Described in retrospect as the missing link between the later Beatles and 10cc, Fickle Pickle were made up up four multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/producers whose one and only album failed to gain a release in their native UK. What they did manage to achieve during their short life time was a hit single in the Netherlands (where they also toured) as well as numerous unreleased tracks.
The story beings in Willesden, North London where two independent producers/businessmen founded Morgan Studios and a spin-off label in the form of Morgan Blue Town. Behind the production desk in the early days of the studio was Geoff Gill who had been the drummer in the legendary band,The Smoke, best known these days for the classic single ‘My Friend Jack’. Also knocking around the studio was multi-instrumentalist, Will Malone. Gill knew a certain Cliff Wade, the former inviting the later down the studio set up. Last to join the party was Steven Howden who had been part of the Morgan stable of bands when he was a member of Red Dirt.
With all the members of Fickle Pickle in place, but not yet as a band, the quartet would pool their resources as musicians on whatever sessions needed to be recorded. The first Fickle Pickle single was a cover of Paul McCartney’s ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’, the stand out track from his first solo album. The single didn’t sell and the musicians returned top their day jobs as producers and backing musicians. The Working together would eventually lead to the four musicians working together on songs that would eventually find their way onto vinyl under the Fickle Pickle name. This was due to the fact that the single of ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ became an unexpected hit in the Netherlands. Feeling it was time to take things a bit more seriously, an albums worth of material was recorded.
The album would be released only in the Netherlands and was not a big hit. The album cover of the band seemingly behind a pig in a pig stye was not the strongest of selling points, but it did contain some very good music. The band did try with another single in an attempt to break in the UK market, and recorded a version of Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’. The McLean version was rushed released in response and the Fickle Pickle version disappeared without a trace, but what if it hadn’t. What if the band had had a genuine hit in the UK and needed to rush release another album in response.
Well, this is what it could have sounded like. As was shown with the box set from 2018, the band had a wealth of material languishing in the archives. In fact, the notes from the set says that there were more songs that what was presented on there but they have been lost or misplaced down the years. As can be seen, there was enough material for not only another album, but three more singles and b-sides. Being as this would have been the early 70s, there was still a tendency not to include singles on the album. There are wo versions of ‘Time To Go’, but there is a different vocalist on each and they differ in length quite considerably.
All the members of Fickle Pickle went on to success in the music business, but their time as Fickle Pickle was all but forgotten until their material was given a new lease of life due to labels looking to exploit their archives and if their are other gems like this to come, I cannot wait.
Side A
- Time To Go (Will Malone Vocal)
- Ring Me
- Do You Remember My Name
- Holiday Farm
- Jesus Cristo
- Old Feet, New Socks
- Goodnight
Side B
- Like An Good Man Should
- Sweet Wilfred – A Rodent Of Note
- I Need You
- Buena Vista
- Tell Me
- Through The Days
- Everyday
Singles
- Playing With Magic
- Brining It All Back Home
- Time To Go (Cliff Wade Vocal)
- Keep On Doing What You Do To Me
- Ride Ride Ride
- Guy Fawkes
There was such a limited choice of images I could use for the band that I thought I would just create my own. The title is from one of the songs on the album and the sleeve is adapted from a 1970s advert for Wigwam Socks and Covers All Stars shoes.