Grapefruit
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1967-68) - George Alexander (aka Alexander Young) (RIP 1997) -- vocals, bass, sax
- John Perry -- vocals, lead guitar
- George Alexander (aka Alexander Young) (RIP 1997) -- vocals,
guitar, sax - Pete Swettenham -- vocals, rhythm guitar
line up 3 (1969) - George Alexander (aka Alexander Young) (RIP 1997) -- vocals,
guitar, sax (replaced Pete Swettenham)
line up 4 (1970) - George Alexander (aka Alexander Young) (RIP 1997) -- vocals, guitar, sax
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- Fynn McCool (Mick Fowler and Geoff Swettenham) - Lee (Mick Fowler) - The Marcus Hook Band (Alexander Young) - Moondance (Alexander Young) - The Nightimers (John Perry) - The Only Ones (John Perry) - Paintbox (Alexander Young) - John Perry (solo efforts) - Tony Rivers & the Castaways (George Alexander, John Perry and Geoff Swettenham) - The Sleepy (Mick Fowler) - The Sugarbeats (John Perry and Geoff Swettenham) - Summer Wine (John Perry) - Tramp (Alexander
Young)
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Around Grapefruit Company: Dunhill Catalog: DS 50050 Year: 1968 Country/State: London, UK Grade (cover/record): VG/ VG+ Comments: slight ring wear; bullet hole Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $50.00
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Folks think "corporate" bands are a creature of the '70s. Not so. Although little known outside of collector circles, Grapefruit stand as an early example of business-before-art.
Terry Doran
was an associate of Beatles manager Brian Epstein. By the mid-'60s he
was working for Apple Music's publishing branch. One of his first
actions was to sign former Bobby Patrick Six singer/bassist George
Alexander to a publishing contract. Born Alexander Young, he
It finally saw daylight in 2016 when they were released by Mark Stratford's RPM Retrodisc label under the title "Yesterday's Sunshine: The Complete 1967-1968 London Sessions" (RPM catalog number \Retro 977).
With Apple's blessing, Doran licensed a couple Grapefruit tracks to RCA. The band also attracted the attention of American producer Terry Melcher who signed them to an American distribution agreement via his RCA Victor affiliated Equinox label. Melcher went on to produced Grapefruit's 1968 debut single which ultimately hit # 21 on the British pop charts.:
- 1968's 'Dear Delilah' b/w 'The Dead Boot' (Equinox 45-70000)
The Lennon and McCartney produced 'Lullaby' was planned as the follow-up single, but was replaced by a pair of self-produced songs. A double "A" sided release, the 45 didn't chart in the UK, but provided them with a minor US hit - # 113 on the Billboard US pop charts (their only brush with Stateside success).
- 1968's 'Elevator' b/w 'Yes' (Equinox catalog number 45-70005)
For some reason a Four Seasons cover was selected at their third single.
- 1968's 'C'mon Marianne' b/w 'Ain't It Good' (Equinox catalog number E-70008)
Having lost interest in the band, both Apple and RCA released the band from their contracts. That allowed Grapefruit to sign directed with Terry Melcher who had shifted his allegiance to ABC's Dunhill label. For some reason the single did not see an American released, but the Dunhill affiliated Stateside label released the 45 throughout the rest of the world.
