Cartoone
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1966) as Jay Anders and the Chevlons - Mike Alison -- vocals, guitar - Jay Anders (aka Jay Anderson) -- vocals - Bobbie Smith -- drums, percussion , backing vocals - Derek Creigan (RIP 1990) -- lead vocals, bass - Mo Trowers (RIP 2004) -- rhythm guitar, vocals
line up 2 (1966=67) as The Chevlons - Mike Alison -- vocals, guitar - Derek Creigan (RIP 1990) -- lead vocals, bass NEW - Dougie Henderson -- drums, percussion , backing vocals (replaced Bobbie Smith) - Mo Trowers (RIP 2004) -- rhythm guitar, vocals
line up 3 (1967) - Mike Alison -- vocals, guitar NEW - Charlie Coffils -- drums, percussion , backing vocals (replaced Dougie Henderson) - Derek Creigan (RIP 1990) -- lead vocals, bass - Mo Trowers (RIP 2004) -- rhythm guitar, vocals
line up 4 (1967-69) as Cartoone - Mike Alison -- vocals, guitar - Charlie Coffils -- drums, percussion , backing vocals - Derek Creigan (RIP 1990) -- lead vocals, bass - Mo Trowers (RIP 2004) -- rhythm guitar, vocals
supporting musicians (1968) - Jimmy Page -- guitar
line up 5 (1969-70) - Charlie Coffils -- drums, percussion , backing vocals - Derek Creigan (RIP 1990) -- lead vocals, bass NEW - Leslie Harvey (RIP 1973) -- guitar (replaced Mike Alison) - Mo Trowers (RIP 2004) -- rhythm guitar, vocals
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- Jay Anders and the Chevlons - The Chevlons - The Marmelade (Dougie Henderson) - The Poets (Dougie Henderson) - Stone the Crows (Les Harvey)
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Genre: rock Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Cartoone Company: Atlantic Catalog: SD
8219 Country/State: Glasgow, Scotland Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $20.00
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Guitarist Mike Alison, singer Jay Anders, drummer Bobbie Smith, bassist Derek Creigan and singer/rhythm guitarist Mo Trowers came together in 1966 as Jay Anders and the Chevlons. The group managed to release a single on the small Scottish Impact label before breaking up.
- 1966's 'My True Love' b/w 'Girls Are Made for Lovin'' (Impact catalog number PM 1620)
Anders and drummer Smith were gone in a heartbeat with the band quickly adding drummer Dougie Henderson, then replaced by Charlie Coffils and abbreviating their name to The Chevlons. Starting out playing the Glasgow club circuit, the quickly graduated to opening band status for national touring bands like The Hollies and The Tremeloes. Signed by Pye Records, they debuted with an obscure Derek Creigan penned 45:
- 1966's 'Too Long Alone' b/w 'It's My Problem' (Pye catalog number 7N 17145)
1968 found the
quartet having relocated to London where their initial break coming through
songwriter Mark London (best known for writing 'To Sir with Love' for
Lulu). London had the band record a couple of demos which
he then shopped to various labels including Atlantic. As Atlantic's first
English signing (they were signed before Led Zeppelin), the label inked the
band to a multi-year, two album recording deal.
Continuing their partnership with London serving as their producer they made
their album debut with 1969's "Cartoone". With
Creigan credited with penning eleven of
the twelve songs, exemplified by the opener 'Knick Knack Man' and 'The
Sadness Of Toby Jug' about half of the
album featured bubblegum pop tunes. The rest of the collection was
dominated by a series of sugary sweet ballads ('A
Penny For The Sun', 'Girl of Y
"Cartoone" track listing: 1.) Knick Knack Man (Derek Creigan) - 3:50 rating: *** stars I'll admit I didn't even know what a knick knack man was (a person selling small, cheap disposable items like matches and brushes). Opening a closing with a whistling segment, the tune's always reminded me of The Byrds doing a Dylan cover. Not exactly the most uplifting song you'll here today. Woo knows why but the song was tapped as a single in the UK and West Germany. It also appeared as the "B" side on their 'Mr. Poor Man' 45.
