Charles Brutus McClay
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1968-) - Charles Brutus McClay -- vocals, guitar
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- none known
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Genre: folk Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Bottled In France Company: CBS Catalog: S
64478 Country/State: Scotland Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: French pressing; gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $125.00
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There's obscure and then there's obscure. Guess which category Charles Brutus McClay fits in? Try finding some biographical information on this guy, let alone a detailed review of his lone album.
Given the sheer number of bands competing for record company attention, the 1960s and early '70s found many English musicians heading overseas in the hopes of attracting local attention and a local recording contract that might lead back to the UK. Germany seems to have been the country of choice for most groups, but some artists opted for Scandinavia, the Benelux; even France - witness singer/guitarist Charles Brutus McClay.
There isn't much information on the man's early life other than he was born in Scotland and by his teens was living in London where he was briefly a featherweight boxer and then worked for The Evening Standard newspaper where he worked in publishing and promotion. In the mid-'60s the newspaper sent McClay to Paris where he started playing small clubs for spending money. Then working as a street busker, McClay met Dutch singer Wouter Otto Levenbach and the pair started working together. McClay quit his job and started playing music full time with Levenbach. Levenbach and his girlfriend eventually decided to take his canal boat to St. Tropez. McClay made a similar move South and the pair reconnected, finding a mentor in an monied older lady who signed on as their manager and happened to have some music business connections. Under the name Dave Levenback found himself signed to the French Barclay label. McClay was signed to CBS Records, making his recording debut with a 1968 French single "When I was a Young Man" . Interestingly the 45 was even released in the States as a promotional single on Epic:
- 1968's "When I was a Young Man" b/w "I Can't Wait" (Epic catalog number 5-10391)
Over the next two years CBS released a string of three more singles.
- 1968's "The Ballad of Paddy O'Neil" b/w "Little Mad Girl' (CBS Serie Gemini catalog number 4269) - 1969's "You Turned Me Down" b/w "Journey" (CBS Serie Gemini catalog number 4710) - 1970's "I've Got Myself a Little Girl" b/w "It's Coming On Strong" (CBS Serie Gemini catalog number 5277)
Finally
getting a chance to record an album for CBS, 1970's "Bottled In
France" (always loved the album title), was produced by the
late Jean-Jacques Souplet. The majority of the twelve
songs were McClay originals; rounded out by his earlier cover of Tim Rose's
"When I Was A
Didier Massard's hysterical cover photo certainly took advantage of McClay's Scottish heritage though vocals didn't have any type of Scottish accent.
"Bottled
In France" track listing: 1.) Until It's Time For You To Go (Buffy St. Marie) - 3:38 rating: ** stars The first of two Buffy St. Marie songs, starting with the bird sound effects and the whispered spoken word introduction, McClay's cover of "Until It's Time For You To Go" managed to take '70s pretense to a new level of intensity. Once he started singing it turned out he had a nice, grainy voice. Musically the arrangement didn't stray far from the original melody, though it replaced St. Marie's stark acoustic guitar arrangement with a backing chorus and Jean Musy's heavy string orchestration. The song also appeared as the "B" side on McClay's "I Don't Care" 45. 2.) You Leave Me Hanging (Charles Brutus McClay) - 2:40 rating: *** stars The up-tempo "You Leave Me Hanging" was set to an elaborate, middle-of-the-road, horn-powered arrangement. Add in a nice touch of electric guitar and if you imagined a rock band appearing on The Merv Griffin television show, you'd have an idea of what to expect. McClay's vocals had to be heard to believe. Not sure how to describe the performance - it was as if he'd been strapped to a vibrating table and told sing, or die. Fascinating in a truly bizarre fashion. The freak-out ending was a little odd. The track was released as the album's first 45:
- 1970's "You Leave Me Hanging" b/w "Lady Paris Blues" (CBS Serie Gemini catalog number 7881)
3.) Night Watch (Charles Brutus McClay - Dave Levenbach) - rating: ** stars "Au-dessous de l'eau" was written and released by his old friend Levenbach under the name "Dave". Translating the lyrics into English, McClay gave the tune a shot. Showcasing Dave's sharp, shrill vocals, the original was a pretty, heavily orchestrated pop tune. McClay's version wasn't much better. 4.) When I was A Young Man (Tim Rose) - 3:46 rating: *** stars Released as McClay's 196 debut single, I actually kind of like McClay's version better than the Rose original. It would have been even better without the strings and horns. 5.) Number One (Charles Brutus McClay) - 2:54 rating: *** stars The album's most "folk" oriented tune, "Number One" sported some nice acoustic guitar and patented "music is a hard business" lyrics. 6.) Lady Paris Blues (Charles Brutus McClay) - 3:31 rating: **** stars A spare acoustic blues number, I was surprised how much I liked "Lady Paris Blues". Essentially a love letter to Paris (his home town), the autobiographical Francophile lyrics were odd, but actually kind of cool.. The song also sported a nice electric guitar solo. The song also appeared as the "B" side on his 1970 "You Leave Me Hanging" single.
