Saxophonist Dan Seals, younger brother of Jimmy Seals of Seals & Crofts and classical pianist John Colley started out as the Shimmeres with various recordings in Nashville until their stage act as Colley & Wayland. Backed by Hip Records they launched their 1968 debut Smell Of Incense along with the title track which made #56. At that stage the group supported the psychedelic Southwest F.O.B (Freight On Board) all ex Playboys, until a change of name with the introduction of ex Dawnbreakers guitarist Louis Shelton from the early days with Jim Seals and a new contract with A&M Records. Sadly the bulging seventies failed to recognize their self titled debut with it\u2019s \u201cNew Jersey\u201d single or the outstanding Fables album (none included on The Very Best Of England Dan & John Ford Coley). Much of the richness of England Dan & John Ford Coley could be explored through the Fables catalogue such as the impressionable \u201cSimone\u201d, a Japanese #1 or the Jewish supportive \u201cCasey\u201d.<\/p>\n
The infectious \u201cSimone\u201d was out of this world, fortified by drummer Russ Kunkel who shuffled the complex rhythms while Louie Shelton\u2019s speedy guitar solos on \u201cFree The People\u201d and \u201cWhat I\u2019m Doing\u201d gave the album a richness and diversity that one never tire\u2019s from. Out of the superb Marty Paich arrangements of Fables the cowboy song \u201cMatthew\u201d came galloping copped from Elton John & Bernie Taupin\u2019s Country Comforts, a band they supported in the early seventies. The bulk of Spector\u2019s veterans, Larry Knechtel and Tommy Morgan backed the album behind Hal Blaine who took the skins on on the maximus \u201cCarolina\u201d penned by Kerry Chater & Roger Karshnes.<\/p>\n
Coley& Seals\u2019 \u201cTomorrow\u201d found better placement as a single for Southwest F.O.B. , who already put out Paul Simon\u2019s \u201cFeelin\u2019 Groovy\u201d, Stephen Stills\u2019 \u201cRock N\u2019 Roll Woman\u201d and \u201cSmell Of Incense\u201d which belonged to The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. Fables was one shit hot album in the same strength as Neil Young\u2019s Harvest or any of Simon & Garfunkel\u2019s albums. Rare to find on CD every song shines brightly with melody and excellent lyrics. Sadly apart from various underground stations spinning \u201cSimone\u201d the album was tragically overlooked. Meanwhile Dan Seals was riding high on the country charts with \u201cYou Everybody\u2019s Dream Girl\u201d, \u201cAfter You\u201d and \u201cYou Really Go For The Heart\u201d. Their last home run with A&M was the harmonising \u201cWhy Is It Me\u201d and a donated track called \u201cPart Of Me Part Of You\u201d for the soundtrack Just Tell Me You Love Me. By 1972 they were dropped by A&M while Coley was hired to play on some of the Seals & Crofts albums along with Louis Shelton who became a permanent member. Enter Parker McGee a Mississippi composer who gave them their #2 breakthru single \u201cI\u2019d Really Love To See you Tonight\u201d which concluded a contract for Big Tree Records. Parker in overflow also gave them the #10 \u201cNights Are Forever Without You\u201d, title track for their next album. By 1977 the second album Dowdy Ferry Road conceived \u201cIt\u2019s Sad To Belong (To Someone Else)\u201d and \u201cGone Too Far\u201d, both # 20 hits. The groups third 1978 Some Things Don\u2019t Come Easy conjured \u201cWe\u2019ll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again\u201d now the gift of songsmith Jeffrey Comanor. The groups last hit was Todd Rundgren\u2019s \u201cLove Is The Answer\u201d #10.<\/p>\n
Added:<\/b> February 9th 2008 Saxophonist Dan Seals, younger brother of Jimmy Seals of Seals & Crofts and classical pianist John Colley started out as the Shimmeres with various recordings in Nashville until their stage act as Colley & Wayland. Backed by Hip Records they launched their 1968 debut Smell Of Incense along with the title track which made #56. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8319\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nReviewer:<\/b> Shiloh Noone<\/a> | See all reviews<\/a> by Shiloh Noone
\nCategory:<\/b> Music<\/a>
\nRelated Link:<\/b> Seekers Guide To The Rhythm Of Yesteryear<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"