Brian Protheroe
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1974-) - Brian Protheroe -- vocals, guitar, keyboards
supporting musicians: (1976) - Ian Anderson -- flute - Barriemore Barlow -- percussion - Terry Coe -- clarinet - Barry DeSouza -- drums, percussion - Stephanie de Sykes -- backing vocals - Lance D’Owen -- guitar - Mike Giles
-- drums, percussion - Bobby Haughey -- trumpet - David Horley -- trombone - Alan Jones -- bass - Keith Manzell -- backing vocals - Neil McArthur -- piano - Brian Odgers -- bass - Alan Parker -- guitar - Stan Satzman -- sax - Roger Truth -- drums, percussion
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- Folk-Blues Incorporated
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Genre: pop Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Pinball Company: Chrysalis Catalog: CHR
1065 Country/State: Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $35.00
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He's completely unknown in the States, but in his native England Brian Protheroe has enjoyed a lengthy career as an actor and starting in the mid-'70s as a reluctant pop star.
His musical career started while in his teens where he learned how to play keyboards and guitar. In between acting in amateur local theatre groups he joined Roger Hicks and Bill Thacker in Folk Blues Incorporated. In 1965 the trio relocated to London where they started playing local folk clubs. Their efforts resulted in a recording contract with the small London-based Eyemark label, releasing an obscure single:
- 1966's 'When the Ship Comes In' b/w 'Don't Hide' (Earmark catalog number EMS 1006)
When Folk Blues Incorporated collapsed Protheroe turned his attention back to acting. He was a regular in various small theatre companies, but by the late-'60s started to gain television exposure in series like "Frontier" and "The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes." His big breakthrough came in 1973 when he won a role in the play "Death On Demand." Cast as a pop star, one of his songs was set to music and eventually caught the attention of Chrysalis Records. After hearing some more of his material, Chrysalis signed him to a recording contract.
Prothereo's label debut came with a 1974 single:
- 1974's 'Pinball' b/w 'Money Love' (Chrysalis catalog number CHS-2104)
With the song hitting the English top-40 charts, Chrysalis rushed him into the studio to quickly record a supporting album. Produced and arranged by Del Newman, 1974's "Pinball" featured both sides of the debut single and eleven other Protheroe originals. The Paul McCartney flavored title track was the song Prothereo's best known for and based on that performance I was hoping the rest of parent album would be as good. It wasn't. Perhaps because I'd read so much hype about the album which frequently drew comparisons to McCartney, 10cc, The Beach Boys, etc., I found myself disappointed. The good news was Prothereo was certainly a talented performer. He had a strong, versatile and commercial voice. His material was frequently catchy and commercial. Exemplified by tracks like 'Mickey Dollar Dreams', 'Goodbye Surprise' and 'Monkey' I certainly got the 10cc comparison. He also had a knack for crafting catchy melodies. The downside was Prothereo frequently sounded like he was trying too hard. With a '40s inspired melody, the ballad 'Moon Over Malibu' recalled McCartney at his most MOR-ish. The studio jams 'Kinotata' and the closer 'Wrong Kinotata' were just wastes of vinyl. Elsewhere 'Clog Dancer' and the single 'Fly Now' bore an uncanny resemblance to Gilbert O'Sullivan. Certainly not the strongest debut I've ever come across, but worth a couple of spins if you can find a cheap copy - 'Money Love' and 'Pinball' were the standout performances.
