(advertising billboard for
'The Graham Gouldman Thing')
Recognition was what Gouldman sought by putting out an album
of his own in the States, containing his own interpretions of songs he
wrote for other artists. The Graham Gouldman Thing, as the album
was called, was made with the help of John Paul Jones as arranger and musician
and appeared on the RCA-label in 1968, the same year that Gouldman opened
a boutique in New York – Zoo – with Peter Noone. But boutique nor album
became a succes, despite a huge promotion campaign and efforts to draw
attention to the record by putting out No Milk Today and For
Your Love on single. Again, Gouldman the musician could not catch up
with the succes Gouldman the composer had seeing his songs recorded by
other artists. It did not make him lose his sense of humour, though. A
substantial amount of years after the ‘drama’ Gouldman said he sold more
copies of his Thing in 1974 – the year 10cc draw attention in the
US for the first time- than in the six years before. At last, 24 years
after the Thing came out in the USA, the record also saw the light
in Great Britain, on cd. Until then only the track Upstairs Downstairs
was pressed into British vinyl, being a seven inch single there in 1968.
Another remarkable event in 1968 was the embryonic gathering
of what later would become the big 10cc, the band that would stimulate
Gouldman’s capabilities to the highest level possible. With Harvey Lisberg
Gouldman became the manager of his old schoolfriend Godley and his artistic
partner Lol Creme, who had just decided to let music prevale above art.
Lisberg and Gouldman put Godley & Creme in touch with Gomelsky, who
booked the duo on his Marmalade-label as Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon. Only
one of their songs, I’m beside myself, saw the light. The album
that should have followed, didn’t came out because Marmalade ran out of
money.
During the recording sessions Godley and Creme were assisted
by Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart. From this sessions Over and above
my head and One and one make love - actually recorded in the
frontroom of Gouldman's house - also made it to the tape, but were never
officially released. I’m beside myself can be found on a sampler
called 100 % proof, that also contains the Gouldman-composition
Last Mister Late and the presumed Lol Creme-song To fly away.
