“I Need Love” was a song written by Tom Curley, vocalist with the Maryland group the Mad Hatters. The Mad Hatters cut the original version in late ’65. The Time Stoppers version wasn’t released until 1967. I’ve heard it called ordinary, but I’ve always liked it very much.
The band were probably from Pittsburgh, but I don’t know who was in the group. Jules Kruspir, publisher and co-producer of this disc, owned St. Clair records, which released great records by the Swamp Rats and Pat Wallace. The flip is a forgettable instrumental, “Fickle Frog”.
This also appears to be about the last record ever released on the eclectic HBR (Hanna-Barbera Records) label.
You are correct. The majority of the band was from Pittsburgh. I personally know two of them, not sure of the rest as individuals. Larry Allen Namee did the backing vocals on this song, plus wrote and played piano on the flip side, “Fickle Frog.” Larry was a disc-jockey/radio newsman on WSTV-AM (Steubenville) in those days. He happens to be my cousin.
Appearing on Hammond organ was a 16 year-old keyboard whiz named Jeffery Spriggs, whose family owned “Spriggs’ House of Music” in Washington (PA) until 1985. It was one of the largest volume music instrument stores in the area at the time. Jeff might have only appeared on the B-side, I’m not really sure at this point. Jeff is a very close friend.
Larry Allen recorded the mega rare 45 “Somewhere There’s A Paradise” which I was lucky to buy when it was released, likely from Jules or Pat Wallace at Southland Music near Century Mall I also bought the “Tribute To The Teen King Porky Chedwick” lp (of course) that contained it. Wish I could have tracked Larry, or any of the Time Stoppers , down for my book “Pittsburgh’s Golden Age of Rock ‘n Roll”. Maybe by the third printing