- 1968's 'Someday Soon' b/w 'Theme from Twiggy' (Stateside catalog number SS 8805)
Produced by Melcher, their 1969 debut album "Around
Grapefruit" found the band trying to find a balance
between sunshine-pop, pop-psych and more mainstream sounds. Largely penned by Alexander,
the album featured a mixture of "A" and "B" sides for their earlier singles ('Dear Delilah',
1.) Another Game (George Alexander) - 2:51 rating: **** stars Alexander's
thumping bass initially caught my attention, but then the harpsichord
powered melody won me over. Combined with Perry's whispery lead
vocals, the group's smooth backing vocals and just a touch of lysergic
energy made 'Another Game' a mesmerizing slice of pop-psych. Elsewhere the
backing flute added a touch of early Traffic to the mix. 'Yesterday's Sunshine'
was an overly sweet,
Toytown-styled
ballad with some interesting lysergic studio effects kicking it towards the
end of the song. Those effects have always reminded me of The Beatles' 'Blue
Jay Way'. The
opening guitar chords sounded like something off a Who album, but when the
sunny vocals and lysergic lyrics kicked in you found yourself in Beach
Boys territory - their was almost a surf-rock feel to the mix. Easy to
see why it was tapped as their second single. Sunshine pop at its best ... With a bouncy keyboard propelled melody and radio friendly vocals 'Yes' has always reminded me of something Eric Carmen and the Raspberries would try to resurrect in a couple of years. The song also appeared as the "B" side to their early "Elevator" single. YouTube has a black and white clip of them performing the song on French Television. Perry is on lead vocals and judging by the performance, it was live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6fCl9O3dyc 5.) C'mon Marianne (Lawrence Brown - Raymond Bloodworth) - 2:36 rating: ** stars The
album's lone cover tune, The Four Seasons had previously enjoyed a hit with
their version of 'C'mon Marianne'. It was an certainly odd choice to
have been tapped as their third single, To my ears, complete with
blaring horn arrangement the Grapefruit arrangement was overly busy.
Add to the problem, Perry and company didn't sound all that comfortable
trying to mimic Frankie Valli singing in the higher key. YouTube
has another black and white clip of the band lip-synching the track for the
German BeatClub television program. Funny to see Perry crack up after
he misses his cue at the very start of the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyYOUdrvhbk The
album version features a different mix than the original Lennon and
McCartney produced tune. That said, Melcher's arrangement remains
heavily lysergic soaked, baring an uncanny resemblance to The Beatles.
Perry's vocals sounded very much like "Magical Mystery Tour" era
Lennon. Sadly, missing in the update was the electric guitar solos.
(side 2) 1.) Round Going Round (George Alexander) - 3:00 rating: ** stars Complete with horn arrangement, the upbeat 'Round Going Round' was actually one of their blander pop tunes. Well, until the very end of the tune when it suddenly veered into a psych-tinged closing. With a different, punchier arrangement the song was tapped as a promotional single in the US:
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1969's 'Round Going Round' b/w 'This Little Man' (Dunhill catalog number
D-4178) Featuring Alexander on lead vocals, 'Dear Delilah' served as their debut single. Complete with gloomy church organ, Baroque orchestration and studio effects, it made for a classic slice of pop-psych. While the time and place are not mentioned, YouTube has a color clip of the band lip synching the tune for television. I'm guessing it was an appearance on Dutch television: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExmAhSbUQTk YouTube also has a black and white appearance on French television: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u48u87FXLM Both are interesting timepieces.
The tune was also interesting given the band recorded an Italian lyrics version of the song:
- 1968's 'Dolce Delilah' b/w 'Mai Nessuno' (RCA Victor catalog number 45 N 1541)
The
sad, heavily orchestrated melody, and "serious" lyrics sounded
like they'd overdosed listening to 'Eleanor Rigby'. Thankfully the
song faded out before it induced a sugar coma in the listener. The
vocals were a little shakey, but got better as 'Ain't It Good'
progressed. The track also sported some tasty lead fuzz guitar. The song
had previously appeared as the "B" side to 'C'mon Marianne'
single. Listed as 'Someday' on the album, the closer was actually the same song that served as their fourth single 'Someday Soon'. Another sickly sweet ballad, the tracks most interesting facet was listening to Perry try to navigate the song's high pitched vocals. You could tell he wasn't very comfortable with the track. Elsewhere Alexander demonstrated his prowess on sax. YouTube has a 1969 black and white clip of the band lip-synching the song for the French Samedi et compagnie television show. It's interesting given the line-up includes new keyboardist Mick Fowler: Grapefruit - Someday Soon (1969)
Apparently shortly after the album was released the band underwent a personnel shake-up. Alexander switched from bass to lead guitar. In order to focus on vocals Perry picked up bass duties and former The Sleepy member Mick Fowler was brought on board as keyboardist.
