Monday, July 14, 2008

Chris Hodge -Beautiful Love


Chris Hodge- Beautiful Love/Sweet Lady From The Sky -RCA LPBO 5007 (1974 UK)

There’s very little in the way of background information available on the web on Chris Hodge. This is surprising as he released two singles on Apple including the US hit We’re On Our Way.
It seems he signed to Apple thanks to Ringo’s shared passion for sci-fi! We’re On Our Way was a fine slab of Psych/Glam with lyrics in some way similar to Paul St. John’s "The Flying Saucers Have Landed", but with more urgency and with less of a namby Pamby hippy approach.
He then released two great singles on RCA - My Linda (credited to The Sunshine Kid in the UK) and this one before moving on to DJM for the lethargic sub-Burrito I Love You/ Old James Dean. After that who knows…

Beautiful Love in no way sounds like its title would make you believe. It’s a hard-as-nails-riff–heavy Glam Cruncher. The intro comes across like a wild space age Crazy Horses and the thumping drums gain an extra edge thanks to the astute use of a gated reverb during the thudding drum break - Shake, SHAKE!!!
There’s a web page for Chris Hodge here www.chris-hodge.co.uk.It has 8 unreleased tracks on top of the 10 he released at the time.

Click on title for an edit of Beautiful Love


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great Chris Hodge post! Any possibility of posting full versions of this & "My Linda"? Thanks!

Robin Wills said...

Hi
My Linda has already been posted -check out July 24th 2007

Anonymous said...

Thanks Robin: actually I was looking for the entire song, as it's not available anywhere.

Robin Wills said...

...er.. they are available on the Chris Hodge website...at least Chris might see some of the publishing dosh!

Anonymous said...

You wouldn't perhapshave a link to Mr. Hodges' website? Googling Chris Hodge turns up everything but. Thanks.

Robin Wills said...

er...it was in the review above!
www.chris-hodge.co.uk
End of public service anouncement!
All the best
Robin

Collin said...

Robin, can you help me spell Chris Hodge?

Stuart Shea said...

Great song, cool artist. He does seem to have an obsession with women from outer space.
As of now, the website given for him is no longer active.

Anonymous said...

Anyone have an inkling of what happened to Chris Hodge? The summer of 72 I was flying higher than his saucers. For many years I thought We're On Our Way was a remnant from a psychotic episode. Of course at the time I was in telepathic contact with intelligent octopi inhabiting a water world orbiting Proxima Centauri. Ahhh sweet nostalgic insanity.