Rock On Vinyl: Cotton, Lloyd & Christian - Cotton, Lloyd & Christian (1975)

Friday, November 26, 2021

Cotton, Lloyd & Christian - Cotton, Lloyd & Christian (1975)

(Australian 1975 - 1976)

Cotton, Lloyd and Christian were a soft rock trio comprising singer-songwriters Darryl Cotton from Australia, and Michael Lloyd and Chris Christian from the United States. They achieved some success in the mid-1970s.

Darryl first rose to prominence in the pop field in the sixties as lead singer with the highly successful group, Zoot. Following the band's break up, he worked briefly with Beeb Birtles (who eventually helped to form the highly successful Little River Band in the 70's) in a duo called Frieze before setting off for the U.S in 1972.

His six year stay in America was most lucrative. Starting in 1973, Daryl joined United States-based group, Friends, with Michael Lloyd and Australian-raised singer-songwriter Steve Kipner (ex-Steve and the Board, Tin Tin). They issued a single, "Gonna Have a Good Time" (a cover of The Easybeats's song "Good Times") backed by "Would You Laugh" which was co-written by Cotton with Lloyd and Kipner.

Friends followed with self-titled album before Cotton and Lloyd left to form a vocal trio, Cotton, Lloyd and Christian with Chris Christian. In 1975 the trio issued a self titled album on 20th Century records.

Their version of the Del Shannon song "I Go to Pieces" - a 1965 hit for Peter and Gordon - became a #66 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Easy Listening chart. Other tracks included a slowed-down version of the Supremes' hit "Baby Love"; a medley of songs from the Who's Tommy; and "I Don't Know Why You Love Me". The album was repackaged by Curb and Lloyd in 1976, and used as the music soundtrack of a movie, 'The Pom Pom Girls'.

The trio's second album, Number Two, also appeared in 1976, and in April 1977 they released another single, "Crying in the Rain", written by Carole King and Howie Greenfield and first recorded by the Everly Brothers. Both albums were produced by Lloyd and Curb. No further recordings by the trio were released.

Lloyd continued to work in Los Angeles, working with artists including Olivia Newton John and the Osmonds. He produced hit records by Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett, as well as the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing. Darryl also exploited his composing talents and his success in this field included songs for two movies - 'Playground in the Sky' and 'Land of the Lost'. Cotton continued as a songwriter and performer, returning to Australia in 1978.

Back in Australia, he almost immediately resumed his active role in the local rock scene and was snapped up by the Oz label. Under the co-production of Beeb Birtles, he recorded "Don't Let It Get To You", released as a single in August. The single became a national hit and Darryl set about looking for the right young musicians to form a band.

In February 1980, Cotton released his most successful solo single, "Same Old Girl", which reached top ten on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart. "Same Old Girl" was co-written with former bandmate Christian. Cotton's work in 1980 earned him an award for Best Solo Male Performance, 10 years after Zoot had won a similar award for a group.

Christian also continued to work successfully as a songwriter and record producer, with Amy Grant and others.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from vinyl (thanks to Sunshine at Ausrock) and includes full album artwork and label scans. When I first heard this album, it reminded me of England Dan and John Ford Coley, not only for its easy listening melodic harmonies and but also the strong song writing skills of this trio. Every track is a winner and this album should not be overlooked.

I should also admit that I have a soft spot for Darryl Cotton, especially his hit single "Same Old Girl" released some years later in 1980. And so, I have decided to include it here as a bonus track.

Tracklist