2/19/11: Featuring the Love Affair

February 25, 2011

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From a music historian’s point of view, it may be difficult to take the Love Affair seriously. None of the five members was over twenty years old when they hit, the group had been put together by the drummer’s doting father, and they didn’t even play on their best-known songs. But they had a fantastic singer, released catchy and memorable singles, and in 1968 only the Beatles outsold them in Britain.

The band was originally called The Soul Survivors and was formed around drummer Maurice “Mo” Bacon. Mo came from a family of drummers: his father was a semi-professional and his cousin was a noted session player who played on Steely Dan’s records. Mo’s dad was thrilled that his son was going into the family business and started taking out ads to find bandmates for his boy.

A competent group came together fairly quickly, but it was the addition of singer Steve Ellis that made them all believe that they could hit the big time. Ellis auditioned for the Soul Survivors on a dare in early ’66, singing the Spender Davis group number “Keep On Running”. It was a prophetic choice, as Ellis’ voice would later be compared to that of Steve Winwood.

Mo Bacon’s father got excited and, being a man of means, pulled out all the stops to pave the way for the band. He bought the guys all the gear they needed, rented a warehouse for them to rehearse in, and provided a van for traveling to gigs.

In the beginning, the band’s “gigs” were a bit impromptu: To get some experience under their belts, they would crash bar mitzvahs and weddings by arriving unannounced claiming to be “the band you hired”. As the confused host of the event stammered something about not having hired a band, the guys would smile and say, “Oh well, since we’re here we might as well play!”

The performances, expected or not, served to tighten up the band’s sound, and soon Mr. Bacon brought in a couple of professional managers. The management’s team’s first move was to change the band’s name to the Love Affair. The guys weren’t too crazy about it, but it was better than another idea that was floated. Someone had suggested calling them the “Thin Red Line”, and painting a red line from the tops of their foreheads down to their pants!

After a new name was settled on, the band was taken into the studio to record. Their first song was written by Kenny Lynch, who had written “Sha La La La Lee” for the Small Faces. The Love Affair recorded his song “Woman, Woman” at Abbey Road, and everyone in the group was enthused about its potential. However, management decided something a little more tried-and-true would be best for a first outing and had them record a version of the Rolling Stones’ “She Smiled Sweetly”. The band hated the results, but it was released. The record died with barely a whimper.

Although they weren’t selling records, the Love Affair was packing out the London soul clubs, performing covers of Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and Lee Dorsey. Despite the fact that they were all still in school, they were on stage three or four nights per week.

After a few more stiffs, their record label dropped them, so they began to send out demos. One found the ears of Island Records’ Muff Winwood, formerly of the Spencer Davis Group. He signed them, mostly on the strength of Steve’s voice.

After a few false starts, Muff suggested they cover “Everlasting Love”, which was doing well in the US for soul man Robert Knight. They loved the tune and jumped at the chance. The cut was recorded with a rather stripped-down sound compared to the original, with all members of the Love Affair performing. The label brass weren’t very impressed but believed in the song, so superstar producer Mike Smith was brought in to spruce it up.

Smith did a lot more than a little sprucing up, re-recording the song with a 40-piece orchestra added to the mix. Everyone in the band except for Steve was told to stand down for the session, and the hit version of “Everlasting Love” was signed, sealed, and delivered in just three takes. It was released in December of ’67 and took the British charts by storm. It hit #1 in February 1968, just after Steve Ellis turned sixteen.

A barrage of TV appearances followed, and in one interview the host bluntly stated, “You didn’t play on your record”. The band admitted that they didn’t, and the next day their “confession” was all over the music trade publications- even though the use of session musicians was quite commonplace. The adverse publicity stung, and the members of the Love Affair struck a deal with their record label: Do the “A” sides of the singles your way, but we’ll take care of the “B” sides and album cuts. It was an arrangement that they would keep for the remainder of their output.

While serious types eschewed the Love Affair, their teen fans either didn’t get the memo or didn’t care. Girls screamed themselves hoarse at shows and chased the band to and from their limo, lunging and pushing for the chance to grab a lock of hair or a piece of clothing. The enthusiasm of the Love Affair’s young female fans convinced Yardley cosmetics to sign the band to a lucrative promotional deal. The band moved a lot of makeup- and a lot of records- in 1968/69, with “Rainbow Valley”, “Bringing on Back the Good Times”, “A Day Without Love”, and “One Road” all scoring big on the charts.

But the chaos brought on by being teen idols and the resentment at being dismissed by serious rock fans as “manufactured” combined to be a heavy weight on the shoulders of such young men. In December of 1969, Steve Ellis announced that he was quitting. The rest of the band tried to carry on briefly, but the Love Affair was over.