- 1969's 'Knick Knack Man' b/w 'A Penny for the Sun' (Atlantic catalog number ATL 70.351))
2.) Withering Wood (Derek Creigan) - 2:24 rating: ** stars Creigan's rustic voice was on full display on the folk-flavored ballad 'Withering Wood'. His wailing opening vocals were painful; making you wonder it he'd get through the song without fracturing his vocal box, The vocals got a little better, but the harmony vocals remained a challenge to sit through. Every time I hear this one and think about Cartoone opening for Led Zeppelin it makes me laugh. (Page was featured on acoustic guitar.) 3.) The Sadness Of Toby Jug (Derek Creigan) - 2:39 rating: *** stars Creigan's snarling vocals gave the pop 'The Sadness Of Toby Jug' and interesting edge. The jazzy brass band arrangement was strange pushing the band into New Vaudeville Band territory. Another slice of "social commentary" (poor little fat boy being abused). Page on Telecaster. 4.) A Penny For The Sun (Derek Creigan) - 3:06 rating: * star 'A Penny For The Sun was a horribly, heavily orchestrated middle-of-the-road ballad that was clearly intended to garner radio exposure. Dreadful. 5.) I'll Stay (Mike Allison) - 2:07 rating: *** stars Guitarist Allison's only contribution to the album, courtesy of supporting musician Jimmy Page and his Telecaster, 'I'll Stay' was one of the album's harder rocking tunes. Sporting kind of a blues vibe Creigan provided the nice bass lines while Allison seems to have handled the vocals. While his voice wasn't as commercial as Creigan's, his dry raspy delivery was perfect for 'I'll Stay'. 6.) Girl Of Yesterday (Derek Creigan) - 3:10 rating: ** stars The roaring opening sounded promising, but the song then collapsed into a bland and forgettable ballad that could have come out of The Bee Gees' catalog of coma-inducing sweetness. The syrupy orchestration didn't help.
(side
2) 'I Can't Walk Back' was another sappy, heavily orchestrated and thoroughly forgettable ballad recalling something out of The Bee Gees catalog. Pass 2.) Let Me Reassure You (Derek Creigan) - 2:20 rating: **** stars Yes, it was very poppy but the upbeat, bouncy 'Let Me Reassure You' was a track that clearly benefited from Page's supporting guitar. 3.) Mr. Poor Man (Derek Creigan) - 3:43 rating: * star Exemplified by the "social statement" ballad 'Mr. Poor Man' I'll be honest and tell you John Cameron's orchestration managed to make marginal songs outright bad.
- 1969's 'Mr. Poor Man' b/w 'Knick Knack Man' (Atlantic catalog number 45-2598)
4.) Ice Cream Dreams (Derek Creigan) - 2:47 rating: *** stars The album's most lysergic tune, the acoustic guitar opening on 'Ice Cream Dreams' bore at least a passing resemblance to Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven.' Perhaps not a surprise given this was another one Page played on. 5.) Doing What Mamma Said (Derek Creigan) - 2:39 rating: *** stars Showcasing Creigan's nasally, multi-tracked vocal delivery, 'Doing What Mamma Said' added a touch of soul to the mix. 6.) See Me (Derek Creigan) - 2:05 rating: *** stars The harmony rich 'See Me' sounded like a cross between early Hollies and a slice of bubblegum pop. Pleasant, but I suspect it sounded hopelessly outdated by 1969.
With Page having provided guitar throughout the album, Cartoone were invited to open for Page and the newly formed Led Zeppelin on their 1969 debut American tour. One would have thought Atlantic Records would have jumped at the resulting publicity, but the label subsequently dropped the band from their recording contract. This coming in spite of the fact they'd largely completed a sophomore album entitled "Reflections". The title track was released as a posthumous 45:
- 1969's 'Reflections of a Common Theme' b/w 'A Penny For The Sun' (Atlantic catalog number 45-2530)
For anyone interested, drummer Coffils wrote a book on his experiences - "Story of a 60s Drummer" (ISBN 13..978-1911596677).
© Scott R. Blackerby February, 2025
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esterday'
and 'Mr. Poor Man') that reminded one of the worst of The Bee Gees '60s
catalog. As lead singer Creigan's
dry, rustic voice wasn't the most commercial instrument you've ever
heard. Check out the warbling performance on the folk-tinged 'Withering
Wood' to hear him at his worst. His
voice was interesting, but time after time it was wasted on dull tracks that
were made worse by John Cameron's overwhelming orchestration. It was
atypical for their sound, but the album's standout
performance came in the form of the bouncy 'Let
Me Reassure You'. That
leads to the Jimmy Page connection. Credited as "guest
artist", many reviews and sales listings hype the album for the
participation of a young Page. Page played guitar on several tracks, but it
was in the role of sessions musician so anyone expecting to hear some
Zeppelin-styled moves was going to be major-league disappointed by the
album. Admittedly the opening of 'Ice Cream Dreams' has always
reminded me of Zeppelin's 'Stairway To Heaven'. As much as I'd like to
praise the album, the bulk of the songs sounded pretentious (especially on
tracks like 'Knick Knack Man' where they attempted to inject social
commentary into the mix). The album also sounded dated. Even in
1969 it must have sounded old fashioned.
