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Fancy: "Wild Thing Turns You On" |
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Fancy was the brainchild of British producer Mike Hurst who recruited guitarist Ray Fenwick, a former member of the Spencer Davis Group to create a studio band to record a new version of the Troggs hit “Wild Thing”. Fenwick called upon noted session bass player Mo Foster along with Henry Spinetti (drums) and Alan Hawkshaw (keyboards). Former Penthouse Pet, Helen Court, was recruited to add sex appeal and vocals to the project and the group Fancy was born.
Originally released as a single in 1973, the Fancy version of "Wild Thing" sank without a trace in England but when it was released in North America in 1974, it exceeded everybody's expectations and became an instant hit world wide. In the United States the song peaked at number 14, earning a gold disc and did equally as well in Canada and immediately became a dance favorite.
While Fancy was only intended to be a one off studio project, the instant fame brought requests for more songs and a tour. Hurst decided to put together a permanent band but Fenwick and Foster appeared to be the only members of the original project interested in taking the Fancy concept further, so new band members had to be found. Noted session drummer Les Binks, was recruited and Court was replaced by Annie Cavanagh, a session singer who had come to Hurst’s attention. The reconstituted Fancy went into the studio and recorded an album worth of songs written by Fenwick and Hurst which along with the original single version of Wild Thing and a Lieber and Stoller cover became the “Wild Thing” album.
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Released in the US and Canada on the small Big Tree label, the album produced the band’s follow up single “Touch Me” which did not fare as well as Wild Thing.
A lack of promotion out side of North America from Big Tree and less than enthusiastic support of the second single prompted Fancy to shop around for a new label. In 1975 the band signed to RCA Records and in March of that year released their sophomore album, . The band embarked on a British tour with 10cc to promote the album but despite critical acclaim for the album and the release of two singles, a cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Him" and Fenwick/Hurst's "Music Maker", the album failed to make any commercial impact and disappeared without trace. By late summer of 1975, Fancy decided to call it a day and broke up.
The band's two LPs , “Wild Thing” and “Turns You On” are combined with the addition of extra material onto one CD for this reissue by Angel Air Records. The 12 page CD booklet contains comprehensive liner notes by producer Mike Hurst that details the history of the project, the band and band members. More than a one hit wonders, Fancy featured three of Britains top session musicians of the 70's and were pioneers of British funk. The band’s story deserves to be told and this welcome reissue does just that. Another piece in the music history puzzle finally resurrected for a new generation of fans to discover.
More information on this CD
can be found at the following website
By Keith Pettipas, CanEHdian.com
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Album review copyright CanEHdian.com 2001 (All Rights Reserved)
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