Love Sculpture were a Welsh

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

band that was active from 1966 to 1970, led by

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

(born 15 April 1944 in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

), with bassist John David (born 19 January 1946 in Cardiff) and drummer Rob "Congo" Jones (born 13 August 1946 in

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

, Wales).

Career

Love Sculpture were founded in Cardiff in 1966 by former members of the Human Beans. The band mostly performed

blues standard Blues standards are blues songs that have attained a high level of recognition due to having been widely performed and recorded. They represent the best known and most interpreted blues songs that are seen as standing the test of time. Blues s ...

s, slightly revved-up, but still close to the originals. Their debut album ''Blues Helping'' included the songs " Summertime" and "

Wang Dang Doodle "Wang Dang Doodle" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon. Music critic Mike Rowe calls it a party song in an urban style with its massive, rolling, exciting beat. It was first recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1960 and released by Chess Records i ...

". They are best known for their 1968

novelty Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, a high-speed

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the classical piece "

Sabre Dance "Sabre Dance", ''Suserov par''; russian: Танец с саблями, ''Tanets s sablyami'' is a movement in the final act of Aram Khachaturian's ballet '' Gayane'' (1942), where the dancers display their skill with sabres. It is Khachaturian' ...

" by

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; rus, Арам Ильич Хачатурян, , ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan, Ru-Aram Ilyich Khachaturian.ogg; hy, Արամ Խաչատրյան, ''Aram Xačʿatryan''; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet and Armenian ...

, released on the

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

label (R 5744), which reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1968. The recording was inspired by

Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 1944 – 11 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He became ...

's classical rearrangements.Rick Clark, liner notes from ''The Dave Edmunds Anthology (1968–90)'',

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

R2 71191 (1993) "Sabre Dance" became a hit after receiving air play by British DJ

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

, who was so impressed that he played it twice in one programme. In December 1968, UK music magazine ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' reported that Love Sculpture had signed a US

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

, guaranteeing £250,000. The band were also given an invitation to perform "Sabre Dance" live on the German ''

Beat-Club ''Beat-Club'' is a West German music programme that ran from September 1965 to December 1972. It was broadcast from Bremen, West Germany on ''Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen'', the national public TV channel of the ARD, and produced by one of its m ...

'' television programme of

Radio Bremen Radio Bremen (RB), Germany's smallest public radio and television broadcaster, is the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (which includes Bremerhaven). With its headquarters sited in Bremen, Radio Brem ...

, being broadcast in

monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochrom ...

at that time. Second album ''Forms and Feelings'' followed, with songs including "In The Land of the Few", "

Farandole The Farandole is an open-chain community dance popular in Provence, France. The Farandole bears similarities to the gavotte, jig, and tarantella. The carmagnole of the French Revolution is a derivative. Traditional dance The farandole is consi ...

", "People People", "Seagull (West Coast Oil Tragedy)", written by

Paul Korda Paul Korda (born Paul Kunstler, 1948 – 11 March 2020) was a Singaporean songwriter, singer, musician, and actor. He wrote and performed music from the 1960s onwards, and his songs have been covered by artists such as Roger Daltrey, Dave ...

, and the equally fast cover of

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

's "

You Can't Catch Me "You Can't Catch Me" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry, released as a single in 1956. Background The song's lyrics describe racing a souped-up "air-mobile" down the New Jersey Turnpike, then unfolding its wings and taking off. At the ...

". The US version of the album also featured a recording of "Mars" from

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

's ''

The Planets ''The Planets'', Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus. Each movement of the suite is name ...

'', but Holst's estate refused to license the tune for the UK version. They recorded for

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

's John Peel sessions in 1968 (twice) and 1969. In 1970

Mickey Gee Michael Richard Gee (3 July 1944 – 21 January 2009) was a rock and roll guitarist who played alongside some of the most prominent Welsh musicians of the last forty years. He died on 21 January 2009 in Cardiff, Wales, from emphysema. Career ...

joined the band as a second guitarist, and Terry Williams replaced Rob Jones on drums. Love Sculpture split up in 1970 after a US tour, having recorded just the two albums. Edmunds went on to solo

number one Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

hit success with "

I Hear You Knocking "I Hear You Knocking" (or "I Hear You Knockin'") is a rhythm and blues song written by Dave Bartholomew. New Orleans rhythm and blues singer Smiley Lewis first recorded the song in 1955. The lyrics tell of the return of a former lover who is rebu ...

