Hey folks, the next couple of posts are gonna blow y'all away - not just because of the rarity, but because I have been listening to them for a while and they are absolutley brilliant. So let's start with this obscure 60's band easy listening pop band "Dr. Marigold's Prescription". They produced two albums and "Pictures Of Life" is their debut from 1969. Their second one is utterly unavailable anywhere. But would love to get my hands on it. This is another album that features on robotsforronnies' wishlist as long as I have been blogging and has never been issued on CD. Therefore it is a vinyl rip folks and is a must, not just for the collector, but for anyone who loves beautiful songs. Enjoy y'all and get this ultra rarity here .And if anyone has more info on this band please drop me some comments.
01. Sweet Cherry Wine (3:38)
02. My Future Is Past (3:20)
03. Land of Fusan (4:19)
04. Visions Of A Hobo (4:16)
05. Can't You See I'm Right (3:12)
06. You've Got To Build Your Love On A Solid Foundation (3:04)
07. I Threw It All Away (2:29)
08. A Mother's Love (2:16)
09. Picture Of Life (2:57)
10. Tie Me Down (2:08)
Download
59 comments:
I don't have any info on this band but...what I have is a couple of songs recorded live from the radio when they played at the BBC.
Again wonderful, your work is incredible; my friend.
Thank you so much; shine on!
I am reliably told that Dr Marigold's Precription started in 1968 as a backing group for Billy Fury, after the Blue Flames, (which included Georgie Fame) and The Plainsmen.
Hope this helps
Perhaps you could share those live BBC songs with us Anon.
Hope 2 hear from you again Anon.
Chuntao
Yeh nelwizard, I guess it is!!!
Chuntao
Thanks for the xtra info Twil. Nice one.
Will look into that.
Chuntao
wonderful music. with just twenty years i have to say it´s far better than most of the bands from my generation. there´s a feeling in the music that just makes you dream while listening to that album.
This is what Vernon Joynson writes in his book :"The Tapestry of delights"
Personnel:
ALAN FRENCH keyb'ds A
BILL FRENCH bs A
DAVE MORRIS drms A
FRED RADLEY gtr, vcls A
DOMINIC GRANT
ALBUMS:
1(A) PICTURES OF LIFE (Marble Arch MALS 1222) 1969 SC
2( ) HELLO GIRL (Pye PNL 501) 1973
45s:
1 My Old Man Is A Groovy Old Man/People Get Ready (Pye 7N 17493) 1969
2 You've Got To Build Your Love/My Picture Of Love (Pye 7N 17832) 1969
3 Breaking The Heart Of A Good Man/Night Hurries On By (Bell BLL 1096) 1970
4 Sing Along, Sing Along, Sing Along/Father Jim (Bell BLL 1126) 1970
5 Muddy Water/Come With Me (Bell BLL 1149) 1971
6 Friend Of Mine/In Your Own Sweet Way (CBS 7286) 1971
7 Time To Rock/Tokens (CBS 8313) 1972
8 March Hare/Crazy Love (Santa Ponsa PNS 5) 1973
9 March Hare/Pride Comes Before A Fall (Route RT 21) 1975
A fairly middle of the road outfit although the name promises better. Their albums comprised decent but utterly predictable pop songs. Dominic Grant who was also once a member had been a solo artist and was later in Guys and Dolls.
THANKS for this ultra-mega-rarity!!
Greez Nel
Hi Nel :),
Thanks for stopping by here and providing me and my readers with very useful xtra information.
I do have to dissagree however, that this is more than a middle of the road outfit, I think they are very good and really do grow on you.
Besides that, thank you for your visit and glad to be of service Nel.
Chuntao
Yeah, I am liking this one a lot too.
Roddus
Good to hear Roddus. It is rather charming album I thought.
Good on ya'
C.
Great one
Nel I was thinking the same about adding the info, so lets keep in touch in order to find their 2nd!
you did it again C!
Cheers.
I first heard Dr Marigold's live at the Pinn Inn at RAF Uxbridge when I was resident disco DJ there.. I can't be sure of the year, but it certainly early 70's.
