Love Sculpture

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For the sculpture by Robert Indiana, see Love (sculpture).
Love Sculpture
Origin United Kingdom
Genres Blues, rock
Years active 1966–1970
Labels Parlophone
Associated acts Rockpile
Past members Dave Edmunds
John David
Rob 'Congo' Jones
Mickey Gee
Terry Williams

Love Sculpture were a Welsh blues-rock band[1] of the late 1960s, led by Dave Edmunds (born David William Edmunds, 15 April 1944, Cardiff, Glamorgan, South Wales), plus bassist John David (born John David Williams, 19 January 1946, Cardiff, South Wales) and drummer Rob 'Congo' Jones (born Robert Jones, 13 August 1946, Barry, Glamorgan, South Wales).

Career

Love Sculpture formed in Cardiff in 1966 out of the remnants of another local band called The Human Beans,[2] and disbanded in 1970, although Edmunds went on to enjoy solo success in the 1970s. The band itself was essentially a showpiece for Edmunds' considerable technical ability on the guitar. Love Sculpture mostly performed blues standards, slightly revved-up, but still largely reverent to the originals, releasing their debut album, Blues Helping with such songs as "Summertime", "Wang Dang Doodle" etc.

They are best known for their 1968 novelty hit in the UK Singles Chart, a high speed cover version of the classical piece "Sabre Dance", by Aram Khachaturian, released on the Parlophone label (R 5744), which reached #5 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1968.[3] The recording was inspired by Keith Emerson's classical rearrangements.[4] "Sabre Dance" became a hit after garnering the enthusiastic attention of British DJ John Peel.[4] In December 1968, the UK music magazine, NME, reported that Love Sculpture had signed a U.S. recording contract with London Records, guaranteeing £250,000.[5] The band were also given an invitation to perform "Sabre Dance" live, on the German Beat-Club television programme of Radio Bremen, being broadcast in monochrome at that time.

This was followed by a second album Forms and Feelings, with songs including: "In The Land of the Few", "Farandole", "People People", "Seagull (West Coast Oil Tragedy)", written by Paul Korda, and the equally fast cover of Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me". The U.S. version of the album also featured a recording of "Mars" from Gustav Holst's The Planets, but Holst's estate refused to license the tune for the U.K. version.

They recorded three times for BBC Radio 1's John Peel sessions in 1968 (twice) and 1969.[6]

In 1970 Mickey Gee joined the band as a second guitarist, and Terry Williams replaced Rob Jones on drums.[7]

Love Sculpture split up after a U.S. tour, having recorded two albums. Edmunds shortly went on to further number one hit success with "I Hear You Knocking", and collaborated heavily with ex-Brinsley Schwarz bassist Nick Lowe, eventually forming the band Rockpile with him.

Discography

Albums

(released in the US in mid-1969 on Motown's new Rare Earth label (RS-505), with a different cover design)

(released in the US in 1970 on Parrot (PAS-71035)

Both albums were re-issued in May 2008, remastered and with bonus tracks (including the tracks from the two Singles listed below).

Singles

  • "River to Another Day" - (1968) - B-side - "Brand New Woman"
  • "Sabre Dance" - (1968) - B-side - "Think of Love" - UK #5 [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Love Sculpture at AllMusic
  2. ↑ "Love Sculpture". Making Time. Retrieved 2012-10-01. 
  3. ↑ "Sabre Dance". Chartstats.com. Retrieved 7 December 2010. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rick Clark, liner notes from The Dave Edmunds Anthology (1968-90), Rhino Records R2 71191 (1993)
  5. ↑ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 191. CN 5585. 
  6. ↑ "Radio 1 - Keeping It Peel - Love Sculpture". BBC. Retrieved 2012-10-01. 
  7. ↑ Mannerisms II - Man and Roots/Offshoots by Michael Mycock, published June 1995, page 108
  8. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 331. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 

External links

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