by Robert Wilkinson
Today’s the birthday of Adam Faith! While he only had one hit in the US, he was huge in the UK!
From Wikipedia, “Terence (Terry) Nelhams-Wright, known as Adam Faith (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003), was a British teen idol, singer, actor, and financial journalist. He was one of the most charted acts of the 1960s. He became the first UK artist to lodge his initial seven hits in the Top 5.
Faith made ... a total of 24 chart entries, of which 11 made the UK Top Ten, including his two No. 1's. Ten of the eleven singles that made the Top Ten actually also made the Top Five. Faith managed to lodge twenty consecutive single releases on the UK singles chart, starting with "What Do You Want?" in November 1959 and culminating with "I Love Being in Love With You" in mid-1964; this was quite a feat for a British artist of Faith's era.
Faith's last Top Ten hit in the UK (in October 1963) was "The First Time" (UK No. 5), which was also his first single with his backing group in 1963 and 1964, The Roulettes, acquired to give Faith's music a harder 'beat group' edge more in keeping with the Merseybeat sound at that time sweeping the British charts. His 1974 single "I Survive" made the Top 30 of the "Capital Countdown" on London's Capital Radio."
I first gave you this clip last September as our Saturday Night Attitude tune. It’s from Shindig in 1964 at the peak of “the British Invasion,” with Adam Faith backed by the Isley Brothers and the Newbeats twisting up a storm! This is a joyous three chord number written by the great Chris Andrews, a rave up that is great for happy feet!
“It’s Alright”
Here’s his first #1 hit from 1959, performed on television in April 1960! “What Do You Want”
Live in 1960, Adam Faith and Bruce Forsyth giving us another #1 hit by Adam Faith titled “Poor Me”
Also from 1960, a live performance of “Big Time”
Here's Cliff Richard and Adam Faith live cranking out “Ready Teddy” (England was really into Elvis, you know!)
From 1963, Adam live on television giving us “Hallelujah I Love Her So” and from what looks to be the same gig, “Leave My Woman Alone”
Here’s the original studio version of his hit “The First Time” (The Merseybeat influence is so obvious it hurts!)
From 1963, Adam Faith and the Roulettes in another Merseybeat inspired hit, “We Are In Love”
From 1969, a live performance of two of his hits, “What Do You Want” and “Someone Else’s Baby”
From the cult classic “Beat Girl,” Adam Faith delivering the tune banned by the BBC! “Made You”
An amazing audio-only recording featuring Adam and the great Ritchie Blackmore giving us the very psychedelic 1974 tune “I Survive”
We’ll close this birthday tribute with the song I opened with, since it’s such a rave up! (Loved it in “Good Morning Vietnam….”) Here’s the original studio version of his only US hit, “It’s Alright”
Thanks for the rave, Adam/Terry. Glad you left film cutting and gave us great rock and roll!
Copyright © 2014 Robert Wilkinson
Source:
http://ift.tt/1m7pXFa