BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
The Real Thing (UK band)
The Real Thing
The Real Thing (1972).jpg
The Real Thing (1972)
Background information
Origin Liverpool, England
Genres British soul, Brit funk, disco, R&B
Years active 1970–present
Labels Pye, Calibre, Jive
Associated acts David Essex
The Chants[1]
Biddu[2]
Members Chris Amoo
Dave Smith
Eddie Amoo
Past members Ray Lake
Kenny Davis
The Real Thing are a British soul group formed in the 1970s. In addition to a string of British hits, the band charted internationally with their song "You to Me Are Everything", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 28 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart and No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. By number of sales, they were the most successful black rock/soul act in England during the 1970s.[3] The journalist, author and founder of Mojo, Paul Du Noyer credits them alongside Deaf School with restoring "Liverpool's musical reputation in the 1970s" with their success.[4]
Contents
1 History
2 Group personnel
3 Discography
3.1 Albums
3.2 Singles
History
Begun in 1970 by Chris Amoo, Dave Smith, Kenny Davis and Ray Lake, The Real Thing's live, progressive soul-influenced covers of American hits attracted enough attention for them to secure a recording deal with EMI.[5] The singles they released through EMI in 1972 and 1973 such as "Vicious Circle" were, despite their high quality, not successful sellers (and have not so far been included on any of band's compilation albums). But the band persisted, even after the departure of Kenny Davis. They did appear on Opportunity Knocks (the TV talent show). The turn-around for their career began with their collaboration with David Essex and Pye Records. They toured internationally with Essex, recording with him a number of popular songs, though none were big charters. After Chris Amoo's brother Eddie joined the band, The Real Thing finally found chart success with the catchy pop soul single "You to Me Are Everything", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 28 on Billboard's "R&B Singles" and No. 64 on Billboard's "Hot 100".[5][6] Their follow-up, "Can't Get By Without You", did not chart in the US but was still a success in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 2.
In 1976, they released their first album, Real Thing,[7] which included both of their hit singles as well as a third UK hit, "You'll Never Know What You're Missing",[8] which peaked at No. 16.[9] They continued recording prolifically, releasing a steady stream of subsequent albums: 1977's Four from Eight[10] (originally to have been called Liverpool 8 in honour of the racially mixed, economically depressed neighbourhood in which they grew up, before Pye rejected the title), 1978's Step Into our World, (reissued in 1979 as Can You Feel the Force)[11] and 1982's compilation 100 Minutes.[5] During the time period, they accumulated eight more British hits. "Love's Such a Wonderful Thing" peaked at #33 in 1977.[9] 1978 saw "Whenever You Want My Love" at #18, "Let's Go Disco" at #39 and "Rainin' Through My Sunshine" at #40. "Can You Feel the Force?" climbed to #5 in 1979, the same year that "Boogie Down (Get Funky Now)" hit #33. 1980's "She's a Groovy Freak" capped a successful run, at #52, coming just a few months too late to be included in the band's first compilation, a K-tel collection of their Greatest Hits released in May 1980.[9][12] In 1982 they returned to working with David Essex, performing as backing vocalists on his tour and they also performed backing vocalists on Essex's 1982 top 20 hit 'Me And my Girl (Nightclubbing)' appearing with him on Top of the Pops. They scored a dance floor hit with a single specially written for them by Lynsey De Paul and Terry Britten, called "We Got Love" in 1984.[13]
In 1986, the band enjoyed a chart resurgence with the remixing of several of their hits. "You to Me Are Everything (the Decade Remix)" charted twice in the UK, peaking at No. 5 during a 12-week run in spring and returning in June for additional week at No. 72.[9] "Can't Get By Without You (the Second Decade Remix)" rose almost as high to No. 6, remaining a consecutive 13 weeks. "Can You Feel the Forces ('86 Remix)" climbed to No. 24, but the band's final UK charter for the year, "Straight to the Heart", peaked at No. 71, remaining for only two weeks.
Group personnel
Current members
Chris Amoo (born Christopher Charles Amoo, 14 October 1952, Liverpool) – vocals
Dave Smith (born David Smith, 6 July 1952) – vocals
Eddie Amoo (born Edward Robert Amoo, 5 May 1950, Liverpool) – vocals, guitars
Real Thing Band
John Chapman - Saxophone
Sam Edwards - Keyboards
Stuart Ansell - Guitar
Jon Bower - Bass
Danny Rose - Drums
Former members
Ray Lake (born Raymond Lake, 11 February 1946, Liverpool d. 2000)[citation needed] – falsetto backing vocals
Kenny Davis – vocals
Discography
The Real Thing discography
Studio albums 4
Live albums 1
Compilation albums 3
Singles 24
Albums
Studio albums
Year Title Chart Positions
UK
1976 Real Thing 34
1977 4 from 8
1978 Step into Our World retitled as
Can You Feel the Force (1979) 73
1980 ....Saints Or Sinners?
