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The Toggery Five were an English freakbeat band from Manchester, England that was formed in the midst of the Manchester Beat scene. The band emerged as other popular British acts like The Hollies and The Dakotas were also coming to prominence in Manchester. They were the first band to record "I'm Alive, which inspired The Hollies to also record the song. The band released two singles, but never were able to achieve success outside of the local scene or in the United States. Still, the band members went on to perform in more prominent musical acts. ==History== In 1963, the band's original lineup of Bob Smith on lead vocals, Frank Renshaw on lead guitar, Keith Meredith on rhythm guitar, Ken Mills on bass guitar, and Graham Smith on drums. The band formed out of the remains of their past bands, Lee Shondell and The Premiers of Beat and Gaye and the Guys. Renshaw was appointed as the band's leader, as he had the lengthiest musical career, thus far. Mike Cohen, the manager of The Hollies, was impressed by the band's first rehearsal in a pub called the "Thatched House", so he agreed to manage them as well. Cohen's girlfriend then created their name, which she based on her clothing store, "The Toggery". The store became a place for the group to practice and acquire uniforms, like several other bands from the area.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Toggery Five 1963-1966 )〕 The band began playing around Manchester, gaining a local following by playing R&B standards. Renshaw sang the majority of the vocals as Smith could not sing to the style of music, limiting his role to tambourine player. Smith became dissatisfied with losing his spot as lead vocalist and left. In 1964, the band replaced him with Paul Young, who was only 14 years old at the time. Still, with the lack of rehearsals, Young was also limited to tambourine playing, and would not sing on the band's first recording.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Paul Young Tribute )〕 In September 1964, the band performed on the television show, ''Ready, Steady, Win'', which included judges like Brian Epstein. First prize was a recording contract with Decca Records. The band was able to reach the finals and played the song "Dance With You", but lost to The Bo Street Runners. Initially, the band won the contest, but through intervention by Decca Records, the judges were persuaded to vote them runner-up. Nonetheless, the band signed a contract with the Parlophone label soon afterwards. On September 18, 1964, the band released their first single, "I'm Gonna Jump" b/w "Bye Bye Birdy", which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios. The A-side was based on a man who desired to jump into a river after his girlfriend left him. "I'm Gonna Jump" received positive reviews from critics, but BBC Radio banned its radio play because of the controversy surrounding the theme. As a result, the debut single flopped in England and on its U.S. release on the Tower label. Despite the disappointing sales, the band continued to appear on television and received steady gigs throughout England. They opened for acts like Freddie and the Dreamers and The Hollies. In January 1965, the group returned to Abbey Road Studios for their second single. They recorded "I'd Much Rather Be with the Boys" as their A-side. The Rolling Stones recorded a demo of the song, but did not release it until it was place on their compilation album, ''Metamorphosis''. This, along with their B-side "It's So Easy", was put out on February 26, 1965 as their second single and it fared better in sales, but, again, failed to chart.〔 In mid-1965, the band recorded new material for the last time. They received a song from Gene Pitney, called "I'm Alive" as it was rejected by others it was offered to. The Hollies heard demos by the band and decided to produce a version of their own. Their version was released two weeks before The Toggery Five's planned distribution. The Hollies achieved a number one hit, preventing the Toggery Five from reaching national success. They were then offered a Hollies' composition, "Going Away", which they recorded but never released. By that time, Renshaw left the band to play behind Wayne Fontana, and they regrouped with several new lineups to perform until their disbandment in 1966.〔 Among the new personnel, included Mick Abrahams and Clive Bunker, founding members of the band, Jethro Tull.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Toggery Five」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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