Thursday, 23 February 2012

Here Comes the Night ... Them

Here Comes the Night ... Them


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXD1B2651X8



Van Morrison was Them's lead singer. He left the band in 1966 to pursue a solo career, and Them changed their name to The Belfast Gypsies and released one album before reverting back to their original name. They released 4 more albums before splitting

 

[edit] Recording and history

This was the second Them record produced by Bert Berns and the first time that Them recorded one of his songs. It was recorded in a session at Decca Studios in West Hamstead, London in October 1964 along with "Baby, Please Don't Go" and "All For Myself".[4]
Jimmy Page played guitar on this arrangement. Andy White and Tommy Scott performed backing vocals with Phil Coulter on keyboards. Drummer Ronnie Millings recalled that the band worked on the song at the studio with rehearsals lasting four days. Billy Harrison noted that "I remember sitting in Decca when Bert said he had this song, and he came out with "Here Comes the Night". He had a riff and that's all he had, and we sat and we worked on it, and we came up with what you hear. We worked at it sitting in the studio—but no engineers or anything."[5] Phil Coulter later said, "I knew I'd heard a smash. It was the first time I'd ever heard a hit record in its emerging state."[6]
According to Phil Coulter the band had intended this song to be the follow-up to "Baby, Please Don't Go" but it had been rush released by Decca on a recording by Lulu in November 1964. The band members of Them were said to be bitterly disappointed by this decision made by Decca and Phil Solomon. Phil Coulter remarked: "They bitched to me a lot but they wouldn't dare to have said anything to Solomon." The band was said to have a "certain grim satisfaction" as Lulu's recording reached No. 50 and then dropped off the charts.[7]
Despite a bold, breezy tone the song's lyrics told a tale of obsessive jealousy and approaching loneliness from the point of view of a rejected lover who voyeuristically watches the new couple.
"Here Comes the Night" was Them's third single, released following the success of "Gloria". The first day of its release it sold 16,000 copies, at the time an impressive showing.[8] It peaked at #2 UK and #24 US, spending 10 weeks on the U.S. chart. It was also released on the EP Mystic Eyes. After the record was released, Them immediately was sent on a public relations push with television appearances on Ready Steady Go! and Top of the Pops.
Van Morrison has remarked on this:[8]
Them were never meant to be on Top of the Pops, I mean miming? Lip syncing? We used to laugh at the programme, think it was a joke. Then we were on it ourselves. It was ridiculous. We were totally anti that type of thing. We were really into the blues...and we had to get into suits and have make-up put on and all that..
It was released on the Parrot (US) version of the album THEM in July 1965, and also appears on the album, The Story of Them. It was also re-released on the Deram label in 1973, but did not chart.

[edit] Appearance on other Van Morrison albums

  • Van Morrison (1974). Having gone on to a critically acclaimed solo career, Morrison revisited "Here Comes the Night" on his seminal live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now. This rendition is augmented by a string section.
  • "Here Comes the Night" (the original 1965 version) was included in the 1990 compilation album The Best of Van Morrison.
  • This song (the original 1965 version) is one of the hits that is included on Van Morrison's 2007 compilation album, Still on Top - The Greatest Hits.

[edit] Other versions

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