(side
2) Showcasing the album's toughest rock arrangement, McClay's cover of the St. Marie classic added real edge to the song. In spite of another "big" arrangement, the track provided a nice platform for showing off how good his voice was. Love the extended fuzz guitar accompaniment. 2.) The Scent Of Pine (Charles Brutus McClay) - 2:11 rating: ** stars With a breezy, acoustic guitar powered melody and some tasty harpsichord fills, "The Scent Of Pine" was one of the album's most commercial offering. Shame the song was so short. 3.) It's Coming On Strong (Charles Brutus McClay) - 3:39 rating: ** stars Another acoustic blues number, "It's Coming On Strong" was interesting given McClay's vocals sounded different than elsewhere on the album - almost nasally. Not sure I've ever heard a song capture the symptoms of withdrawal with such angst. Had I heard this one in isolation, I never would have taken him for a Francophile Englishman. The song had previously appeared as the "B" side to his non-LP "I've Got Myself a Little Girl" single. 4.) I Don't Care (Charles Brutus McClay) - It was easy to see why "I Don't Care" was tapped as the album's second single.
- 1971's "I Don't Care" b/w "Until It's Time for You To Go" (CBS Serie Gemini catalog number 7318) 5.) Trees They Grow High (traditional) - 3:10 rating: * star The traditional ballad "Trees They Grow High" made it clear McClay shouldn't be singing in falsetto. Hard to not start laughing ... 6.) Ninety Nine Years (Charles Brutus McClay) - 2:23 rating: *** stars Hum, the stoned sounding "Ninety Nine Years" had an interesting swamp rock-meets the blues vibe. The lyrics were certainly non-PC.
McClay managed to release one final non-LP single on the small Gerard Tournier label:
- 1976's "Madam Macadam" b/w "Hit the Road Jack" (Gerard Tournier catalog number GT 46.547)
For anyone curious, I stumbled across McClay's Facebook page, but it hasn't been updated since 2012 and had precious little information on the man. https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=charles%20brutus%20mcclay
In 2013 McClay appeared on the France Has Talent television show singing an odd blues tune. He didn't make it to the finals: Charles Brutus McClay - France's Got Talent 2013 audition - Week 4. There's a second clip with him doing a cover of The Mamas and the Papas "California Dreamin'" with longtime friend (and France Has Talent judge) Levenbach: Charles Brutus McClay & judge sing "California Dreamin" - France's Got Talent 2013 audition - Week 4
Apparently recorded on the heels of his French television exposure, McClay seemingly recorded some new material, "Little Mad Girl" CHARLES BRUTUS MC CLAY // LITTLE MAD GIRL, "Blue Eyes" CHARLES BRUTUS McCLAY// "BLUE EYES" and what was one of his best songs - "Rainbows ... After Rain". YouTube has the promotional video for the song: CHARLES BRUTUS MCCLAY // "RAINBOWS...AFTER RAIN"
Filmed in 2022, YouTube has an extended interview between Australian skateboarder Dustin Dollin and McClay. No idea how the two met, but it is fascinating to hear the drunk pair talking past each other for most of the forty minutes. They literally don't seem to know anything about the other and McClay's hearing is somewhat challenged. He comes off as a smart guy, but is all over the place. His discussion of evolution ... wow. The interview is just wild and bizarre: DUSTIN DOLLIN PRESENTS...TAMF CHARLES BRUTUS MCCLAY
© Scott R. Blackerby December 2025
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Young Man"; a pair of Buffy St.
Marie covers ("Until
It's Time For You To Go" and
"Codeine") and a remake of a
track written and recorded by Dutch singer Dave (aka Woulter Otto
Levenbach). The overall feel was early-'70s folk/street troubadour, but it
was frequently wrapped in heavy, sappy orchestration that distracted from
McClay's writing and singing. Under that orchestral blanket McClay actually
had a decent voice; deep, kind of gritty and likeably raw. Jean Musy's
arrangements seldom benefited the album, but there were a couple of
exceptions where they orchestration was pared back, or dropped.
Those exceptions providing the album highlights. A spare, acoustic
blues number, McClay's love letter to Paris "Lady
Paris Blues" was a nice showcase for his unadorned voice. Easy to see
why it was tapped as a single, "I Don't Care"
was one of the album's more commercial offerings. Even
better was his blistering cover of Buffy St. Marie's
"Codeine". Accompanied by the album's most rock and roll
arrangement, the intensity he brought to the song was almost scary. It may
even be better than the original. Shame there wasn't more rock
oriented material on the album. Shame he didn't
get a chance to record a follow-on album. 
