The Real Thing (UK band)
| The Real Thing | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Real Thing (1972) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | British soul, Brit funk, disco, R&B |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Labels | Pye, Calibre, Jive |
| Associated acts |
David Essex The Chants[1] Biddu[2] |
| Members |
Chris Amoo Dave Smith Eddie Amoo |
| Past members |
Ray Lake Kenny Davis |
The Real Thing are a British soul group formed in the 1970s. In addition to a string of British hits, the band charted internationally with their song "You to Me Are Everything", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 28 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart and No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. By number of sales, they were the most successful black rock/soul act in England during the 1970s.[3] The journalist, author and founder of Mojo, Paul Du Noyer credits them alongside Deaf School with restoring "Liverpool's musical reputation in the 1970s" with their success.[4]
History
Begun in 1970 by Chris Amoo, Dave Smith, Kenny Davis and Ray Lake, The Real Thing's live, progressive soul-influenced covers of American hits attracted enough attention for them to secure a recording deal with EMI.[5] The singles they released through EMI in 1972 and 1973 such as "Vicious Circle" were, despite their high quality, not successful sellers (and have not so far been included on any of band's compilation albums). But the band persisted, even after the departure of Kenny Davis. They did appear on Opportunity Knocks (the TV talent show). The turn-around for their career began with their collaboration with David Essex and Pye Records. They toured internationally with Essex, recording with him a number of popular songs, though none were big charters. After Chris Amoo's brother Eddie joined the band, The Real Thing finally found chart success with the catchy pop soul single "You to Me Are Everything", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 28 on Billboard's "R&B Singles" and No. 64 on Billboard's "Hot 100".[5][6] Their follow-up, "Can't Get By Without You", did not chart in the US but was still a success in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 2.
In 1976, they released their first album, Real Thing,[7] which included both of their hit singles as well as a third UK hit, "You'll Never Know What You're Missing",[8] which peaked at No. 16.[9] They continued recording prolifically, releasing a steady stream of subsequent albums: 1977's Four from Eight[10] (originally to have been called Liverpool 8 in honour of the racially mixed, economically depressed neighbourhood in which they grew up, before Pye rejected the title), 1978's Step Into our World, (reissued in 1979 as Can You Feel the Force)[11] and 1982's compilation 100 Minutes.[5] During the time period, they accumulated eight more British hits. "Love's Such a Wonderful Thing" peaked at #33 in 1977.[9] 1978 saw "Whenever You Want My Love" at #18, "Let's Go Disco" at #39 and "Rainin' Through My Sunshine" at #40. "Can You Feel the Force?" climbed to #5 in 1979, the same year that "Boogie Down (Get Funky Now)" hit #33. 1980's "She's a Groovy Freak" capped a successful run, at #52, coming just a few months too late to be included in the band's first compilation, a K-tel collection of their Greatest Hits released in May 1980.[9][12] In 1982 they returned to working with David Essex, performing as backing vocalists on his tour and they also performed backing vocalists on Essex's 1982 top 20 hit 'Me And my Girl (Nightclubbing)' appearing with him on Top of the Pops. They scored a dance floor hit with a single specially written for them by Lynsey De Paul and Terry Britten, called "We Got Love" in 1984.[13]
In 1986, the band enjoyed a chart resurgence with the remixing of several of their hits. "You to Me Are Everything (the Decade Remix)" charted twice in the UK, peaking at No. 5 during a 12-week run in spring and returning in June for additional week at No. 72.[9] "Can't Get By Without You (the Second Decade Remix)" rose almost as high to No. 6, remaining a consecutive 13 weeks. "Can You Feel the Forces ('86 Remix)" climbed to No. 24, but the band's final UK charter for the year, "Straight to the Heart", peaked at No. 71, remaining for only two weeks.
