The Soundsations
February 19, 2010
Reminiscences, recalling fading memories which tend to become dim or lost with the passing years.
From about the mid 1950s to the late1970s were the prime zenith years of our youth, throughout those two or more decades, we had little perceptiveness of the good times we were enjoying, nor any concept of just how deceptively quickly those golden years would fly pass.
This was a transitional era of musical taste, the formerly popular and great traditional jazz bands of the early 1950s were in a state of declination, being phased out as a result of promotional publicity fuelling a rapid rise in the popularity of what became known as ‘pop’ or popular music.
The pop Groups of the 60s.
The band ‘Soundsations’ was formed after much searching to find the best musicians obtainable within the South London counties.
Mike Breslin started learning to play drums at or before the age of seven, he played side drum as a young boy invited to stand in with the London Scottish regimental pipe band when they held band practise at their London drill hall, that honour Mike remembers well his father was the pipe bands lead drummer.
When he was age twelve he became a student at the prestigious London School of Dance Music in Charing Cross Road, increasing his expertise under the guidance of the Jazz drummer Tony Kinsey.
The Soundsations
From their almost regular performances at the Woodstock came an invitation for a performance at the Napoleon Suite booked for Sunday 9th.February 1964, at London’s exclusive venue The Café Royal Regent Street. Other bookings flooding in included one from Decca Records for some private recording sessions at the Marble Arch London studio, the group’s first record, Decca F.11848 was released on Friday February 28th 1964, a 45 rpm ‘I’ve been crying’ with ‘For your Love’ on the flip side.
The recording was almost cancelled because the vocalist Denny, had a very severe head cold which can be heard in his voice on the record, despite this Decca Records decided to release the record. Later recordings were made by the group which were kept ‘in the can’ intended for future release.
Further from these very successful gig’s came many follow on diamond and mink bookings at London’s most glamorous establishments; several occasional performances at The Grosvenor House Park Lane, and at the Dorchester hotel Park Lane, and The Londoner hotel, guest membership of The Playboy Club 45 Park Lane London, The Bunny Club Girls.
‘The Establishment’ at Greek Street Soho, the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore London venue was one of many such regular London area gigs.
Several national television performances featured The Soundsations, publicised in the Midlands and national editions of the TV times, such series of programmes included were the Thursday 30th April, 1964 For Teenagers program broadcasted on Thursday’s, and the prime time National TV programme ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ and the Juke Box Jury show.
Although the Soundsations group did undertake some arranged promotional nationwide tours throughout the U.K. and to as far north as Elgin and Glasgow Scotland, the band did not actively seek publicity since they had a full on going itinerary to cater for covering central London and the outer south east London counties with numerous bookings further north to the midland and further northern counties.
Extract taken from one of many newspaper articles:
A summary extract; taken from a publication of 17th. April 1964 Bromley and Kentish Times Newspaper, reads; a well known radio compare played popular records on his programme, these included records by the Rolling Stones, Little Richard, The Searchers and The Hollies, but he commented that for the first time since he started broadcasting these pop music programmes he had received the most requests for a group other than the Beatles, which was for Denny and The Soundsations record ‘I’ve Been Crying’ and ‘For your Love’. Naturally he also played a record by The Beatles as well, and passed on a message from the Beatles which said: “thank you for putting us where we are” to his program listeners. There was also a taped message of welcome and thanks from The Hollies. The Soundsations group were broadcasted internationally twice nightly at peak times on the very popular Radio Luxemburg.
Peter Frampton was occasionally invited to stand in as a guest artist playing lead guitar with the group.
Mike Breslin. Geophysicist
Having a distinguished professional career in marine geophysics Mike served an apprenticeship training commencing in 1954 with the first American seismic oil and gas Exploration Company in England, working on the first geophysical exploration vessel mobilised for North Sea Oil exploration.
As an acknowledged marine geophysicist and Oil company representative with extensive worldwide experience of some fifty years, his accreditation exceeds that of professor of geophysics.
Prof. Mike Breslin