"Pinball" track listing:
1.) Clog Dancer (Brian Protheroe) - 3:52 rating: *** stars Cute often doesn't translate well into pop songs. That's certainly the case with 'Clog Dancer.' Starting out like it was recorded at the wrong speed, the bouncy melody was okay; iimagine Gilbert O'Sullivan strung out on amphetamines trying to cram a novel worth of nonsensical lyrics into the constraints of a four minute song. Docked a star for the scatting section. For anyone curious, YouTube has a live performance of the tune from a January 2012 date at London's Troubadour: Clog Dancer by Brian Protheroe (live at the Troubadour) (youtube.com) 2.) Money Love (Brian Protheroe) - 3:27 rating: **** stars Opening up some attractive strumming acoustic guitars, a killer bass line and Beach Boy-styled harmonies, 'Money Love' was one of the album's standout performances. His voice has always reminded me a touch of Cat Stevens on this one. Far more rock-oriented than most of the set, the track would have made a nice single. 3.) Moon Over Malibu (Brian Protheroe - Martin Duncan) - 3:19 rating: * star Sounding like something off a '40s Bing Crosby album, the MOR ballad 'Moon Over Malibu' was the kind of throwaway that would have appealed to the grandparents. The few times I've actually made it through the song it's reminded me of something the late Michael Nesmith might have recorded on a Monkees album as a sign of disgust for Don Kirshner's management of the band. 4.) Mickey Dollar Dreams (Brian Protheroe - Martin Duncan) - 3:27 rating: *** stars The driving acoustic guitars were promising, but then Proteeroe's labored vocals kicked in giving 'Mickey Dollar Dreams' a weird glam-meets-power-pop flavor. The extended discordant ending didn't do the song any favors. No idea what the song's about. 5.) Goodbye Surprise (Brian Protheroe) - 2:32 rating: *** stars In spite of Del Newman's intrusive horn arrangement, the keyboard-powered 'Goodbye Surprise' has always reminded me of a mash-up between a decent Paul McCartney song and Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Admittedly it comes a little too close to MOR, but it's goofy enough to spin a couple of times. 6.) Pinball (Brian Protheroe) - 3:10 rating: **** stars 'Pinball' is the song Protheroe's best known for. Released worldwide as a single, it hit the top-40 (# 22) in the UK, but didn't do much elsewhere. Protheroe's unwillingness to tour in support of the song didn;t endear him with Chrysalis. Apparently an autobiographical track written after Protheroe had broken up with a girlfriend and was living in a friend's apartment, the tune started out as a pretty acoustic ballad, before morphing into a jazzy direction with a nice melody, some nice multi-tracked vocals and some major downbeat lyrics - "And the cat just finished off the bread." YouTube has a clip of Prothereo performing the song on the BBC's Top of the Pops show. It's funny to see the audience trying to figure out how to dance to the track: BRIAN PROTHEROE PINBALL TOTP (youtube.com)
- 1974's 'Pinball' b/w 'Money Love' (Chrysalis catalog number CHS-2104) 7.) Kinotata (Martin Duncan) - 0:29 rating: * star Listen to this throwaway track knowing you will never get those 29 seconds of your life back.
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2) 'Changing My Tune' was a pretty McCartney-esque ballad with mildly interesting "song writing" lyrics. Once again Newman's orchestral arrangement added little to the overall effect. 2.) Monkey (Brian Protheroe) - 3:39 rating: *** stars Powered by a nifty bass line, 'Monkey' was the album's funkiest performance. Kind of a 10cc discovers a New Orleans-styled vibe here. Docked a star for the scatting section and the needless animal sound effects. 3.) Lady Belladonna (Brian Protheroe - Martin Duncan) - 3:57 The opening Spanish-flavored acoustic guitar and Protheroe's earnest lyrics have always reminded me of something off an Al Stewart album. I like Stewart so that's not a bad thing. Not everyone is going to agree. 4.) Fly Now (Brian Protheroe) - 2:20 rating: *** stars With a bouncy, keyboard powered melody, 'Fly Now' was a very Gilbert Sullivan-styled pop tune. He was lucky O'Sullivan didn't come after him in court. Docked a star for the scat section. The track was tapped as the album's second single:
- 1974's 'Fly Now' b/w 'Clog Dancer' (Chrysalis catalog number CRS 2060) 5.) Interview / Also In The Limelight (Brian Protheroe - Martin Duncan) - 5:44 rating: *** stars Ah, every mid-'70s album seemingly needed a big ballad. With Newman trotting out horns and strings, 'Interview / Also In The Limelight' had a distinctive Beach Boys vibe. Unfortunately sporting a Bossa Nova vibe and some irritating spoken word segments, the song wasn't particularly memorable. 6.) Wrong Kinotata (Martin Duncan) - 0:43 rating: * star More in-studio crap. What was the point? Was it supposed to be funny? It wasn't.
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Genre: pop Rating: 4 stars **** Title: I/You Company: Chrysalis Catalog: CHR
1108 Country/State: Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $15.00
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Released in 1976, "I/You" was Brian Protheroe's third album for Chrysalis. Produced by Del Newman, the album featured largely original material; two tracks co-written by Martin Duncan and 'Under the Greenwood Tree' carrying a co-writing credit from one WIlliam Shakespeare. The lone cover was a competent, but unnecessary cover of Little Richard's 'Lucille.' Judging by these tunes Protheroe had a great voice; strong, versatile and very commercial. His songwriting reflected the same characteristics, though he had a thing for unusual melodies and unexpected time changes. Very 10cc-ish. Also be aware these songs weren't your usual "moon in June" odes to love and heartbreak. Exemplified by the title track, 'Every Roman Knows', 'Evil Eye' and particularly 'Dancing on Black Ice' the lyrics were intriguing, but in many cases the themes were just too English for American audiences to readily grasp. I'm clueless on about half of the songs. It's certainly one of those album's that's fun to play spot-the-influence with. My ears hear everything from The Alan Parsons Project, to Supertramp, Al Stewart storytelling and even early Paul McCartney and Wings. Personal favorites included the slinky 'Hotel', the Fairport Convention-styled folk tune 'Under the Greenwood Tree' and the WTF 'Dancing on Black Ice.' Great album with the added bonus that it's unknown in the States and you can still find cheap copies.