Live albums
Year Title Chart Positions
UK
1998 The Real Thing Live
Compilation albums
Year Title Chart Positions
UK
1980 20 Greatest Hits 56
1982 100 Minutes
1982 The Best of The Real Thing 24
Singles
Year Title Album Chart Positions
UK[9] IRL NZ
1973 "Plastic Man" — – – –
"Listen, Joe Mcgintoo" – – –
"Humpty Dumpty" – – –
1974 "Vicious Circle" – – –
"Daddy Dear" – – –
1975 "Watch Out Carolina" – – –
"Stone Cold Love Affair" – – –
1976 "You to Me Are Everything" Real Thing 1 3 10
"Can't Get By Without You" 2 – –
1977 "You'll Never Know What You're Missing" 16 – –
"Love's Such a Wonderful Thing" 4 From 8 33 – –
"Lightning Strikes Again" – – –
1978 "Whenever You Want My Love" Step into Our World /
Can You Feel the Force 18 – –
"Let's Go Disco" — 39 – –
"Rainin' Through My Sunshine" Step into Our World /
Can You Feel the Force 40 – –
1979 "Can You Feel the Force?" 5 23 24
"Boogie Down (Get Funky Now)" ....Saints Or Sinners? 33 – 46
1980 "Give Me Your Love" – – –
"Saint or Sinner?" – – –
"She's a Groovy Freak" — 52 – –
1981 "I Believe in You" – – –
"Foot Tappin'" – – –
1982 "Love Takes Tears" – – –
"Seen to Smile" – – –
1984 "We Got Love" – – –
"Street Scene" – – –
1986 "You to Me Are Everything (The Decade Remix 76–86)" 5 6 2
"Can't Get by Without You" (The Decade Remix II) 6 8 –
"Can You Feel the Force?" ('86 Remix) 24 17 –
"Straight to the Heart" 71 – –
1987 "Hard Times" 90 – –
"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" – – – –
1989 "The Crime of Love" – – – –
2005 "So Much Love to Give" (with Freeloaders) Freshly Squeezed
(Freeloaders album) 9 30 –
The Real Thing
The Real Thing (1972).jpg
The Real Thing (1972)
Background information
Origin Liverpool, England
Genres British soul, Brit funk, disco, R&B
Years active 1970–present
Labels Pye, Calibre, Jive
Associated acts David Essex
The Chants[1]
Biddu[2]
Members Chris Amoo
Dave Smith
Eddie Amoo
Past members Ray Lake
Kenny Davis
The Real Thing are a British soul group formed in the 1970s. In addition to a string of British hits, the band charted internationally with their song "You to Me Are Everything", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 28 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart and No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. By number of sales, they were the most successful black rock/soul act in England during the 1970s.[3] The journalist, author and founder of Mojo, Paul Du Noyer credits them alongside Deaf School with restoring "Liverpool's musical reputation in the 1970s" with their success.[4]
Contents
1 History
2 Group personnel
3 Discography
3.1 Albums
3.2 Singles
History
Begun in 1970 by Chris Amoo, Dave Smith, Kenny Davis and Ray Lake, The Real Thing's live, progressive soul-influenced covers of American hits attracted enough attention for them to secure a recording deal with EMI.[5] The singles they released through EMI in 1972 and 1973 such as "Vicious Circle" were, despite their high quality, not successful sellers (and have not so far been included on any of band's compilation albums). But the band persisted, even after the departure of Kenny Davis. They did appear on Opportunity Knocks (the TV talent show). The turn-around for their career began with their collaboration with David Essex and Pye Records. They toured internationally with Essex, recording with him a number of popular songs, though none were big charters. After Chris Amoo's brother Eddie joined the band, The Real Thing finally found chart success with the catchy pop soul single "You to Me Are Everything", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 28 on Billboard's "R&B Singles" and No. 64 on Billboard's "Hot 100".[5][6] Their follow-up, "Can't Get By Without You", did not chart in the US but was still a success in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 2.
