Lord Alan and Sir Richard were Richard Tyson and Alan Abrahams, who co-wrote both songs on this 45. I’m not sure who the band is on this record.
“Run in the Dark” is a pretty sharp copy of the peppy English sounds of the time, something like the Dave Clark Five. “Little Things” has more substance, beginning with the arresting bend on the opening guitar chord that starts the melancholy first verse.
The ‘Slay Cannon’ production credit refers to Frank Slay and Freddy Cannon. Frank Slay had Claridge publishing going since 1963 or earlier. In 1965 he started the Claridge record label. Previously he wrote songs with Bob Crewe, and the two of them helped Freddie Cannon get his song “Tallahassie Lassie” to Swan Records. Slay became Cannon’s producer for the duration of Freddy’s Swan years.
Cannon brought his sometime backing band, the Rockin’ Ramrods to Claridge for its first 45, “Don’t Fool with Fu Manchu”, and also co-produced this 45 on the one-off Cannon label, also probably in late 1965 or early ’66.
Slay managed to get a German release for the single on Ariola, which is why “Little Things” showed up on volume 15 of Prae-Kraut Pandemonium.
Claridge lasted through 1966, releasing approximately 20 singles, including Scotty McKay’s “Here Comes Batman” and another by the Ramrods, “Play It” / “Got My Mojo Working”. Frank Slay revived the label after moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s.
Sources include: Both Sides Now for background on the Claridge label.
I remembered seeing these guys on some show like the Clay Cole Show in perhaps 1965. Regardless of the above commentary they were clearly an attempt at joining the genre specific to Peter & Gordon & Chad & Jeremy. 1st hand opinion!
“Sir” Richard here. Yep Clay Cole Show. NYC TV. 1964. Clay did a special “English Night” with Alan and me, Peter and Gordon, and the then newly US arriving Rolling Stones.
I had a college rock band (Columbia undergrad) playing atop the bar for the summer at the Metropole Cafe in Times Square. My drummer was leaving for an archeological dig and Alan filled in. Someone from the Dick Clark org referred us to Freddie Cannon who was looking for an English-sound group to back. I was eager to take a leave of absence, but the 2 remaining college guys stayed in school. (One was Tom Werman who 3-4 years later got into the Music biz in a big way – eventually he had 23 gold or platinum albums).
Run in the Dark hit #2 in Maine – and that was the peak and end of my rocking and rolling. Peter Asher (of Peter and Gordon) became a great producer and manager and the Stones went into orbit.
I went back to college, got a doctorate degree, now have 9 grandkids. Alan? I last saw him late 1964 Clark Race Show TV appearance in Pittsburgh.
Hello Richard,
I stumbled across this post today and after 100 years wanted to say a warm ‘hello’………….thank you for your impeccable memory !……….I have 4 grandchildren and live in L.A. where I have been since ’76 when RCA Records hired me as Executive producer………..alanabrahams.com is one of my sites if you care to take a look.
As I said,
Warmes regards,
Alan
Lord Alan & Sir Richard appeared on Club 13 Show on WGAN TV hosted by Ralph Bickford in Portland, Maine on a Saturday afternoon back in 1965.