Group personnel
- Current members
- Chris Amoo (born Christopher Charles Amoo, 14 October 1952, Liverpool) – vocals
- Dave Smith (born David Smith, 6 July 1952) – vocals
- Eddie Amoo (born Edward Robert Amoo, 5 May 1950, Liverpool) – vocals, guitars
- Real Thing Band
- John Chapman - Saxophone
- Sam Edwards - Keyboards
- Stuart Ansell - Guitar
- Jon Bower - Bass
- Danny Rose - Drums
- Former members
- Ray Lake (born Raymond Lake, 11 February 1946, Liverpool d. 2000) – falsetto backing vocals
- Kenny Davis – vocals
Discography
| The Real Thing discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 4 |
| Live albums | 1 |
| Compilation albums | 3 |
| Singles | 24 |
Albums
- Studio albums
| Year | Title | Chart Positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 1976 | Real Thing | 34 |
| 1977 | 4 from 8 | |
| 1978 | Step into Our World retitled as Can You Feel the Force (1979) |
73 |
| 1980 | ....Saints Or Sinners? | |
- Live albums
| Year | Title | Chart Positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 1998 | The Real Thing Live | |
- Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Chart Positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 1980 | 20 Greatest Hits | 56 |
| 1982 | 100 Minutes | |
| 1982 | The Best of The Real Thing | 24 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK[9] | IRL | NZ | |||
| 1973 | "Plastic Man" | — | – | – | – |
| "Listen, Joe Mcgintoo" | – | – | – | ||
| "Humpty Dumpty" | – | – | – | ||
| 1974 | "Vicious Circle" | – | – | – | |
| "Daddy Dear" | – | – | – | ||
| 1975 | "Watch Out Carolina" | – | – | – | |
| "Stone Cold Love Affair" | – | – | – | ||
| 1976 | "You to Me Are Everything" | Real Thing | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| "Can't Get By Without You" | 2 | – | – | ||
| 1977 | "You'll Never Know What You're Missing" | 16 | – | – | |
| "Love's Such a Wonderful Thing" | 4 From 8 | 33 | – | – | |
| "Lightning Strikes Again" | – | – | – | ||
| 1978 | "Whenever You Want My Love" | Step into Our World / Can You Feel the Force |
18 | – | – |
| "Let's Go Disco" | — | 39 | – | – | |
| "Rainin' Through My Sunshine" | Step into Our World / Can You Feel the Force |
40 | – | – | |
| 1979 | "Can You Feel the Force?" | 5 | 23 | 24 | |
| "Boogie Down (Get Funky Now)" | ....Saints Or Sinners? | 33 | – | 46 | |
| 1980 | "Give Me Your Love" | – | – | – | |
| "Saint or Sinner?" | – | – | – | ||
| "She's a Groovy Freak" | — | 52 | – | – | |
| 1981 | "I Believe in You" | – | – | – | |
| "Foot Tappin'" | – | – | – | ||
| 1982 | "Love Takes Tears" | – | – | – | |
| "Seen to Smile" | – | – | – | ||
| 1984 | "We Got Love" | – | – | – | |
| "Street Scene" | – | – | – | ||
| 1986 | "You to Me Are Everything (The Decade Remix 76–86)" | 5 | 6 | 2 | |
| "Can't Get by Without You" (The Decade Remix II) | 6 | 8 | – | ||
| "Can You Feel the Force?" ('86 Remix) | 24 | 17 | – | ||
| "Straight to the Heart" | 71 | – | – | ||
| 1987 | "Hard Times" | 90 | – | – | |
| "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" | – | – | – | – | |
| 1989 | "The Crime of Love" | – | – | – | – |
| 2005 | "So Much Love to Give" (with Freeloaders) | Freshly Squeezed (Freeloaders album) |
9 | 30 | – |
See also
- List of disco artists (S-Z)
- Brit funk
- Jazz-funk
- List of bands from Merseyside
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
Further reading
References
- ↑ "The Chants – Bill Harry – Mersey Beat". Triumphpc.com. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ↑ "34. Biddu". The 50 Greatest Producers Ever. NME. 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ↑ Cohen, Sara (2007). Decline, renewal and the city in popular music culture: beyond the Beatles. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-7546-3243-6. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
Earlier on The Real Thing, Britain's biggest selling black rock/soul act of the 1970s....
- ↑ Du Noyer, Paul (1 September 2007). "Subversive dreamers: Liverpool songwriting from the Beatles to the Zutons". In Michael Murphy, Deryn Rees-Jones. Writing Liverpool: Essays and Interviews. Liverpool University Press. p. 246. ISBN 978-1-84631-073-7. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- 1 2 3 "The Real Thing Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ↑ "The Real Thing Billboard Singles". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ↑ Real Thing: Real Thing at Discogs (list of releases)
- ↑ "The Real Thing". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Roberts, David (2002). Guinness World Records British Hit Singles (15th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Ltd. p. 392. ISBN 0-85112-187-X.
- ↑ Real Thing: 4 from 8 at Discogs (list of releases)
- ↑ Real Thing: Step Into our World/Can You Feel the Force at Discogs (list of releases)
- ↑ "Greatest Hits". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ↑ "The Real Thing - We Got Love / Street Scene - RCA - UK - RCA 445". 45cat.com. 2013-01-31. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
External links
- Feature on the band including an interview with Eddie Amoo – 'Children of the Ghetto; the Story of the Real Thing'
- The Real Thing biography at Allmusic.com
- Video interview with Eddy Amoo from BBC Liverpool08
- The Real Thing discography at Discogs