TIMEBOX
 The
roots of Timebox lay in local band Take 5 in 1965 in Southport, a small
northern English coastal town (situated near Liverpool). After a
succession of interpersonal incidents, which led to the vocalist
quitting, the band was left in disorder. Fellow local act the Music
Students (who featured 15-year-old drummer Peter Halsall, a great
drummer who was also proving himself on a majesty of other instruments)
were facing similar problems. Halsall, Chris Holmes (piano), and Kevan
Foggerty (vocals) teamed up with Clive Griffiths as Take 5 and, very
soon after, turned professional and headed towards London. Taken under
the wing of the George Cooper agency, they were soon working on package
tours with the Kinks, the Small Faces, Tommy Quickly, and Lou Christie,
as well as striking up a residency at the legendary the Whiskey a Go Go.
With two singers leaving (Liggett quit, then Frank Dixon unfortunately
contracted tuberculosis) U.S. singer John Henry was drafted in and the
band changed their name to Timebox -- an American term for a prison
cell. Signed to Piccadilly in February 1967, their debut single,
"I'll Always Love You" b/w "Save Your Soul,"
produced by John Schroeder, was released and displayed an early
jazz-tinged, soulful talent.
Following this, more turns of fate occurred, with ex-G.I. Henry being
whipped back off to the U.S.A by officials and Dean going down with
tuberculosis (a spooky repeat). That April, the strictly instrumental 45
"Soul Sauce"/"I Wish I Could Jerk Like My Uncle
Cyril" showed the band walking similar lines to Manfred Mann:
airing competence but little imagination. Mike Patto, who had played
with the Bo Street Runners and the Chicago Line (along with ex-Pretty
Thing Viv Prince), joined Timebox after a few illustrious jams and took
on a prominent role as vocalist and songwriter. When yet another drummer
(Foggerty) quit, things once again went astray; luckily, however, the
stool was soon filled by ex-Felder's Orioles' drummer John Halsey. Peter
Halsall (now commonly known as "Ollie") was displaying a high
degree of aptitude on guitar, as well as regular diversions into the
vibes. His trademark sound of both searing guitar and mellow vibes was
to the fore in the ensuing records.
Timebox soon became a hot live act. Many who saw them claimed Timebox to
be one of the first rock bands in London to really explore jazz in a
rock context. A wonderful performance at the Windsor Jazz Festival on
August 12, 1967, caught the eye of Decca producer Gus Dudgeon, who
immediately signed them to the label's subsidiary Deram. The first 45, a
fantastic version of Tim Hardins "Don't Make Promises," was
backed by the even better Ollie original "Walking Through the
Streets of My Mind," which combined sharp blue-eyed soul harmonies
with a psychedelic arrangement. The follow-up -- again a classic example
of British soul -- was a cover of the Four Seasons' "Beggin"
and reached number 38 in the charts. At the sessions that produced the
hit, a slew of unreleased material -- some of the band's best -- was
also
recorded and airs the beginning of the Patto/Halsall songwriting
partnership. All of these unreleased songs are compiled on The Deram
Anthology and are essential listening for anyone with the slightest
interest in quality late-'60s rock. The problem was that even Deram
viewed Timebox as a pop band, and so the more experimental songs were
left in the can while the silly sing-a-long tune "Baked Jam Roll in
Your Eye," written for fun when the band members were drunk, was
the next release in March 1969. It's styling was a little too late for
the era of novelty psychedelia, and of no interest to the more
rock-oriented record buyer; the flip-side, the tough "Poor Little
Heartbreaker," would have been a far better choice.
By the summer of 1969, things were turning sour. The final release,
"Yellow Taxi," was a great record and polite enough for
airplay, but was banned due to the nature of the lyrics. This really was
the end of the road for Timebox who had had a hard time at the best of
times. The nucleus of the band merged into Patto, who released three
albums in the 1970s. ~ Jon 'Mojo' Mills, All Music Guide
DISCOGRAPHY
Albums
Singles
"I Will Always Love You" b/w "Save Your Love"
(45) - 1967 Piccadilly "Soul Sauce" b/w "I Wish I Could
Jerk Like My Uncle Cyril" (45) - 1967 Piccadilly "Don't Make
Promises" b/w "Walking Through the Streets of My Mind"
(45) - 1967 Deram "Beggin'" b/w "A Woman That's
Waiting" (45) - 1968 Deram "Girl Don't Make Me Wait" b/w
"Gone Is the Sad Man" (45) - 1968 Deram "You Better
Run" (45) - 1968 Deram Europe "Baked Jam Roll in Your
Eye" b/w "Poor Little Heartbreaker" (45) - 1969 Deram
"Yellow Van" b/w "You've Got the Chance" (45) - 1969
Deram "The Original Moose on the Loose" (Lp) - 1976 Cosmos The
Deram Anthology (CD compilation) - 1998 Deram
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