Colin Blunstone
The lead singer of the Zombies has had plenty of success and now, in his 80th year, he has been performing for 60 of them. He’s still actively touring, and if you want to see more of him or the Zombies, look out for the newly released documentary, Hung On To A Dream, about the band. So why is he on this list? It’s about his solo career, which was short-lived in terms of hits. In the early 1970s,
Blunstone had a couple of solo hits. One with a Denny Laine song, “Say You Don’t Mind.” He followed that up with "How Could We Dare to Be Wrong" and "The Tracks of My Tears.” He had previously set out on a solo career using the name Neil McArthur and covering the Zombies’ “She’s Not There,” but what limited solo success he had came under his real name as Colin Blunstone.
If you listen to any of the Zombies' work or Blunstone’s solo records, it’s clear he has a great voice and was worthy of greater solo success.
John Miles
I’ve written about John Miles before, no apologies for doing so. His first solo album, Rebel, in 1976, is still a firm and often played favorite of mine. It has his classic single “Music,” which is such a fantastic song to have delivered on a debut disc. In the US, it and miles are looked at as one-hit wonders, which may be technically correct, but is also a somewhat unfair indication of his musical abilities.
The first single from the album was “High Fly,” also a great song and a top twenty UK hit and reaching 68 in the Billboard Hot 100. “Slow Down” from the album reached numbers 10 and 34, respectively. Miles also had plenty of exposure to US audiences as he toured there as support with Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, and the Rolling Stones back in the late 1970s.
Miles continued to release albums, ten studio recordings overall, but they didn't reach the heights of that debut album. Nor match the might of “Music.”But they were still great sounds and shouldn't be missed.
Miles was somehow largely overlooked after his early turn in the spotlight. He continued to work hard, touring and performing in Europe, writing and working on stage musicals, playing with other artists. Miles died aged 72 in 2021. Music was his work and his anthem; it’s a shame his success wasn't broader and greater.
Nick Drake
An obvious inclusion, he, too, is highly acclaimed but also probably isn't well known to many mainstream listeners. Musicians and those who love and know music certainly do know and acknowledge Nick Drake. That’s despite his very short, three-album-long career.
Drake released the first of his albums, Five Leaves Left, in 1969. That was followed by Better Layter in 1971 and then his final release, Pink Moon, in 1972. Sadly, he is another great musician lost far too early.
Drake died at just 26 in 1974. He had a particular style to his soft sounds and folky tunes. Often simple and sparse arrangements, finger-picking guitar backing, and multi-layered at times. The songs were quiet, often with a touch of sadness about the lyrics.
Success didn't hit Drake in his lifetime. The albums weren't big sellers, so don‘t go looking for hit singles either. In 1979, a compilation of his work, Fruit Tree, was released, which triggered more interest in him.
During the 1980s, more and more musicians referenced Drake’s work as influential. Those included Kate Bush, Paul Weller, Peter Buck, and Robert Smith, quite a collection of songwriters themselves.
Limited success in his lifetime. Retrospective acclaim from his following peers. But sadly just those three albums. It’s time to go and listen to them or Fruit Trees to sample Drake’s work.
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