I thought they were great and bought their album Hello Girl. Still got it as a matter of fact, but it's a bit worse for after all these years. It was released on Santa Ponsa Records ..number PNL501. Side One. Medusa - Muddy Water -What The Heck - Without a Place to Go - Hello Girl. Side Two.. She Belongs To Me - Lean on Me - Tokens - Crazy Porno Love - Fairy Tale Lullaby.
Hope this is of some help.
Great upload! This was one of my favorites back in the day so I have been looking for an mp3 version of this album for years! I finally gave up only a couple of weeks ago and actually found a vinyl copy of the american release named "Hit Songs From London" (same songs in the same order as on "Pictures...").
Never heard of the second album though. We can only hope that someone has a decent copy of that to rip for us.
Hehehe Folks,
we have the masters (from Alshire) Think you can get those songs in a few month digitaly remastered on iTunes. I just did the remasterings.
Fred Radley, the main vocalist for the group,was my uncle..i only managed to get a mint copy of POL last year..i havent seen him since '78 though i know he's still kicking...his singing career was ruined by some sort of throat disease..though i think he still carried on playing guitar...aL
I was the Lead singer and guitarist with Dr. Marigolds Prescription. I am currently working with 3 bands and continue to record and perform at live gigs around the country.
In the early days Dr Marigold did back several artists to include
Billy Fury
Bruce Channel (USA)
John Walker (Walker brothers) USA
The Flirtations
Madeline Bell
Dominic Grant was not however a member of the band, although Dr Marigold backed him for a while on a promotional tour.
The second album Hello girl did very well – The Single went to No 1 in South Africa in the early 70`s and remained there for 16 weeks.
Hit Songs from London – I believe this was an American bootleg version of our Pictures of Life album, the guys pictured on the front sleeve are not members of Dr Marigolds but the music is us.
I still have the 1963 fender Stratocaster I used in most of the Album tracks and some rare pictures / Posters and press cuttings
I would be interested in hearing some of our BBC Recordings if anyone has them
In `78 I did have a throat infection which went away after several months – and I’ve continued to sing ever since. Looking forward to making contact again with Alan Thorne.
11/21/2009
I used to see Dr Marigolds practically every week when they were resident group at the sir robert peel pub in kingston upon thames surrey & also saw them at other venues in that area. I have both albums & several of the singles still collecting what I can on E-bay etc. they were agreat live band & Fred Radley could sing just about anything,as well as their own stuff they did agreat cover of the Stones. Their party piece to get audience sing-a-long was the banana boat song Fred could sing dayo as deep & long as anyone,- great to know Im not the only one still taking an interest in this great group - Tin Soldier.
Alan Thorne,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your uncles meemories with us. I hope he is doing well and really loved tacking down this charming obscurity and sharing it with real collectors. It did take some time but it was worth it.
In the mean time please be patient as I scour the globe for the second album,....
Your appreciatelteively
Chuntao
Yo' STRAT63,
What a pleasue to have you drop in hee on our humble blog. I didn't know you did so much other work and I would love to hear any other recordings you have from that era. Your stuff is so easy to listen to. My fav. on Pictures... is " You've Got To Build You Love..." Thanks for being able to share this fantastic sleeper and hope that Mr Alan Thorne reads this thread and manages to contact you again. Eh The Good Old Days eh? ;]
Chuntao
PS I am going to ask Tin Soldier if he can make a copy of your second album and then I can shae this mega-aity with my reades al;so, unless you are not too busy gigging and in the studio STRAT63...
Well we can all dream eh.
Drop by soon my fiend and it was both a pleasure to track down your forgotten gem and also a pleasure for you to drop in on us.
Chuntao
Tin Soldier,
Well I guess you know what I aM going to ask yeah. Would you be able to share the second album please with me and some of my readers. It would make my year.
I thank you for stopping by and giving us a glimpse in Dr Marigolds' live days.
Good on ya' Tin Soldier and if you were to go out your way for this mega equest thee would be many people all over the internet vey happy indeed.
Speak soon Tin Soldier
fingers crossed
Chuntao
Hi Tin Soldier here again, id be happy to help with the hello girl album but Im not a tech whizz kid with this kind of thing I will get there eventually with some help so if You bare with me it will be worth the wait Im sure.
