Dead Sea Fruit
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1966-67) - Si Clifford -- keyboards - Christopher Hall -- bass, guitar, backing vocals - Clive Kennedy -- vocals - Chris Lansdown -- bass, backing vocals - Dave Lashmar -- guitar, backing vocals - John Errington-Townsend -- percussion, backing vocals
line up 2 (1967-69) - Si Clifford -- keyboards - Clive Kennedy -- vocals - Dave Lashmar -- guitar, backing vocals NEW - Arthur Marsh -- bass, guitar, backing vocals (replaced Christopher Hall) - John Errington-Townsend -- drums, percussion, backing vocals
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- Clive Kennedy (solo efforts) - John Townsend (solo efforts)
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Genre: pop Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Dead Sea Fruit Company: Camp Catalog: 603001 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+ Comments: UK pressing; mono pressing; minor edge wear; back panel has some discoloration, tape residue and two small torn areas along top edge Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5763 Price: $200.00
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Dead Sea Scrolls? No, it's Dead Sea Fruit ... clearly just waiting to be plucked as a Trivial Pursuit rock edition question ... And for anyone curious, here's what the dictionary has to say about the term: noun: something that appears to be beautiful or full of promise but is in reality nothing but illusion and disappointment.
It's hard to believe that a talented outfit like Dead Sea Fruit couldn't catch a break in their native UK. Formed in 1966 the original line up featured keyboardist Si Clifford, multi-instrumentalist Christopher Hall, singer Clive Kennedy, bassist Chris Lansdown, lead guitarist Dave Lashmar, and drummer John Errington-Townsend. Most English bands looking to make it on the continent headed for Germany, or the Benelux but after losing Hall (he was quickly replaced by Arthur Marsh), these guys decided to relocate to Paris. As a cover band they became an in-demand staple on the city's club scene, touring throughout France, picking up considerable publicity, including numerous television appearances.
1967 saw the band signed by the French DiscAZ label, making their debut with a four track 7" EP:
- "LouLou (Put Another Record On)" (DiscAZ catalog number EP-1126).
"LouLou (Put Another Records On" track listing: (side 1) 1.) LouLou (Put Another Records On) (Clive Kennedy) - 2.) Psychiatric Case (Christopher Hall) -
(side 2) 1.) Kensington High Street (John Errington-Townsend) - 2.) Seeds of Discontent (Dave Lashmar) -
The Polydor-affiliated Camp signed the band in the UK and with minimal promotion, they enjoyed a major hit with 'Kensington High Street'. The single's English success saw ATCO pick up US distribution rights.
UK pressing - 1967's 'Kensington High Street' b/w 'LouLou Put Another Record On' (Camp catalog number 602 001) US pressing - 1967's 'Kensington High Street' b/w 'LouLou Put Another Record On' (ATCO catalog number 45-6489) French pressing - 1967's 'LouLou Put Another Record On' b/w 'Kensington High Street' (DiscAZ catalog number AZ 10 33)
The single's UK success led Camp management to graciously finance a supporting album. Released in 1967, "Dead Sea Fruit" the combination of the prim looking cover photo, goofy liner notes, and some of the oddball song titles ('Psychiatric Case', 'Seeds Of Discontent' and 'Mr. Coffee Pot') would have left you with the impression these guys were nothing more than Bonzo Doo Dah Dog Band wannabes. While there were definitely some Bonzo influenced moves, the overall results were far more impressive. With Lashmar and Kennedy responsible for the majority of material (Townsend and Hall each contributed one song), the album was definitely a product of the times, but had more than it's share of goofy fun. The album certainly won't appeal to everyone and I'll readily admit it took awhile to grow on me. That said, anyone into eclectic mid-1960s English pop (both of you), will want to check it out.
