I LOVE YOU!!!
JCA | California US | 09/28/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ok, I dont often write a review in fact I dont often write. You can tell from my spelling, so please enjoy..
I have been wanting to get the song I LOVE YOU for my collection for a long time but it never seemed to work out. To day I ordered it and hopefully it's on it's way!
I read one review here where the guy was crapin on people who buy CBB for this song, he needs to take a couple more neuroleptics...
I LOVE YOU is a beautiful song of all time. It brings the love of a woman out in a cold hearted Carpenter/Machinist like me.. )-: Come-On all you pretty ladies lets go!
I was born in 1960 and I was a Long-Haired, Beer-Drunker in the 70's I had girl fiends, I have a large collection of 60,70,80's rock and such and I am a HiFi auditory enthusiast. So I know whats good when it comes to good music and this song is one.
But I found even stronger a reason to buy this CD, while searching for the song I was entrested why this song was so hard to find when it's still very populer.. Well I found this tid-bit;
----------------------------------------------------
(Clipped from Music Facts),
Derek Holt (Bass player) wrote "I Love You"
I Love You by The Climax Blues Band
Album: Flying The Flag
Date: 1980
U.S. Chart: 12
Derek Holt
"That song was written in my house. After a couple of hours just
sitting in my studio I came up with this song I Love You - words,
solo, drums, the whole thing. And I thought, 'Well, it's a lovely
song.' We had a guy come over from L.A., an American producer
called John Ryan, who arrived in Stafford to do some pre-production
on an album that we were going to record in Los Angeles called
Flying The Flag. So he came to England and spent probably 2 weeks
with us going through all the tracks that we'd got. And he said,
'Does anybody have any more songs?' I'd already played my song to
the band and they didn't really like it; it was a little bit too
lovey, so I said to John Ryan, 'I've got this song called 'I Love
You.'' He said, 'Well, play it for me.' So I plugged in my
cassette, played it, then he said, 'That's a hit.' Just like that.
Everybody just sort of looked at each other and said, 'Oh, bloody
hell.' So anyway, we ended up going to Los Angeles, and that song
was recorded with just me and the drummer because the other two
guys weren't really into the song. So it's me, the drummer, and a
fantastic keyboard player named Nicky Hopkins. He's since died,
unfortunately. He was the sort of legendary keyboard player, he
played with The Stones and lots of people like that, and he was
great. So it was me, Nicky Hopkins and the drummer in the studio.
We all sat down together and played the basic backing track. I then
put the bass on it, sang it, did all the harmonies, then I got Pete
- the guitarist - to play the lead solo, which was the solo that I
wanted to be played. So he played the solo, because he was the
guitarist - reluctantly. Then John Ryan said, 'This song needs some
strings.' So he got a string section in at whatever cost it was,
which also pissed the other guys in the band off to think that the
strings were a big part of my song. Then Warner Brothers arrived to
hear all the tracks, and everybody was blown away by 'I Love You,'
this song that I believed in, the producer believed in, but none of
the other guys did, and it became a hit. And it's just unbelievable
that nobody else in the band recognized it other than the producer
and me. So the story's quite phenomenal, really. And it's also
probably one of the reasons why the band split up in the end,
because they weren't into playing it live, and I was. The song was
in the charts, we had the tour booked, and two guys in the band
said, 'We're not going to go to America to promote Derek Holt's
career.' How's that for faith?"
Holt: "The only time I've ever performed that song live in America,
I went to Florida last year (2005) to Clearwater with my family,
and I ended up in a karaoke bar. It's called Big Ben's, it's like
an English pub. My wife and I sat down, the reason we went to the
pub was because we dig liver and onions and a pint of real English
beer. So we went down there and sure enough there's karaoke on, and
the karaoke book gets put onto your table. We were sifting through
it, and I'm looking at Climax Blues Band. Couldn't Get It Right
wasn't even in the book, but Climax Blues Band I Love You was in
the book. So my wife called the guy over. She said, 'This song I
Love You,' this guy here was in The Climax Blues Band and he wrote
it and he sang it.' And the guy said, 'Never.' Anyway, I went up on
the stage, and of course as soon as I opened my mouth and started
singing it, it was obvious it was me. I was him. And the place went
wild. I never bought a drink again the whole night. That's the one
and only time. In fact, I've got a photograph of it with my little
girl. She came up with me and helped me sing it. She's only 10, but
we stood there and everybody got up and danced and as soon as it
finished everyone was like, 'Bloody hell, where's the limo?'"
(thanks to Derek Holt for speaking with us about this song)
The Climax Blues Band continued into the '90s without Holt, but
they never played this song live. Says Holt: "We toured for years
and years, and it just became a bloody nightmare, really. I guess
what I should have done, really, was say to the guys - in hindsight
now - say right, if you don't come to America with me, I'll get
somebody else. That's what I should have done instead of backing
off and bowing out. That's the way it goes, but even now looking
back 20-odd years, it's bloody sad. It's a very sad tale. You can't
even buy any Climax CDs now, you can hardly buy any product.
Neither Pete Haycock or Colin Cooper seemed to want to have
anything to do with me, but I just think it would be nice to have
it re-released and maybe have the albums back in the shops again."
This song is very hard to find, since it does not appear on
compilations, is not available for download and the original album
is out of print. Since the band refused to perform it and distanced
themselves from it, the song suffered from a lack of promotion that
kept it from becoming a much bigger hit and severely restricted its
availability. It is not included on other Climax Blues Band
greatest hits packages.
--------------------------------------------------------
So now I have another reason to buy this CD just to be another person who bought it just for the song the other goofs in the band didn't want me to buy it for!
How many times have good bands ruined there carrer over eggo situations like this. A little lesson in life...I will never learn.
If you like I will write a review for the CD when it comes? Maybe!
JCA
"
Loved The Group
Rondall Banks | Toccoa, Georgia | 01/08/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Here's a group that i really do like it has all of my hits on one cd like couldn't get it right, i love you and Gotta have more love so if you love the Climax Blues Band or not this the cd for you. Enjoy!
Rondall"