" later in 1970, and collaborated heavily with ex-

Brinsley Schwarz Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardist Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lod ...

bassist

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,Rockpile Rockpile was a British rock and roll band of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong pub rock, rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave. The band consisted of Dave Edmunds (vocals, gui ...

with him.

Band members

Former members

– lead vocals, guitar (1966–70) * John David – bass, backing vocals (1966–70) * Rob "Congo" Jones – drums, percussion (1966–1970) *

– guitar (1970) * Terry Williams – drums, percussion (1970)

Discography

Albums

''Blues Helping'' – (October 1968) –
Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

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

The Stumble "The Stumble" is a blues guitar instrumental composed and recorded by American blues artist Freddie King, for his 1961 album '' Let's Hide Away and Dance Away with Freddy King''. It is considered a blues classic and follows in a string of popu ...

" ( Freddy King,

Sonny Thompson Sonny Thompson (probably August 23, 1916 – August 11, 1989), born Alfonso Thompson or Hezzie Tompson, was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B bandleader and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Biography There is some uncertainty over Thomps ...

) (shown as "Stumble" on cover, "The Stumble" on label) #"3 O'Clock Blues" ( B. B. King, Jules Taub) #"I Believe to My Soul" (

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

) #"So Unkind" (

Elmore James Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fam ...

Marshall Sehorn Marshall Estus Sehorn (June 25, 1934 – December 5, 2006) was an American A&R man, songwriter, music publisher and entrepreneur who played an important role in the development of R&B and popular music in New Orleans between the 1950s and 1970 ...

) #" Summertime" (

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

, DuBose Heyward) #" On The Road Again" (

Floyd Jones Floyd Jones (July 21, 1917 – December 19, 1989) was an African-American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter. He was one of the first of the new generation of electric blues artists to record in Chicago after World War II, and a number of h ...

, Alan Wilson) #"Don't Answer the Door" (James Franklin Johnson) #" Wang-Dang-Doodle" (

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

) #"

Come Back Baby "Come Back Baby" is a slow blues song written and recorded by the blues singer and pianist Walter Davis in 1940. Ray Charles's version, with the title "Come Back" and with songwriting credited to Charles, was released as the B-side to Charles' ...

" (

) #"

Shake Your Hips "Shake Your Hips" (sometimes known as "Hip Shake") is a song written by Louisiana bluesman Slim Harpo. He recorded it in February 1966 for producer J. D. Miller for a follow-up single to his hugely successful "Baby Scratch My Back". Miller's Exc ...

" (

Slim Harpo Slim Harpo (born James Isaac Moore; January 11, 1924 – January 31, 1970) was an American blues musician, a leading exponent of the swamp blues style, and "one of the most commercially successful blues artists of his day". He played guitar and w ...

) #"Blues Helping" (John David Williams, Dave Edmunds, Rob Jones)

2007 Esoteric Records reissue bonus tracks

#"Morning Dew" (Human Beans) #"It's a Wonder" (Human Beans) #"River to Another Day" (Single) #"Brand New Woman" (Single) *Dave Edmunds - guitars, lead vocals, organ, piano *John Williams - bass, backing vocals (3, 5, 6, 8), piano (10) *Bob "Congo" Jones - drums, backing vocals (3, 5)

''Forms and Feelings'' – (January 1970) –
Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

Released in the US in 1970 on Parrot (PAS-71035). #"In the Land of the Few" (Mike Finesilver, Pete Ker, Dave Edmunds) – 3:55 #"Seagull" (

) – 3:28 #"Nobody's Talking" (Finesilver, Ker) – 3:37 #"Why (How Now)" (Finesilver, Ker) – 7:42 #"

" (

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...

, arranged by Dave Edmunds) – 3:42 #"

" (

) – 3:25 #"People People" (Finesilver, Ker) – 3:23 #"Mars" (

) – 1:58 (US version only) #"

" (

, arranged by Dave Edmunds) – 11:12

2007 Esoteric Records release bonus tracks

#"Think of Love" #"Seagull" (Mono Single Version) #"Farandole (Mono Single Version) #"In the Land of the Few" (Mono Single Version) #"People People" (Mono Single Version) #"Sabre Dance" (Single Version) *Dave Edmunds - guitars, lead vocals, keyboards *John Williams - bass, backing vocals, keyboards *Bob "Congo" Jones - drums, backing vocals Both albums were reissued 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 No. 5

References

External links

* * Love Sculpture biographyat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

website
Mini-biography from makingtime.co.ukLove Sculpture photographs
{{Authority control British blues rock musical groups Welsh rock music groups Musical groups from Cardiff Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups disestablished in 1970 1966 establishments in Wales