Fat Grapple - "Happy In The Lord" plus other song

Thread: Fat Grapple - "Happy In The Lord" plus other song

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  1. hauntboy said:

    Default Fat Grapple - "Happy In The Lord" plus other song

    When I was a teenage schoolboy I used to make audio tape recordings from my transistor radio. However, when I was in the middle of my eighth C90 cassette all bar one were stolen and I often think back with regret at snippets of songs I can just about recall and wonder what they were. One such example is a song I taped from the 10 pm radio programme "Sounds of the Seventies" in late 1973/ early 1974. I think it's possible that all the songs in the programme that night were by just one band, because they all seemed a bit in the same genre with a religious tone. The lyrical part of one song I am looking for is something like this:

    Verse - We will go to church from time to time, following our great creator

    Chorus - Happy in the Lord, blessed morning, happy in the Lord......

    That's all I can recall, but assuming the title was "Happy in the Lord", I just did a google search and came up with this:

    http://www.marmalade-skies.co.uk/sep1973.htm

    So it would seem that the group were Fat Grapple, though it would be good to have this confirmed. Another song in that show, very probably also by Fat Grapple, that I can find no info on at all, or even a title, has these lyrics in the chorus:

    Oh, give me a bottle of wine
    Oh, give me a loaf of bread
    Oh, give me the words Jesus said
    Cos if he's dead then I'm alive to live his life instead
    If he's dead then I'm alive to live his life instead

    It would be satisfying to get confirmation of these songs and possibly obtain them again somehow. I will leave them both on the same thread as they are linked and one may help with the finding of the other.
  2. atmaestro's Avatar

    atmaestro said:

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    I did not find any evidence that Fat Grapple released any album so your recording may have been from a live performance. Eddie Jobson worked with numerous other groups after he left Fat Grapple (see attached links) and maybe he recorded those songs with a later group like Curved Air.

    http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/users/ron...bsonchron.html

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Jobson
    Them that can, do; them that can't... memorize Artist and Title
  3. hauntboy said:

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    Thanks atmaster. I may try to contact this guy, though I feel these 2 tracks came after his involvement with the group. However, I will try. I don't think they were live sessions though, and as the group released the " Happy in the Lord" single, you would have expected an album also. But like you, I can find no mention of it.
  4. BlueNileFan said:

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    Hi, there is also this much more influential group:

    Stackridge - Extravaganza (1974)
    06 - Happy In The Lord (Phil Welton) (Wikipedia)

    I have yet to find lyrics or music for that song. This particular song is qualified by a reviewer as sardonic.
  5. Mumbles's Avatar

    Mumbles said:

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    I've uploaded a sample of the song suggested by BlueNileFan

    04 - 06 - Happy In The Lord.mp3
    Its nice to be important, but its more important to be nice
    Y Ddraig Goch ddyry gychwyn
  6. hauntboy said:

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    Blue Nile Fan and Mumbles - thanks in abundance for that. I have listened and it is 100% definitely the song I was on about. I guess the Fat Grapple track was coincidentally a different one. I looked on wikipedia and discovered they did some John Peel sessions on Radio 1 which would have been where I heard them:

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

    This was one of the last things I remember recording before my tapes were stolen, and the album this was from was released in January 1975, so I guess would have been about the right time. I said 1973/74 earlier, but I guess I was a year out. I assume the other track I am looking for is from the album this song is from called "Extravaganza". I will see if I can hear it anywhere or find the lyrics of the other tracks to match with the second lot of lyrics I have above which were:

    Oh, give me a bottle of wine
    Oh, give me a loaf of bread
    Oh, give me the words Jesus said
    Cos if he's dead then I'm alive to live his life instead
    If he's dead then I'm alive to live his life instead
  7. Moosical said:

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    It was most definately Fat Grapple that did "Happy in the Lord". Phil Welton, lead singer and lyricist, is my uncle. Another of the songs was called "Skin head Sandy".
    The radio program contained several of their songs. There was a CD that they made, which was a live recording of them in concert in October 1971 at the Gulbenkian Theater, Newcastle.
  8. Moosical said:

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    Oh, and I could give you te recording of "Happy in the lord". I have it on iTunes
  9. hauntboy said:

    Default Phile Welton/ Fat Grapple

    Hi thanks, just seen this. Can you send it me.