Tin Soldier,
We are all very patient here at raremp3. All I can suggest is to use a record player with a USB connection. That makes converting vinyl very easy as softweare is normally included. If u can't get your hands on one, you will need to get more leads etc to use a main turntable.
I wish you luck with this and would love to be the first well after you that is, to share with the music collecting world.
Speak soon Tin Soldier and all the best over the holidays :)
C.
Well hi STRAT63!..
Hope you drop back this way and read this as i've been trying
to find you for a while...i'd
really like some contact but this is the only contact point so far..don't know where to go from here..perhaps i can get my email to you through this w/site if you want it...aL..look forward to your reply...
mp3..forgive me for using this post
as a contact point, but i've been trying to find my only living uncle for years and this is the only luck i've had so far!...keep up the good work...aL
From Strat63
First of all - A big thank you to MP3 from me, for bringing my nephew and I in contact. Let me know if there is anything your readers would like re: Dr Marigold Information and I will make it available.
I remember playing at the Robert Peel In Kingston and had a large fan base there. I seem to remember the old favourites which were always requested were the "Banana boat song" / "Dr Kitch" / "My future is past" we made many friends there. It's great to get my memory jogged.
Alan - Yes I would like your e-mail address if MP3 feels this is appropriate. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Hello Alan Thorne & STRAT63, (Fred)
I have no problem in helping reunite family members (especially if one of them appeared in such a lovely band, such as "Dr. Marigold's Prescription" and also for not objecting that this rarity should be preserved for others to hear. So thank you folks.
Therefore when both of you read this thread, I urge y'all to leave both your email addresses in seperate comments (which I wont publish) and I will write to both of you independently with a test message and then well, you guys can take your long anticipated family reunion from there.
Xmas is a time of year where family is everything and I would love to help in any way to aid communication.
And Yes STRAT63 (Fred), You know I would love to get my hands on "Hello Girl". And well anything else that is relevant I guess. But first lets get you guys hooked up and I wish y'all the best in 2010 and hopefully speak soon.
Thank you for this opportunity and good luck
I Am Yours
Chuntao
Hi everyone, I used to follow Fred and the band at the Robert Peel in Kingston. I have both their albums in my vast record collection. After the impact of the Beatles, Dr Marigold's were the best band to follow them, and I could get to see them every week and stand within feet of Fred! I know people are still after their albums, and I have a way of getting them to you if you want (no charge) please get in touch via email. Rock on.
BRIAN,
Thanks for stopping and commenting on this great band. I love them also and i guess you have read about Fred's recent reunion which I am so proud to be part of Brian.
I love your offer Brian and it would be helpful if you leave your email in separate comments so we can perhaps discuss it further. I couldn't access your profile- and i don't have an visible email address here.
So hopefully you will return to this thread Brian and get in touch.
Thank again
Chuntao
Hello STRAT63 it`s Mr Bassman here! AKA:Bill Friend former bass player with Dr Marigolds. Glad to hear your keeping well and still gigging - it`s been a long time huh?!.
Hello BILL!!!!
Great to hear from you. Are you in touch with the rest of the Guys?
This site has certainly brought so many good people together again.( Thank You again Chuntao you are a Star!). If you want to contact me Bill - Chuntao has my E-mail address.
Strat63
Hey Bill,
Good of you also to find us and since you obviously passed the door test with Rick, just leave your email address and I will fix it up that you can contact your old buddy real soon.
And Fred(rick) that man Brian asks if you could put more pictures on your myspace/bebo page?
Good to hear from you again and Bill hope you read this thread again soon.
Good luck and chat soon
C.
I bought pictures of life in a Woolworths sale for 20p in 1971. It was the first record I ever bought I was 13 at the time. I bought it for the cover because it looked like a progressive rock band. At first i was disappointed but after I played it to death..i loved the intro of sweet cherry wine and the lyrics of the songs are still in my head. I lost the record many years ago but found it again in a collectors bin recently..brings back such good memories. It's nice to learn more about this group finally thanks to internet.