© Scott R. Blackerby January, 2025
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Deep Water Company: RCA Victor Catalog: LSP-4215 Year: 1969 Country/State: London, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 6057 Price: $50.00
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I've always been puzzled by bands that seemingly change their musical identities and direction for no apparent reason. Grapefruit's a perfect example of such an outfit.
Prior to the release of their second album the band underwent a couple of personnel changes including the departure of rhythm guitarist Pete Swettenham (replaced by Bobby Ware who also handled most of the lead vocals) along with the addition of keyboardist Mick Fowler. Continuing their partnership with Terry Melcher who had made a name for himself producing The Byrds and an impressive array of sunshine pop acts, 1969's "Deep Water" sounded absolutely nothing like their cheery, pop-psych tinged debut. Guitarist George Alexander was again responsible for the bulk of the ten songs with newcomer Ware contributed three selections. All three of Ware's contributions happened to be among the LP's standout performances. For whatever reason, this time out the band seemed determined to showcase their skills as a serious and 'happening' band. The result was a scattershot stab at a wide array of popular genres including blue eyed soul ('Deep Water'), boogie-rock 'Thunder & Lightening', country ('The Right Direction'), and hard rock ('Lady Godiva'). While these guys were certainly talented, they simply shed any semblance of a band identity which was a major disservice. Needless to say, critics dumped all over this one. Shame since the album's actually quite good. True, it wasn't pop-psych, but had this been their debut release I suspect it would have gotten much more favorable reviews.
Since you can still buy this one on the cheap, I'd suggest ignoring most of the reviews and taking a chance on it; especially if you've never heard their debut collection.
Again, it's nothing like the debut, but if you recalibrate your expectations it wasn't a half bad sophomore effort.
"Deep
Water" track listing:
1.) Deep Water (George Alexander) - 2:14 rating: **** stars Kicked along by a simply Alexander bass line (I think I could play this one), 'Deep Water' opened the album with a likeable slice of blue-eyed soul. Very commercial, it was released throughout the world as a single, though by 1969 it may have already been a little behind the times. YouTube has a black and white clip of the band playing at an unnamed club. The performance seems to track to this song, though there are no horns so he assumption is they were lip synching, or the track was edited from a different song. Still you can see what these guys looked liked: at: grapefruit deep water - YouTube
- 1969's 'Deep Water' b/w 'Come Down to the Station' (RCA catalog number 1855) 2.) Can't Find Me (George Alexander) - 2:07 rating; ** stars 'Can't Find Me' found the band taking a stab at country-rock. I'm guessing The Allman Brothers, or The Band may have been an influence on this one. Complete with mandatory pedal steel guitar the song was certainly decent enough, but Ware's voice sounded strained and barely in tune. One track that would have been a lot better with a more polished performance. 3.) Thunder & Lightening (George Alexander) - 3:04 rating; *** stars 'Thunder & Lightening' was an okay stab at boogie rock - anyone into early Foghat would find this one attractive. That said, the song wasn't particularly original or memorable, making you wonder why it was tapped as a single in the States. Ware's funky lead guitar riff provided the song highlights. The track was also released as a single in Germany and the UK:
- 1971's 'Thunder and Lightning' b/w 'Blues in Your Head' (RCA Victor catalog number 74-0241)
4.) Lady Godiva (George Alexander) - 3:18 rating: **** stars In terms of style and sound, 'Lady Godiva' sounded like it might have been a carry over from Grapefruit Mark 1. The Cro-Magnon fuzz guitar propelled rocker 'Lady Godiva' has always reminded me of a Spinal Tap song ('Big Bottoms' comes to mind). (Yeah, I know this album predates Spinal Tap by a couple of decades.) With a mind numbing Alexander bass line and some tasty horns (I'm usually not big on horns), this was one of the album's highlights. Easy to see why it was tapped as a single.
- 1971's 'Lady Godiva' b/w 'Can't Find Me' (RCA catalog number 1907) 5.)
