Search - Climax Chicago Blues Band, Climax Blues Band :: 25 Years 1968-1993

I LOVE YOU!!!

JCA | California US | 09/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ok, I dont often write a review in fact I dont often write. You can tell from my spelling, so please enjoy..



I have been wanting to get the song I LOVE YOU for my collection for a long time but it never seemed to work out. To day I ordered it and hopefully it's on it's way!



I read one review here where the guy was crapin on people who buy CBB for this song, he needs to take a couple more neuroleptics...



I LOVE YOU is a beautiful song of all time. It brings the love of a woman out in a cold hearted Carpenter/Machinist like me.. )-: Come-On all you pretty ladies lets go!



I was born in 1960 and I was a Long-Haired, Beer-Drunker in the 70's I had girl fiends, I have a large collection of 60,70,80's rock and such and I am a HiFi auditory enthusiast. So I know whats good when it comes to good music and this song is one.



But I found even stronger a reason to buy this CD, while searching for the song I was entrested why this song was so hard to find when it's still very populer.. Well I found this tid-bit;

----------------------------------------------------

(Clipped from Music Facts),

Derek Holt (Bass player) wrote "I Love You"



I Love You by The Climax Blues Band

Album: Flying The Flag

Date: 1980

U.S. Chart: 12



Derek Holt

"That song was written in my house. After a couple of hours just

sitting in my studio I came up with this song I Love You - words,

solo, drums, the whole thing. And I thought, 'Well, it's a lovely

song.' We had a guy come over from L.A., an American producer

called John Ryan, who arrived in Stafford to do some pre-production

on an album that we were going to record in Los Angeles called

Flying The Flag. So he came to England and spent probably 2 weeks

with us going through all the tracks that we'd got. And he said,

'Does anybody have any more songs?' I'd already played my song to

the band and they didn't really like it; it was a little bit too

lovey, so I said to John Ryan, 'I've got this song called 'I Love

You.'' He said, 'Well, play it for me.' So I plugged in my

cassette, played it, then he said, 'That's a hit.' Just like that.

Everybody just sort of looked at each other and said, 'Oh, bloody

hell.' So anyway, we ended up going to Los Angeles, and that song

was recorded with just me and the drummer because the other two

guys weren't really into the song. So it's me, the drummer, and a

fantastic keyboard player named Nicky Hopkins. He's since died,

unfortunately. He was the sort of legendary keyboard player, he

played with The Stones and lots of people like that, and he was

great. So it was me, Nicky Hopkins and the drummer in the studio.

We all sat down together and played the basic backing track. I then

put the bass on it, sang it, did all the harmonies, then I got Pete

- the guitarist - to play the lead solo, which was the solo that I

wanted to be played. So he played the solo, because he was the

guitarist - reluctantly. Then John Ryan said, 'This song needs some

strings.' So he got a string section in at whatever cost it was,

which also pissed the other guys in the band off to think that the

strings were a big part of my song. Then Warner Brothers arrived to

hear all the tracks, and everybody was blown away by 'I Love You,'

this song that I believed in, the producer believed in, but none of

the other guys did, and it became a hit. And it's just unbelievable

that nobody else in the band recognized it other than the producer

and me. So the story's quite phenomenal, really. And it's also

probably one of the reasons why the band split up in the end,

because they weren't into playing it live, and I was. The song was

in the charts, we had the tour booked, and two guys in the band

said, 'We're not going to go to America to promote Derek Holt's

career.' How's that for faith?"



Holt: "The only time I've ever performed that song live in America,

I went to Florida last year (2005) to Clearwater with my family,

and I ended up in a karaoke bar. It's called Big Ben's, it's like

an English pub. My wife and I sat down, the reason we went to the

pub was because we dig liver and onions and a pint of real English

beer. So we went down there and sure enough there's karaoke on, and

the karaoke book gets put onto your table. We were sifting through

it, and I'm looking at Climax Blues Band. Couldn't Get It Right

wasn't even in the book, but Climax Blues Band I Love You was in

the book. So my wife called the guy over. She said, 'This song I

Love You,' this guy here was in The Climax Blues Band and he wrote

it and he sang it.' And the guy said, 'Never.' Anyway, I went up on

the stage, and of course as soon as I opened my mouth and started

singing it, it was obvious it was me. I was him. And the place went

wild. I never bought a drink again the whole night. That's the one

and only time. In fact, I've got a photograph of it with my little

girl. She came up with me and helped me sing it. She's only 10, but

we stood there and everybody got up and danced and as soon as it

finished everyone was like, 'Bloody hell, where's the limo?'"

(thanks to Derek Holt for speaking with us about this song)



The Climax Blues Band continued into the '90s without Holt, but

they never played this song live. Says Holt: "We toured for years

and years, and it just became a bloody nightmare, really. I guess

what I should have done, really, was say to the guys - in hindsight

now - say right, if you don't come to America with me, I'll get

somebody else. That's what I should have done instead of backing

off and bowing out. That's the way it goes, but even now looking

back 20-odd years, it's bloody sad. It's a very sad tale. You can't

even buy any Climax CDs now, you can hardly buy any product.

Neither Pete Haycock or Colin Cooper seemed to want to have

anything to do with me, but I just think it would be nice to have

it re-released and maybe have the albums back in the shops again."

This song is very hard to find, since it does not appear on

compilations, is not available for download and the original album

is out of print. Since the band refused to perform it and distanced

themselves from it, the song suffered from a lack of promotion that

kept it from becoming a much bigger hit and severely restricted its

availability. It is not included on other Climax Blues Band

greatest hits packages.



--------------------------------------------------------

So now I have another reason to buy this CD just to be another person who bought it just for the song the other goofs in the band didn't want me to buy it for!



How many times have good bands ruined there carrer over eggo situations like this. A little lesson in life...I will never learn.



If you like I will write a review for the CD when it comes? Maybe!

JCA

"

Loved The Group

Rondall Banks | Toccoa, Georgia | 01/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here's a group that i really do like it has all of my hits on one cd like couldn't get it right, i love you and Gotta have more love so if you love the Climax Blues Band or not this the cd for you. Enjoy!



Rondall"