My Lady- Jet Harris.

[captainhaddock]

Brian Matthew played Jet's 1967 single on "Sounds Of The Sixties" today at about 8.45. This is only the second time that I have heard it played, must admit that it sounds as though composer Reg Presley had written it for the Troggs rather than for Jet.

[JimN]

I bought the record as soon as it was released in mid-1967. It's on the Fontana label and was c/w a track called You Don't Live Twice (nothing to do with any James Bond films or Ian Fleming novels). My copy is still in mint condition.

I recall that Jet said (in a Melody Maker interview at the time) that he was the lead singer on the record, but that there was also a singer called Pete Gage singing along in the mix. There were several newspaper articles about Jet just around then, connected with the record (which had very little success). A couple of months earlier, there had been a strong rumour that Jet was going to be a member of the Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart), this only a few months after Jeff had left The Yardbirds and about the time that Hi Ho Silver Lining / Beck's Bolero was released.

Oddly, I don't think that Jet's Fontana single has ever been re-released, even though the Philips group (which owned Fontana at the time) has for some years been a part of Polygram, and later, Universal (which also owns Decca UK).

JN

[Tone]

I heard it this morning as well. I was intrigued because I 'd never heard, or even heard of, the record before. If I hadn't listened to Brian Matthew's introduction I would never have known it was Jet as it didn't sound like Jet or his style. As Philip says, there is a definite Troggs influence there.

I think it's great that these fascinating nuggets keep popping up.

Tony

[captainhaddock]

I have never heard "You don't live twice", was it vocal or instrumental?. I forgot to mention the fact that "My Lady" was produced by Tony Meehan. Finally, I totally agree that it is nice to hear these rare gems, just wish that it could happen more often !.

[chronikman-ch]

NME July 15.1967
Jet Harris My Lady releases

[JimN]

I have never heard "You don't live twice", was it vocal or instrumental?

Oh, vocal - and a bigger production than the A-side...

JN

[captainhaddock]

Many thanks to all who replied. Interesting to see that my suspicions about "My Lady" are confirmed and that it was primarily intended to be a Troggs single.

[iefje]

I have never heard "You don't live twice", was it vocal or instrumental?. I forgot to mention the fact that "My Lady" was produced by Tony Meehan. Finally, I totally agree that it is nice to hear these rare gems, just wish that it could happen more often !.

I recall having read that Tony Meehan also arranged and conducted the two songs, as well as playing drums on both. Strange indeed, that "My Lady" and "You Don't Live Twice" weren't re-issued on the 1989 Deram/Decca compilation CD "Diamonds And Other Gems". There was plenty space to spare on this release, as it had a running time of (from memory) about 48 minutes. Jet's later solo singles, from the 1970's and 1980's, have also still escaped CD release (apart from the A-side of the last single in this list):
- "Theme For A Fallen Idol" b/w "This Sportin' Life" (1975);
- "The Guitar Man" b/w "Theme" (same as "Theme For A Fallen Idol") (1977/1978);
- "Love Me Tender" b/w "An American Trilogy" (Sweden, 1987);
- "Diamonds" (1988 'anniversary' version) b/w "Big Bad Bass From Texas" (1988).

[John Boyd]

Would the reason that these tracks weren't included on the Deram CD be, that the originals were released on the Fontana Label?
Cheers,
JB

[JimN]

Would the reason that these tracks weren't included on the Deram CD be, that the originals were released on the Fontana Label?
Cheers,
JB

Not really.

By the time that the Deram CD was released, the Philips/Deutsche Grammophon group (Polygram, whose labels included Fontana) had bought up the Decca Record Company, so it was all one company. Decca was put up for sale at the time of the death of Sir Edward Lewis (the label's proprietor from 1929 until 1980).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decca_Records

Later still, the Polygram empire was taken over by Universal / Vivendi.

When "Diamonds And Other Gems" was released, the two Jet Harris Fontana tracks were certainly available to the compilers with no licensing permission necessary, apart from intra-company common courtesies. Since at least one previously-unreleased Jet Harris track was included on the CD and others were sought in the Decca archives, then at a guess, the responsible person(s) simply hadn't heard of the My Lady / You Don't Live Twice disc.

JN