The Right Direction (George Alexander) - 2:54
rating; * star
(side 2) 1.) L.A. & Back Again (Bobby Ware) - 2:14 rating: **** stars The jaunty 'L.A. & Back Again' was probably the song that came the closest to capturing the debut's charm. Nice melody with Alexander's pounding bass way up in the mix. Once again, the only minor drawback came in the form of Ware's strained vocals and the fact the song faded out too soon. 2.) Come Down to the Station (Bobby Ware) - 3:03 rating: **** stars 'Come Down to the Station' found the band returning to Spinal Tap-styled hard rock. Since I love Spinal Tap I have to admit a fondness for this rocker; particularly Ware's sustained lead guitar notes, the cluttered refrain - I would have hated to have to sing it live, and then there's the issue of Ware's hysterical attempt at scatting. 3.) A Dizzy Day (George Alexander) - 2:49 rating; *** stars. Complete with horn arrangement, 'A Dizzy Day' sounded a bit like early David Clayton Thomas and Blood, Sweat and Tears. I can just see folks running for the doors ... Nah, this one was actually another enjoyable blue-eyed soul performance. 4.) Blues In Your Head (Bobby Ware) - 4:47 rating: **** stars In spite of the title, 'Blues In Your Head' was actually one of the album's most psychedelic tracks. A mid-tempo, looping rocker, the song showcased some nice Mick Fowler swirling organ fills and Ware's fuzz guitar. This one was also probably Ware's best vocal performance. 5.) Time To Leave (George Alexander) - 3:14 rating; *** stars. Normally sensitive singer/songwriter numbers don't do much for me (I've been told I have the sensitivity of a brick), but 'Time To Leave' was an exception. The album's starkest performance, simply Ware accompanied by acoustic guitar, pedal steel and minimal percussion, I've seen one review that compared this one to a Badfinger song and that's an apt comparison (check out the harmonies). Very pretty song, though the pedal steel is irritating ...
I've never seen a copy, or heard it, but here was also a one-shot 1971 European single with Alexander being supported by former Easybeats members Harry Vanda and brother George Young:
- 1971's Sha-Sha' b/w 'Universal Party' (Deram catalog number DM 343)
And that was it for Grapefruit.
© Scott R.Blackerby January, 2025
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happened
to be the older brother of The Easybeats founder
George Young and future AC/DC stalwarts Angus and Malcolm Young. When
the rest of the Young clan headed for Australia, George elected to stay in
Scotland. At the same time ex-Tony Rivers and the Castaways
singer/guitarist John Perry tried to sell some material to Doran.
Doran didn't like the songs but suggested Perry continue his musical
partnership with Castaways members Geoff (drums) and Pete (rhythm guitar)
Swettenham. He also suggested they team up with Alexander to form a
new band. With Doran signing on as their manager the quartet quickly began to generate a local
buzz, including the attention of John Lennon who reportedly came up with
the "Grapefruit" nameplate based on a 1964 art book written by his
then main squeeze Yoko Ono. Under Lennon's stewardship they were the
second group signed to Apple's
publishing company . They recorded a series of demos, including the
Lennon and Paul McCartney produced planned single 'Lullaby', but
lacking an internal record label (Apple Records not having been yet
established), the bulk of their material was shelved. 
'Yes'
and 'C'mon Marianne') and new material.
While he wasn't the most distinctive vocalist you've ever heard, Perry had a
nice and commercial delivery. Similarly he wasn't a jaw dropping
guitarist, but he was good enough, occasionally getting to slip in a nice
solo - check out his solo on the instrumental 'Give It One More'. To be honest, Melcher's elaborate
production served to cover up whatever technical limitations the band may
have had. Tracks like the opener 'Another Game', the ballad 'Yesterday's Sunshine'
and an updated version of 'Lullaby' all offered up heavily orchestrated psych moves, baring more than a passing
resemblance to "Magical Mystery Tour" era Beatles.
True it may have already started to sound a little dated, but it was never
less than fun. Consider it to be the last gasps of those musical
niches. Reflected by songs like 'Yesterday's Sunshine', 'This Little Man'
and 'Someday' here were far too many over-the-top ballads, but the only real misstep came in the
form of a cover of The Four Season's 'C'mon
Marianne'. It may have been an English hit, but their attempt to mimic
Frankie Valli and the Four was borderline painful. Perhaps not the year's most original offering,
but the
results still made for an engaging set of '60s-styled psychedelic.
