L-R: Lincoln Gordon, Pat Lloyd, Derv Gordon, John Hall & Eddy Grant
Thanks to the king of southwest Georgia and This Is American Music queso grande, Corey Flegel, for inspiring today’s post. We were chatting a few days ago about the new Glossary album, Long Live All Of Us, and he made reference to The Equals, of whom I was sadly ignorant. I soon discovered they were a ’60s/’70s English band led by Eddy Grant, later of “Electric Avenue” fame. In fact, when Eddy formed the band in 1965, they were the first multi-racial rock ‘n’ roll band in England, predating both The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Foundations by about a year. How did I not know any of this?!?! My ignorance astounds me sometimes.
The Equals had a UK #1 with “Baby, Come Back,” best seen in this 1968 video featuring Eddy as a black proto-Ziggy, I shit you not. However, for anyone around my age (42) they’re probably best known for originally recording “Police On My Back,” twelve years before The Clash covered it on Sandinista! Not surprisingly, the one Equals song to jump out and smack me upside the head is clearly in the spirit of “Police.”
The Equals – Diversion
1973 single
Amazon
Released in 1973, “Diversion” sounds like it’s part Muscle Shoals, part Bowie (again), and yet seems to hint at the coming punk explosion. It also sounds exactly what I love about the Reigning Sound. As a matter of fact, I’d be shocked (and stunned) if Greg Cartwright wasn’t a huge fan of this song. Oh, who am I kidding? He probably owns three different import versions of the 45.
“I had a slight diversion, but I’m back, I’m back, I’m back!”
The next time you are ignorant to a band as great as the Equals…do what I did before Bingham Barnes made me start listening to them…act like you know what he is talking about, wait for him to go to the bathroom, download their entire discography, and then have it playing when he walks back in the room….it's called TECHNOLOGY, Lance.
See Judge, this is why you rake in the medium bucks. Your tech-savvy gamesmanship is positively inspiring.
Bonnie Raitt did a nice version of “Baby Come Back” on her Green Light album when Ian McLagan was in her band. I think that's where I first connected the Equals with “Police on my Back” too.
I didn't realize Ian played with Bonnie. So, I went to Green Light's wiki page and read this money quote: “What I wanted this time out was a combination of the music I've been listening to recently. Billy Burnette, Blasters, Rockpile, and the rockabilly New Wave scene.” Well done, Bonnie.
yeah, that's a pretty good Bonnie record, Ricky Fataar of Rutles fame plays drums and she covers a Dylan song, a couple of NRBQ songs and Richard Manuel sings harmony with her on River of Tears.
Wow, I came across two different posts about The Equals within a week. Check out Art Decade's post of a way more funkier jam
http://artdecade.blogspot.com/2011/09/equals-helena.html
sounds like a totally different band.
Thanks M. That is a sweet funk jam. You think David Byrne might've heard it a time or two???
I have to admit I was ignorant of these guys too. You don't know until somebody tells you!