Hi,
I'm posting on behalf of my Dad, Alan French. He was the keyboard player in Dr Marigolds and has asked me to help make contact with Fred after seeing the posts on this site. Is it possible for him to get an email address?
He's also asked me to thank you all for the comments and appreciation. They have made his day.
Hi, Bill Friend here! (Former Bass player - Dr Marrigold`s) Nice to hear back from you Fred. I am still in touch with the rest of the guys - I retired 2 years ago but played with an established c/w band for 12 years. Dave Morris (drummer) was with Abba-gold for a number of years but mainly teaches drums now. Alan French (keyboards) has also retired from playing. Alan and myself have a number of BBC recordings of the band.
P.s My email address is:
billybub1@hotmail.co.uk
Message for Chantao - Please can you advise me of how I get my email address to my friend Fred as we would like to make contact after many years of loosing touch. Thank you.
Bill Friend.
Email: billybub1@hotmail.co.uk
They used to sing at the Robert Peel the song 'The Skeleton and the Roundabout' A song The Idle Race (Jeff Lynn) did.
Good days.
to strat63 - hello this is a message from Accrington in Lancashire. Remember when you played up Accrington Con, in Lancashire, around 1968
You wrote one of your songs for an Accrington lass
Anonymous is correct {9/25/2010}
That was one of two songs we used to play by the IDLE RACE,the other being THE BIRTHDAY. From......Vox Continental....
I to well remember seeing "Dr Marigold's Prescription" at the Sir Robert Peel in Kingston upon Thames/New Malden. A friend took me to see them and i was well impressed with the band. I well remember them warming up their act by playing "Soul Dressing" an instrumental tune as their first number a tune made famous by Booker T & The MG's.I bought their first album after seeing them a few times and i still think of them as one of the best bands around Surrey/London at the time.
Well remember their version of "Soul Dressing" an instrumental by the great Booker T & the MG's was there first tune of the night at Sir Robert Peel in Kingston when i used to attend gigs there.
The gig at THE PEEL was a fantastic one for us to play.We were based in north london,so the trip to Surrey was a Pleasure. The governor Tom was a very nice man and I met him again a couple of years ago.We had a great following at the PEEL,and would like to thank all our fans,especially those that have written on this site.We are all alive and kicking,having met up just before xmas 2010,first time since 1973.I am very surprised at the amount of info available on the internet about us.
DMP evolved from a group called "The Followers"based around North and East London in 1967. They took on a girl singer,a very good one,but lost her when they recorded their first single, released on the PYE label in 1969.They did work with "Billy Fury" on and off between 1968 and 1970 but were ambitious and wanted their own career. Their fisrt single was called "My Old Man's A Groovy Old Man"written by two members of 60's hit group the "Easy Beat".During their career they worked with the great "Bruce Channel"of "Hey Baby" fame.They appeared on the "Basil Brush" show twice,the "Roger Whittaker" show and many "Radio One shows".Not only were they a very professional outfit but were also very good friends and that friendship has lasted right up until now.
When DMP took up with their girl singer,they got lots of work. Many of their gigs were at American Airbases,one of which was Chicksands,in Bedfordshire. Not only American Bases but English Bsses too. They also worked in central London,in clubs such as The Scotch of St James, Blaises,Hatchetts of Piccadilly,the Ram Jam club in Brixton to name a few.When they met up with Billy Fury,at the pub called "The Dublin Castle" in Holloway,London for a rehearsal,they hit it off first time.The first gig they did with Billy was the "Princess and Domino" club in Manchester, after that they got a lot of cabaret work with him in the North of England playing two gigs a night.Billy hadn't had a hit for a long time but was still loved by his fans and always went down very well at these gigs.Before they worked with Billy Fury they backed the "Chantelles" a British harmony girl group,who had connexions with the great Dusty Springfield. The gigs with them were mainly aboard P&O ships,a bonus for DMP meaning they played the cabaret,and had a free cruise.
DMP did work with the American singer "Bruce Channel" doing two British tours. Of course he had that great single release " Hey Baby".DMP also did some live recordings with him for the BBC Radio One shows,his single release at that time was "Keep On".
