EDISON LIGHTHOUSE – "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes"

I have just fuXXored up my stork attempt in Ticket To Ride comments. Grateful if someone cd sort.

What is an Edison Lighthouse, anyway? A cousin of Jefferson Airplane?

The opening of this always makes me think the record was mistakenly played at 33 RPM, instead of 45 RPM, for some reason – it sounds oddly slow, somehow. It picks up as soon as the vocal comes in, though.

I own a dog-eared collection of “Rolling Stone” magazine reviews bought for a dime at a garage sale, circa 1970. The review of this song says something to the effect that one way you can tell a bad record is that no matter how many times you hear it, you can only remember the opening line and the hook. I quoted that to my best friend, who immediately sang the whole song. An eloquent rebuttal, I thought. The irony being that I’ve always liked this record, too. I guess I was feeling smugly superior that day.

This is kind of a “Vini, vidi, vici” record: it had one goal – Hitsville! – it achieved it, there’s not much else to say. Except it managed to be pleasant in the bargain. The only two moments that stand out above the generul thrum of pleasantry are the one couplet: “I’m a lucky fella/And I wanna tell her,” for its cheeky non’rhyming rhyme, and the counter-vocal at the fade, with Burrows singing, “Love keeps growing every place that she’s going” against the repeated hook.

I wonder what Rosemary is doing these days. I hope the years have been kind.

Someone (somewhere, can’t remember where) wrote a good review of this record once, interpreting it as a damn fine song about a handjob. (Me, I’d give it an 8 or a 9–the song, I mean.)

‘rather’ unfulfilling?

I can’t believe the late 60s got as bad as this. One piece of irrelevant dim-witted cheesy braindead dross after another.

There’s a reference to “the Tony Burrows Fact” in the Robin Carmody essay that Tom linked to above, but to save you looking for it I’ll do it for you (since nobody else has!)
Tony Burrows, “lead singer” of Edison Lighthouse, was a session singer who had appeared on the Flowerpot Men’s “Let’s Go to San Francisco” in 1967, and in early 1970, while “Love Grows” was number one, he also sang lead on the Pipkins’ “Gimme Dat Ding”, White Plains’ “My Baby Loves Loving” and Brotherhood of Man’s “United We Stand”. Then one week three of the four records were on Top of the Pops in the same week, and he became notorious for fronting three different bands in the same edition of TOTP. As the “Glitter Suits and Platform Boots” website relates, at the end of the show he was approached by a staff member and told that he’d been unofficially blacklisted. He didn’t have another major hit until he sang on “Beach Baby” by First Class some four years later.

Um, I seem to have made rather a hash of trying to put my little stork thingy under David Whitfield’s Cara Mia. (I know, I know, I’m sorry, a record given a rather generous 2…)

Could somebody sort it out for me please? Thanks!

But I am registered and I am logged on!

I don’t actually remember much about this tune, but in my annoying determination to comment on every entry I’ll make a point that crossed my mind re: Rolf – I always quite enjoy the fact that if you try to impose some sort of arbitrary landmark on the charts like the first chart-topper of a decade, the fiftieth anniversary, the Thousandth Number One or whatever, it tends to rebel and come up with something not obviously pivotal.

Tony Burrows totally makes this song – imagine Tom Jones (or rather, don’t) bellowing it – it sounds to me as if he is smiling while he’s singing, even good-naturedly winking at points – he’s a lucky fella and he knows it.

No idea about Eddystone Lighthouse, but this isn’t braindead or cheesy or dross…

Agreed! I’d have given it an eight!

Tony Macaulay wrote some good ‘uns in his time, it has to be said.

OK… starts with an instantly identifiable guitar hook, rising strings, chugging bass, intriguing lyric (“clothes are kinda funny, hair is kinda wild and free” – can’t you jus picture this beat angel?), repeated chorus with the odd middle eight (“hand holding mine…” which could be a chorus in the hands of lesser mortals). This is a be-a-utifully made record. Think it’s simple? Heck, what’s not to like?

I once had a friend who couldn’t get into soul because he thought it sounded too put on. His fav singer was Tony Burrows. Obviously this opened him up to insane amounts of abuse from my trendy mates, but from Love Grows alone you can see he had a point (his name was/is Jak Knowles in case anyone knows him, and he had a Glitter Band haircut in 1991 which is heroic as well as a little bit scary). The vocal is entirely believable.

Weirdly, in the UK Love Grows wasn’t followed up at all, with the next Edison Lighthouse 45 (It’s Up To You Petula) not appearing for over a year. Anyone got a clue how or why this happened? Or of any other (living) act who didn’t bother releasing a follow-up to a number one?

I think that in America, the EL brand continued as Love Grows was followed by Melanie Makes Me Smile (released over here as a Tony Burrows solo 45), almost as good as Love Grows – upbeat bubblegum with a similarly unexpected, eyebrow-twisting (with heartstrings following) downwards tug on the chorus.

This is pop pop popular, as well-crafted and joyous as it gets. It took the combined mights of Macaulay, Cook and Greenaway to make it so irresistible – shame they didn’t try more often. A 9 plus for me.

“Anyone got a clue how or why this happened? Or of any other (living) act who didn’t bother releasing a follow-up to a number one?”

Yes, Pink Floyd – they didn’t follow up “Another Brick…” at all. The next single wasn’t released until well over 2 years later.

“Love Grows” is a terrific song btw.

there you go again wl, glueing the wheels of progress with your either/or.

(missing love grows/kashmir link: “Mythological Sunday” by the Flowerpot Men)

Oddly, “Kashmir” is one of those LedZep songs that I encountered many years back, (“Physical Graffiti” was a bit of a hit & miss album for me) but didn’t take any notice of until Schoolly’s appropriation of it. That’s when I sat up and took notice, quite simply because the rhythmic qualities of “Kashmir” in a Hip Hop context were far more compelling than Schoolly D’s trash-talk on “Signifying Rapper”. And lo and behold! if I went back to “Physical Graffiti” once, I went back 20 times listening with fresh ears. I guess Mr Combs was listening too.

Thanks for posting for me, Mark! Here is the latest boogietastic entry from MSBWT: http://musicsoundsbetterwithtwo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/pitching-in-canned-heat-lets-work.html Thanks for reading as always, and yes, the 70s start with the next entry…

I don’t hate fun, but I feel compelled to dissent from the “Rosemary” love. It’s as bland as a McDonalds ice cream cone. The opposite of everything I love about music.

ETA: “Love Grows” was UK #1 for five weeks???