In 1976, they released their first album, Real Thing,[7] which included both of their hit singles as well as a third UK hit, "You'll Never Know What You're Missing",[8] which peaked at No. 16.[9] They continued recording prolifically, releasing a steady stream of subsequent albums: 1977's Four from Eight[10] (originally to have been called Liverpool 8 in honour of the racially mixed, economically depressed neighbourhood in which they grew up, before Pye rejected the title), 1978's Step Into our World, (reissued in 1979 as Can You Feel the Force)[11] and 1982's compilation 100 Minutes.[5] During the time period, they accumulated eight more British hits. "Love's Such a Wonderful Thing" peaked at #33 in 1977.[9] 1978 saw "Whenever You Want My Love" at #18, "Let's Go Disco" at #39 and "Rainin' Through My Sunshine" at #40. "Can You Feel the Force?" climbed to #5 in 1979, the same year that "Boogie Down (Get Funky Now)" hit #33. 1980's "She's a Groovy Freak" capped a successful run, at #52, coming just a few months too late to be included in the band's first compilation, a K-tel collection of their Greatest Hits released in May 1980.[9][12] In 1982 they returned to working with David Essex, performing as backing vocalists on his tour and they also performed backing vocalists on Essex's 1982 top 20 hit 'Me And my Girl (Nightclubbing)' appearing with him on Top of the Pops. They scored a dance floor hit with a single specially written for them by Lynsey De Paul and Terry Britten, called "We Got Love" in 1984.[13]
In 1986, the band enjoyed a chart resurgence with the remixing of several of their hits. "You to Me Are Everything (the Decade Remix)" charted twice in the UK, peaking at No. 5 during a 12-week run in spring and returning in June for additional week at No. 72.[9] "Can't Get By Without You (the Second Decade Remix)" rose almost as high to No. 6, remaining a consecutive 13 weeks. "Can You Feel the Forces ('86 Remix)" climbed to No. 24, but the band's final UK charter for the year, "Straight to the Heart", peaked at No. 71, remaining for only two weeks.
Group personnel
Current members
Chris Amoo (born Christopher Charles Amoo, 14 October 1952, Liverpool) – vocals
Dave Smith (born David Smith, 6 July 1952) – vocals
Eddie Amoo (born Edward Robert Amoo, 5 May 1950, Liverpool) – vocals, guitars
Real Thing Band
John Chapman - Saxophone
Sam Edwards - Keyboards
Stuart Ansell - Guitar
Jon Bower - Bass
Danny Rose - Drums
Former members
Ray Lake (born Raymond Lake, 11 February 1946, Liverpool d. 2000)[citation needed] – falsetto backing vocals
Kenny Davis – vocals
Discography
The Real Thing discography
Studio albums 4
Live albums 1
Compilation albums 3
Singles 24
Albums
Studio albums
Year Title Chart Positions
UK
1976 Real Thing 34
1977 4 from 8
1978 Step into Our World retitled as
Can You Feel the Force (1979) 73
1980 ....Saints Or Sinners?
Live albums
Year Title Chart Positions
UK
1998 The Real Thing Live
Compilation albums
Year Title Chart Positions
UK
1980 20 Greatest Hits 56
1982 100 Minutes
1982 The Best of The Real Thing 24
Singles
Year Title Album Chart Positions
UK[9] IRL NZ
1973 "Plastic Man" — – – –
"Listen, Joe Mcgintoo" – – –
"Humpty Dumpty" – – –
1974 "Vicious Circle" – – –
"Daddy Dear" – – –
1975 "Watch Out Carolina" – – –
"Stone Cold Love Affair" – – –
1976 "You to Me Are Everything" Real Thing 1 3 10
"Can't Get By Without You" 2 – –
1977 "You'll Never Know What You're Missing" 16 – –
"Love's Such a Wonderful Thing" 4 From 8 33 – –
"Lightning Strikes Again" – – –
1978 "Whenever You Want My Love" Step into Our World /
Can You Feel the Force 18 – –
"Let's Go Disco" — 39 – –
"Rainin' Through My Sunshine" Step into Our World /
Can You Feel the Force 40 – –
1979 "Can You Feel the Force?" 5 23 24
"Boogie Down (Get Funky Now)" ....Saints Or Sinners? 33 – 46
1980 "Give Me Your Love" – – –
"Saint or Sinner?" – – –
"She's a Groovy Freak" — 52 – –
1981 "I Believe in You" – – –
"Foot Tappin'" – – –
1982 "Love Takes Tears" – – –
"Seen to Smile" – – –
1984 "We Got Love" – – –
"Street Scene" – – –
1986 "You to Me Are Everything (The Decade Remix 76–86)" 5 6 2
"Can't Get by Without You" (The Decade Remix II) 6 8 –
"Can You Feel the Force?" ('86 Remix) 24 17 –
"Straight to the Heart" 71 – –
1987 "Hard Times" 90 – –
"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" – – – –
1989 "The Crime of Love" – – – –
2005 "So Much Love to Give" (with Freeloaders) Freshly Squeezed
(Freeloaders album) 9 30 –
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