on to write more successes for them.

[edit] Success

The Honeycombs' first recording 'Have I The Right?' hit number one in the UK and number five in the US in the autumn of 1964 shortly after the start of the British Invasion in pop music. They were especially successful in Sweden (four consecutive number ones) and in Japan ('Love in Tokyo' went to number one and they issued a Japan only released live album). Honey Lantree was an accomplished drummer and the star attraction of the group as she was one of very few female drummers at the time. The unique and heavily compressed bass drum sound on 'Have I The Right?' which many other drummers of the period tried to replicate was augmented by the group stamping on the stairs of Meek's studio. Meek achieved this by placing four microphones attached with bicycle clips under the stairs. The Honeycombs also recorded the song in German.

They made many appearances on music television shows such as Top of the Pops, Ready Steady Go! (UK); and Beat-Club (Germany). They also recorded their second album entitled All Systems - Go! in 1965. A dubbed performance appears in the 1965 British film Pop Gear (US title Go Go Mania!).

The Honeycombs line up changed in 1966 and the group became known as the New Honeycombs. The New Honeycombs were the original drummer and vocalist Honey Lantree plus bassist John Lantree and included in the new lineup were Rod Butler on lead guitar and vocals, Colin Boyd on vocals and guitar, and Eddie Spence on keyboards and vocals. Further singles were recorded at Joe Meek's the studio and were released on the Pye label. The New Honeycombs went on to tour extensively in the UK and Europe.

[edit] Personnel

The group originally consisted of:-

Today's line-up consists of:-

  • Martin Murray - Rhythm Guitar
  • Jim Green - Drums (b. 1951)
  • Tony Harte - Lead Vocals (b. 1952)
  • Colin Fox - Bass Guitar (b. 1951)
  • Paul Green - Lead Guitar (b. 1950)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

UK

  • "Have I the Right?" (Howard/Blaikley) b/w "Please Don't Pretend Again" (Meek/Lawrence)(June 1964)
  • "Is It Because" b/w "I'll Cry Tomorrow" (Meek) (October 1964)
  • "Eyes" b/w "If You've Got To Pick A Baby" (November 1964)
  • "Something Better Beginning" (Ray Davies) b/w "I'll See You Tomorrow" (April 1965)
  • "That's the Way" b/w "Can't Get Through To You" (August 1965)
  • "This Year Next Year" b/w "Not Sleeping Too Well Lately" (November 1965)
  • "Who Is Sylvia" b/w "How Will I Know" (February 1966)
  • "It's So Hard" b/w "I Fell In Love" (July 1966)
  • "That Loving Feeling" b/w "Should A Man Cry" (September 1966)

US

  • "Have I the Right?" (Howard/Blaikley) b/w "Please Don't Pretend Again" (Meek/Lawrence) -Interphon 7707 1964
  • "I Can't Stop"/"I'll Cry Tomorrow" -Interphon 7713 1964
  • "That's The Way"/"Color Slide" -Interphon 7716 1965
  • "Something Better Beginning"/"I'll See You Tomorrow" -Warner Bros. 5634 1965
  • "I Can't Get through To You"/"That's The Way" -Warner Bros. 5655 1965
  • "Who Is Sylvia"/"How Will I Know" -Warner Bros. 5803 1966

"I Can't Stop", which got to #48 on the U.S. Pop Charts, is something of a lost hit of the British Invasion, since it wasn't a single in the UK or Europe and it's never included on subsequent Honeycombs CD reissues.

[edit] Albums

Colour Slide / Once You Know / Without You It Is Night / That's The Way / I Want To Be Free / How The Mighty Have Fallen / Have I The Right? // Just A Face In The Crowd / Nice While It Lasted / Leslie Anne / She's Too Way Out / It Ain't Necessarily So / This Too Shall Pass Away

I Can't Stop / Don't Love Her No More / All Systems Go / Totem Pole / Emptiness / Ooee Train / She Ain't Coming Back // Something I Gotta Tell You / Our Day Will Come / Nobody But Me / There's Always Me / Love In Tokyo / If You Should / My Prayer

  • In Tokyo (Nippon Columbia PS-1277, 1966) (Live-recording, Japan only)

Colour Slide / I'll Go Crazy / She's About A Mover / There's Always Me / Wipe Out / Lucille // If You Should / Have I The Right? / Goldfinger / Kansas City / My Prayer / What'd I Say

  • Into the 21st Century (EP/CD, recorded 2007)

Have I The Right / Colour Slide / Something Better Beginning / Without You It Is Night / Lesley Ann / I Can't Stop / Totem Pole / Is It Because

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Languages