"Dead Sea
Fruit" track listing: 1.) The 8.15 And The 5.45 (Dave Lashmar) - rating: **** stars The album opened up with a glorious slice of Kinks-styled social commentary 'The 8.15 And The 5.45'. Great stabbing rhythm guitar pattern ... how come nobody seems to play chords like this anymore? 2.) Put Another Record On (Clive Kennedy) - rating: *** stars Normally vaudevillian styled pop songs leave me cold ('Winchester Cathedral') and while 'Put Another Record On' wasn't something I'd want to hear on a regular basis, it wasn't as bad as most of them. Curiously, when released as a single the title was modified to 'LouLou (Put Another Records On)'. The band apparently opened their live shows with this one. 3.) Psychiatric Case (Christopher Hall) - rating: *** stars Original band member Hall's only contribution, 'Psychiatric Case' was also the song that bore the strongest comparison to the Bonzos. I waon't bother quoting it here, but the lyrics were pretty entertaining. 4.) Mr. Barman (Clive Kennedy) - rating: *** stars Unlike most of the collection, 'Mr. Barman' played it pretty straight; in this case a mildly jazzy ballad. Surprisingly impressive and a nice platform for Kennedy's voice. 5.) Matters (Dave Lashmar) - rating: *** stars Gawd only knows if they were serious, or just being smart asses, but 'Matters' found the band appropriating folk-rock for another set of social commentary. 6.) Seeds Of Discontent (Dave Lashmar) - rating: **** stars Kicked along by Clifford's electric organ, 'Seeds Of Discontent' started out as a blazing slice of gritty garage energy, before abruptly shifting into a waltz, followed by some jazzy scat singing, back to garage mode, etc. Yeah, weirder than weird, but also well worth hearing and perhaps my favorite song on the album. God only knows why, but showcasing a pretty stoned looking band French television funded a promotional clip for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLNyBydL7bI
(side
2) A somewhat atypical performance, kicked along by a nice Marsh bass pattern, 'I'll Come with You' started side two with a swinging, bluesy number. 2.) I've Been Away Too Long (Clive Kennedy) - rating: **** stars 'I've Been Away Too Long' found the band playing around with a Caribbean beat. You wouldn't expect much from the experiment, but the results were actually pretty entertaining. Not exactly rock and roll, but kinda' cool. 3.) Mr. Coffee Pot (Dave Lashmar) - rating: **** stars Mr. Coffee Pot' was interesting for the psych-influenced backing track. Coupled with the left-alone-again lyric it was one of the album highlights. 4.) Time Waits For No One (Clive Kennedy) - rating: **** stars 'Kennedy's 'Time Waits For No One' was another first-rate rocker. Kicked along by Townsend's killer drums and nice electric keyboards this one should have been tapped as a single. It was far better than 'Put Another Record On'. Shame it didn't happen. 5.) I Should Have Guessed (Clive Kennedy) - rating: ** stars And now for a slice of English music hall ... yeah 'I Should Have Guessed' sounded like a "White Album" throwaway. Yech. 6.) Kensington High Street (John Errington-Townsend) - rating: *** stars Every time I heard 'Kensington High Street' it remind me of another band. The comparison was on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't make the connection. And then one day I was listening to an oldies station that was playing The Vogues 'Five O'Clock World'. There it was. Imagine The Vogues had they been locked in a closet with The Kinks for a week and you'll get a feel for the song. Fantastic slice of pop that should have been a massive hit. YouTube has a hysterical promotional clip for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mDpvFQhEqA
1968 saw the release of a final, non-LP single in the UK:
'Love At The Hippiedrome' b/w 'My Naughty Bluebell' (Camp catalog number 602 004)
Frustrated by limited sales and their inability to carve out a unique image, by 1969 the group had effectively called it quits. Clifford and Kennedy returned to the UK. Lashmar, Marsh, and Errington-Townsend headed off for Dakar, Senegal where they found themselves back on the club circuit. Marsh's stay was brief. Within a couple of months he was back in the UK.
While it doesn't provide much information, there's a small Dead Sea Fruit website at:
Clifford runs an entertainment agency …
At the time I'm writing this (mid 2009), Kennedy was living in Los Angeles where he'd found success as a country and western singer: http://www.clivekennedy.com/
Lashmar remained in the business, though as the owner of Beano’s record store in Croydon. A victim of the poor economy, Beano's closed down in November 2008. http://www.beanos.co.uk/
Townsend stayed in France where he turned his attention to art (though he's still recording material - available on his website): http://jf-studio.com/
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