    Hauntboy
  10. gerardgbl said:

    Default Happy in the Lord

    Hi there...I went to University with Phil Welton (and indeed, we were in a band together) and when Happy in the Lord came out I was delighted. What a song. There's something about it...but then again there was something about Phil...

    I bought a copy and it was only when I was diggin out all my 7" records to look for music for my new band that I found to my horror it had gone!

    I tried the download suggested but it wouldn't function.

    I would love a copy of it if possible.

    Any thoughts?

    Gerard
  11. Pismotality said:

    Default Lyrics for Happy in the Lord

    Hello,

    I used to have a cassette (sadly no more) of the Sounds of the Seventies show which featured a session from Fat Grapple singing Happy in the Lord, Skinhead Sandy and (I think) Let's Roll. It was presented by Pete Drummond (no longer working as a DJ but doing voiceover work) and the reason I taped it was actually because of a Jake Thackray session which included Brother Gorilla, Sister Josephine and The Jolly Captain. At the time I played the time a lot and do remember some of the Happy in the Lord lyric - but it is incomplete and may not be in the correct order:

    Riding with a Spitfire on my tail,
    Didn't heed my mother's warning,
    With God's help I surely shall prevail,
    Home in bed tomorrow morning
    Happy in the Lord ...

    ... One thing life has taught me, kind of caught me unawares,
    As I play life's game
    Under this old sun there's only one who really cares,
    Only one prepared to play life's game ...

    Give me conscience, give me peace of mind
    Better still, just give me money
    Give me time, I'll tell you why I find
    Your presence just a little funny ...

    Happy in the Lord,
    While we're waiting
    Happy in the Lord,
    For his blessing ...

    There was a nice bit of violin involved too. I'm pretty sure the "bottle of wine" lyrics weren't part of the song.

    Skinhead Sandy I didn't actually tape as it was in the second hour and my father abruptly curtailed matters. All I remember is:

    I-I-I-I said,
    Got no hair on my head,
    So I-I-I-I-I'll be
    I'll be Skinhead Sandy.

    As a sign of those hip times, Let's Roll (if this was indeed Fat Grapple) was introduced by Drummond thus:

    "If you've got your papers - Let's Roll."

    The opening record on the show was Ronnie Hawkins' version of Maybelline from an LP called Rock'n'Roll Resurrection which would place the broadcast in 1972 - sorry I can't be more precise. Possibly Harvey Andrews' The Balled of Cursed Anna was also played- not sure whether this was a record or a session.

    Best wishes,

    Tony aka Pismotality

    http://sweetwordsofpismotality.blogspot.com/
  12. Pismotality said:

    Default Did Stackridge cover Happy in the Lord

    Have just listened on youtube to Happy in the Lord as done by ... Stackridge. Lyrics are as I quoted in the previous post and I've found some online here:

    http://homepage.ntlworld.com/steveeyre/ext6.htm

    But the above site does credit it to Phil Welton so looks like Stackridge covered it.

    Re the song Let's Roll, it was much more bluesy and ballsy, with lyrics like:

    Roll, roll on over, tomorrow I'll be sober

    Down a little bit further,
    I know I would not hurt you

    When it's time for me to go
    I'll be movin' out real slow
    Let's roll, roll me the night away
  13. pramela said:

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    I remember this group - I was a girlfriend of one of the members when they recorded this. If you would like more info (I think I still have a copy of the record they made).
  14. pramela said:

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    Sorry - the flip side to this is called The Whaling Song. I can remember this in the early stages of composition being sung to me at midnight or some ungodly hour of the night.
  15. hauntboy said:

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    Quote Originally Posted by pramela View Post
    I remember this group - I was a girlfriend of one of the members when they recorded this. If you would like more info (I think I still have a copy of the record they made).
    Could you possibly send me a copy of the Fat Grapple version.
  16. hauntboy said:

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    Quote Originally Posted by Moosical View Post
    Oh, and I could give you te recording of "Happy in the lord". I have it on iTunes
    Only just seen this message. Yes please, if you could - thanks!
  17. pramela said:

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    hauntboy - if I can find it - Iw will try to send you a copy but might take a while!