In 1969 DMP released their second single on PYE it was titled "Youv'e Got To Build Your Love On A Solid Foundation" a song written by the soul star Joe Tex.
In 1970 DMP released their third single "Sing Along Sing Along Sing Along(b/wFarmer Jim)" The B side was written by their singer and dedicated to the DJ Jimmy Young, as they appeared on his Radio Show many times.After an appearance on the Basil Brush show they thought things could only get better.
DMP had another single release in 1970,this was "Breaking The Heart Of A Good Man".This record had a more powerful sound and they really thought they had a great chance to have a chart entry, it was written by that prolific HIT songwriting team,Roger Greenaway/Roger Cook,but it was not to be. The B side was a charming song called "Night Hurries On By" that was written by their singer.This single was released on the BELL/EMI label as was the previous one "Sing Along".
I notice Bill (Bass Player) you left a message on here. So nice to see you still around. I see they call you Bill French on most of the websites, and I was puzzled as I always new you as Bill Friend. Do you remember me (Janet)I used to follow you all over the country with Liz( she used to fancy Fred. Once you played as March Hare, then you found there was a group called that so you had to apologies. Got some photos of all of you at Robert Peel. Would love to hear from you, Kind regards Janet
To all the Dr Marigolds Prescription Fans. I am starting a page on facebook for Dr Marigolds Prescription. So any people who want to join are welcome. It would be nice to have all messages and photos on one page. Nostalgia here we come. It might take me a while to set it up, so please be patient.
Kind regards
Janet
1971 saw the release of yet another single,Muddy Water which reached the dizzy heights of just outside the top 40. If it had gone inside the top 40, DMP would have got a go on Top Of The Pops. They did get a lot of airplay on Radio One and lots more work,which included The Robert Peel in Kingston as their local gig,as they had a great fan base there.This was their 5th single and they were hopeful of a chart entry,but how unlucky were they.(these articles written by A/F)
March 1972 saw the release of DMP's sixth single on the CBS label,the first of two recordings for that label.This was a first group written A side,written by all members of DMP.The venue for the rehearsal of "Time To Rock" was Curly Clayton's studio at Highbury Corner,Islington, London.The B side was a rocking song called "Tokens" with some neat slide guitar and nifty piano work(the bass and drum's not bad either). Again no show in the charts.(all this group history written by A/F)
A/F how about putting all this on there facebook page.
Thats a good idea Anon:5/5/11. I didn't know they had a profile on Facebook,thanks.A/F
I have set it up myself anon. I was a great follower Of Dr Marigolds for many years. I am sure if lots of people join we could have a very good facebook page.
strat63
do you remember playing with the Sparrers in 1965 I was one of the rythem guitarist I live'd
in downs road very near to you,
the sparrers line up
Richard Steggles,vocals
John Hickson,drums /vocals
Fred Radley Lead Guitar /vocals
Brian Morgan rythem guitar
Ken Beshaw rythem guitar
Derick Fields bass
What a lot of nostalgia on here plus it is getting everyone back together. Oh it so exciting.Am in contact with Bill and Alan now. Only need Fred and Dave to make it complete. So if you are out there Fred or Dave would love to hear from you. Thank god for the Robert Peel Pub and Dr Marigolds lol
Kind regards
Janet
Hello, I'm from Jakarta, Indonesia
Yesterday I went to a place called Jalan Surabaya, looking for used CD coz many used CDs & old LPs available there. When I'm in a store (actually not a store, it's a tiny room...)I heard 2 or 3 songs played from the turntable. Altough I knew it was an old material, I like the music. I try to find out the name of the band or the album. When I look at the turntable, it made me dizzy to see the LP spinning round but I can read "dr marigolds precription". So, today I search through web about that and... here I am. Thanks for sharing this album, still downloading for 7 minutes ahead
Plenty of records to listen to on Youtube, just put in lower case dr marigolds. Also facebook page under Dr Marigolds Prescription. Plenty of photos of the group plus music. Glad you enjoy their music.
...I have an old vinyl copy in my collection
which I bought cheapo cheapest way back in the 70s...
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