Wimple Winch was an English
psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...
band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
*Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
* Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
that evolved from the group, Just Four Men. Originally a
Merseybeat
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...
act, their individualized sound was personalized by their intricate
vocal harmonies
Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chora ...
and exploratory
lyrics
Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...
.
History
Just Four Men
In early 1963, after several name changes, Four Just Men settled in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
as they decided to become professional. At the time, the group was composed of Demetrius "Dee" Christopolus as
lead vocalist
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
and
rhythm guitarist
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
,
lead guitarist
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featured ...
Johnny Murphy,
drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
Larry Arends, and
bassist
A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...
Pete Turner. The band became a popular attraction in Liverpool as they shifted through two lineup changes, Keith Shepherd replaced Pete Turner, then John Kelman replaced Johnny Murphy. They then toured with more prominent groups including
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
,
The Searchers
''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...
and
Del Shannon
Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one '' Billboard'' hit " Runaway". In 1999, he was ind ...
. Despite their initial success, the band was plagued by missed opportunities when they rejected "
Trains and Boats and Planes
"Trains and Boats and Planes" is a song written by composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. Hit versions were recorded by Bacharach himself in 1965, by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas in the same year, and by Dionne Warwick in 1966.
Origi ...
", a later hit for
The Dakotas
The Dakotas is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geography, fauna, sociology, econom ...
, and had lawsuit threats against them over their name that prevented Four Just Men from continuing their television commitments. The lawsuits originated from another band with the same name, so from that point on the Four Just Men became Just Four Men.
[
Still, the band signed a contract with ]EMI Records
EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
in 1964, and produced two singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
, which were both recorded at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
. Their debut single, "That's My Baby" was released on 27 November 1964, and the second one, "There's Not One Thing", was released on 5 February 1965. Both singles were positively received, but the release dates were in correlation with The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' releases so sales were dwarfed in comparison. Just Four Men's recordings were centered around a heavy bass sound, an aspect they experimented upon when they became Wimple Winch. After being dropped from the label, the band continued to perform until early 1966, at which point they morphed into Wimple Winch.
Wimple Winch
The renamed band consisted of an altered lineup of Arends, Christopolus, John Kelman on lead guitar and newcomer Barrie Ashall on bass guitar. The name change was brought about as a result of the band's addition of heavier and more psychedelic components into their music. Auditions for the bass player were intensive, and were met with several failures, with Keith Shepherd staying on until Barrie Ashall managed to stand out among the other candidates. Within a few gigs after returning to performing, the band encountered their future manager, Mike Carr. Carr was opening a club in Stockport called "The Sinking Ship", and proposed that Wimple Winch become the house band. They accepted, under the conditions that they were guaranteed one performance per week, use of the property for rehearsals, and living quarters. The club, along with the band, established itself when Wimple Winch opened for The Jimi Hendrix Experience
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
at the venue.
An associate of Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label that was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. The independent label distributor Fontana Distribution takes its name from the label.
History
Fontana started in the 1950s as a subs ...
watched Wimple Winch perform, and signed the group to record at Philips Studios in Stanhope Place in March 1966. Recording occurred over a few days as the band completed demos for their debut single. They choose "What's Been Done" as their first release. It received heavy local support and was listed as a "climber" by Radio London in April 1966, but still failed to chart. Before their next release, Kelman worked on side projects including on recordings with 's backing group, The Opposition. For their second release, the band choose "Save My Soul", which incorporated a protopunk
Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music played mostly by garage bands from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock movement. The phrase is a retrospective label; the musicians involved were generally not originally associated wi ...
structure. The single was immensely popular locally upon its 17 June 1966 release, but was unsuccessful nationally. "Save My Soul" has been recognized as one of the more innovative tracks of the Mersey beat scene, and was later immortalized on the compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
, '' Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969''.
In between performing, Wimple Winch recorded in August and December 1966. Several tracks were finished, and the song, "Rumble on Mersey Square South", which was in the style of The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
, was released as the group's final single on 20 January 1967. Other demos from sessions remained unreleased, however they exhibited the band's continuing development in psychedelic rock, and incorporation of soul music
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
. Back in Stockport, "The Sinking Ship" caught fire and destroyed the group's housing and equipment. As a result, Fontana Records decided to not resign Wimple Winch. The band continued to tour, and recorded more demos in a personal studio, but decided to disband in mid-1967. Kelman briefly reformed Just Four Men in the early seventies with a new lineup, but no additional recordings took place.[
]
Discography
Singles
Just Four Men
*"That's My Baby" b/w "Things Will Never Be the Same", Parlophone UK R 5186, 27 November 1964
*"There's Not One Thing" b/w "Don't Come Any Closer", Parlophone UK R 5241, 5 February 1965
Wimple Winch
*"What's Been Done" b/w "I Really Love You", Fontana UK TF 686, April 1966
*"Save My Soul" b/w "Everybody's Worried 'Bout Tomorrow", Fontana UK TF 718, 17 June 1966
*"Rumble on Mersey Square South" b/w "Typical British Workmanship"/"Atmospheres", Fontana UK TF 781, 20 January 1967
Compilations
* ''The Wimple Winch Story Volume 2: 1966-1968 The Psychedelic Years'', Bam-Caruso Records, 1991
* ''The Wimple Winch Story: 1963-1968'', Bam-Caruso, 1992
* ''Tales From The Sinking Ship'', Bam-Caruso, 2009The Wimple Winch
at www.discogs.com
References
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1963
Musical groups disestablished in 1967
Musical groups from Liverpool
English pop music groups
EMI Records artists
Fontana Records artists
Psychedelic pop music groups
Beat groups