Sounds Incorporated

Sounds Incorporated, later known as Sounds Inc., was a British instrumental pop group which recorded extensively in the 1960s.

Career

The group formed in 1961, in Dartford, Kent, and gained a local reputation in nearby South London for the fullness of their saxophone-led instrumental sound. In August 1961, after Gene Vincent's band, The Blue Caps, had been denied permission to work in the UK, they won the opportunity to back Vincent on his British tour and on recordings in London. This led to further opportunities to back other visiting American artists, including Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brenda Lee and Sam Cooke.

Their only record with Parlophone, "Mogambo", failed to achieve significant sales, and they moved to Decca where they released a trio of singles, the last of which was recorded with producer Joe Meek, again with little success. However, while performing in Hamburg they met and befriended The Beatles and in 1963 signed to Brian Epstein's management company, NEMS. In the same year they appeared as musical guests in the film, Live It Up!.

Their first two singles on new label Columbia, "The Spartans" and "Spanish Harlem" made the UK Singles Chart in 1964 but these were the only successes in their home country. That year also saw their becoming Cilla Black's backing band, and the release of their first album called Sounds Incorporated containing many stage favourites, although not their chart successes. Their third Columbia single was included and turned out to be their greatest success in Australia, their version of the "William Tell Overture" reached #2.

The group toured the world as the Beatles' opening act, including the concert at New York's Shea Stadium. Their continuing popularity ensured a stream of work including backing duties at the televised NME awards. In December 1964, NME reported that Sounds Incorporated would appear at the Hammersmith Odeon at the 'Another Beatles Christmas Show'.

Unusual musical instruments were a feature. The battery-operated Clavioline keyboard (as used by The Tornados) is heard on "Keep Movin'", but is also heard prominently on their previous disc before Meek, "Sounds Like Locomotion". Al Holmes played the lead melody on flute throughout "The Spartans".

1966 was the first year the group released no singles in their home country but recorded a second album, again simply titled Sounds Incorporated. This was released on EMI's fledgling Studio 2 label, primarily to show off EMI's mid 1960s advances and developments in stereo recording techniques. Any singles taken off the LP for foreign markets were in that format's usual mono however, making these unusual items for UK collectors of the group.

By 1967 the group's name truncated to 'Sounds Inc'. The Beatles, still friends from the Hamburg days invited Cameron, Holmes, and West to be the saxophone section on their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album track, "Good Morning Good Morning". After this guest appearance Sounds Inc left EMI and released a solitary single on the Polydor label "How Do You Feel", their first single release to feature vocals.

The group began to disintegrate in the late 1960s, Newman having already left to work as a session musician and at one stage joining the Jeff Beck Group. Cameron's leaving for a career in A&R left a gap in the group, filled by Terry Fogg Percussionist/Drummer and Trevor White, the group's first true vocalist. The group soldiered on, moving to and mainly playing in Australia for their final years together. Their act became more middle-of-the-road, exemplified in their final LP, which was released in many territories but not the UK, containing more vocals than instrumentals. In 1971 they finally broke up.

Discography

Singles

• Feb '63 "Go"/"Stop" Decca F 11590
• Aug '63 "Keep Movin'"/"Order Of The Keys" Decca F 11723
• Mar '64 "The Spartans"/"Detroit" Columbia DB 7239
• Jul '64 "Spanish Harlem"/"Rinky Dink" Columbia DB 7321
• Nov '64 "William Tell"/"Bullets" Columbia DB 7404
• Apr '65 "Time For You"/"Hall Of The Mountain King" Columbia DB 7545
• Aug '65 "My Little Red Book"/"Justice Neddi" Columbia DB 7676
• Oct '65 "I'm Comin' Through"/"On The Brink" Columbia DB 7737

EPs

• Aug '64 Top Gear - "Detroit"/"Spanish Harlem"/"Top Gear"/"The Spartans" Columbia SEG 8360

Albums

• Jun '64 Sounds Incorporated - "William Tell"/"Fingertips"/"I'm In Love Again"/"Rinky Dink/Bullets"/"Last Night"/"Sounds Like Movin'"/"One Mint Julep"/"Ready Teddy"/"Crane"/"Maria"/"Light Cavalry" Columbia SX 3531

• Nov '66 Sounds Incorporated - "Goldfinger"/"Little Bird"/"If We Lived On Top Of A Mountain"/"Grab This Thing"/"Yesterday"/"Boil Over"/"What Now My Love"/"Zorba's Dance"/"Bahama Sound"/"On The Rebound"/"The Old And The New"/"Legend Of Lyndos"/"Twilight Of An Empire" Studio Two TWO 144

Their recording career is currently well covered on various CD sets. Virtually all of their recorded output is available, including rare and unreleased items. All tracks released as singles make up one compilation (The Singles). Both UK released albums are contained on another collection in stereophonic sound, and their third LP is covered in a specialist UK compilation album of rarer tracks. Many individual cuts spanning the first half of their career, appear on various specialist instrumental compilations.

Their third Decca single "Keep Movin'" / "Order Of The Keys" is most sought-out by collectors, mainly due to being produced by Joe Meek. The first Sounds Incorporated was issued in both mono and stereo.

Television recordings still exist featuring the group in action, although little if anything exists from the UK archives. They also appeared in Pop Gear, a music review film made in colour, which has been released on video in recent years.

Band members

• Alan "Boots" Holmes (baritone saxophone/ flute) - (born 25 April 1940, Rotherhithe, South East London)
• "Major" Griff West (saxophone) - (born David Glyde, 19 December 1940, Barnehurst, Kent)
• Barrie Cameron (keyboards, baritone saxophone) - (born Barrie Cameron-Elmes, 25 October 1939, Erith, Kent)
• John St. John (guitar) - (born John Gillard, 1 April 1940, Dartford, Kent)
• Wes Hunter (bass) - (born Richard Thomas, 1941, Barnehurst, Kent)
• Tony Newman (drums) - (born Richard Anthony Newman, 17 March 1943, Southampton, Hampshire)
• Terry Fogg (drums/percussion) - (born Terrence George Fogg, 25 September 1945, Chesterfield, Derbyshire)

See also

• List of rock instrumentals
• Sounds Orchestral

External links

• Allmusic.com biography by Steve Huey