"I/You" track listing: 1.) I/You (Martin Duncan - Brian Protheroe) - 5:42 rating: *** stars The title track was an odd melange of song fragments seemingly stitched haphazardly together. To my ears 'I/You' sounded like an aural collision between Wings-era Paul McCartney and 10cc with guest appearances from Billy Joel, Rupert Holmes and Queen. The individual segments were all quite catchy and commercial, but the constant changes in direction quickly started to sound old. 2.) Every Roman Knows (Brian Protheroe) - 3:28) rating: *** stars Shifting into a Music Hall vibe, the bouncy, keyboard powered 'Every Roman Knows' has always reminded me of Supertramp colliding with Billy Joel. Showcasing Prothereo's multi-tracked vocals, the song was cute and quite radio-friendly in a mid-'70s fashion. Darn if his vocals didn't recall Supertramp's Rick Davies. 3.) Evil Eye (Martin Duncan - Brian Protheroe) - 4:57 rating: *** stars The stark opening (just Protheroe and electric piano) and interesting lyrics recalled something off an Alan Parson Project album. When the tune shifted to the main melody it moved into Pilot top-40 territory before bouncing back and forth across the different sections. Alan Parker provided the blazing guitar solo. Extra star for being such a weird tune. 4.) Under the Greenwood Tree (William Shakespeare - Brian Protheroe) - 2:26 rating: **** stars Showcasing Ian Anderson on flute and shared lead vocals, the acoustic 'Under the Greenwood Tree' sounded like a Fairport Convention outtake, or perhaps Jethro Tull at their folkies. Tull percussionist Barriemore Barlow was also featured on the track.. Darn if Protheroe and Anderson's voices didn't blend well together. I have to admit it sounded like nothing else on the collection, but was one of the set's hidden treasures. 5.) Dancing on Black Ice (Martin Duncan - Brian Protheroe) - 4:05 rating: **** stars Geez, an English major could probably pull a thesis out of the intriguing 'Dancing on Black Ice.' Even though I've read the lyrics a dozen times "O Samarcand, Mark Anthony, Darkened phantom (hand to knee) Sand my candy-man to me Dancing on black ice.", this is one of those tunes that leaves me scratching my head. I'm guessing someone out there has a clue. Enlighten me. Recorded at The Troubadour, YouTube has a January 2012 performance of the song. Gawd only know how Protheroe remembered the lyrics: Dancing on Black Ice - Brian Protheroe - YouTube
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2) Opening up with a "circus" melody, 'Battling Annie' was a perfect example of Protheroe's interest in stitching together time and melodic changes. It also displayed his knack for cramming a novella worth of lyrics into his songs. Stephanie de Sykes featured on Annie/backing vocals. Imagine a rock opera condensed into six and a half minutes ... Another one that's lost on my American ears. 2.) Never Join the Fire Brigade (Brian Protheroe) - 3:00 rating: *** stars Pulling out his best Cockney accent, the bouncy, goofy, 'Never Join the Fire Brigade' sounded like something Roy Wood and the Move might have written for a Monty Python skit. Very English performance. Here's another January 2012 Troubadour performance: Never Join The Fire Brigade - YouTube 3.) Hotel (Brian Protheroe) - 3:26 rating: **** stars Loved the slinky guitar opening, Protheroe's treated vocals, and the seeming spur-of-the moment lyrics. Hard to explain how cool they were - imagine Pilot writing a song at the RItz while stoned out of their collective minds. . 4.) Lucille (Richard Penniman) - 3:05 rating: ** stars The first true misstep, 'Lucille' was a decent cover of the Little Richard classic, but hardly something you needed to hear. 5.) The Face and I (Brian Protheroe) - 5:16 rating: *** stars Back to Protheroe and piano, the soulful ballad 'The Face and I' had obtuse lyrics that would have made Bernie Taupin proud and would not have sounded out of place on a mid-career Elton John album. Elsewhere the song found Alan Parker turning in his prettiest guitar solo.
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