This article is about the British band. For the American band, see Night Owl (James Taylor song).

The Flying Machine was a British bubblegum pop[1] band who are best known for their 1969 American No. 5 hit, "Smile a Little Smile for Me".[2]

Career

The Flying Machine descended from British band Pinkerton's Assorted Colours. Pinkerton's (as they were often known) had scored a major UK hit with "Mirror Mirror" in 1966 and continued recording over the next few years. However, by 1969, singer/guitarist Tony Newman, singer/autoharpist/original frontman Sam Kempe,[3] and bassist Stuart Colman from Pinkerton's had teamed up with lead guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Wilkinson to form a new iteration of the group and, with Newman now assuming lead vocal/frontman duties, took the name the Flying Machine.[4]

They are best known for their single in 1969, "Smile a Little Smile for Me", which peaked at No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart (on Kapp Records' Congress record label) It also reached No. 6 on the AC chart. Their first LP, which was self-titled, was released by Janus Records in 1969. By 12 December that year the single had sold a million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A.[5] The song was written by Tony Macaulay and Geoff Stephens.[6] Despite being released by Pye Records in the band's native UK, the record did not appear on the UK Singles Chart.

A follow-up single, a cover version of "Baby Make It Soon", first recorded by Marmalade, achieved the U.S. Hot 100 the following year.[7] A final single, "The Devil Has Possession Of Your Mind", was released, after which the Flying Machine split up.

Bassist Colman went on to a successful career as a session musician, record producer and BBC Radio disc jockey.

Band members

Ancillary members

  • Edie Andrews (born 1945, Detroit, Michigan) – background vocals[5]
  • Mark Lansing (born 1952, USA) - guitars, sideman courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, 1969
  • Troy Adam Jones (birth year unknown) - guitarist, backup drummer

Discography

Albums

  • 1969: The Flying Machine (Janus)
  • 1970: Down to Earth with the Flying Machine (Pye)[4]
  • 1998: Flight Recorder - From Pinkerton's (Assort.) Colours to the Flying Machine (double CD compilation album on Sequel Records)

Singles

  • 1969: "Smile a Little Smile for Me" b/w "Maybe We've Been Loving Too Long" - No. 5 U.S.
  • 1969: "Baby Make It Soon" b/w "There She Goes" - No. 87 U.S.
  • 1969: "Send My Baby Home Again" b/w "Look At Me Look At Me"
  • 1970: "Hanging on the Edge of Sadness" b/w "Flying Machine"
  • 1970: "The Devil Has Possession of Your Mind" b/w "Hey Little Girl"
  • 1970: "Yes I Understand" b/w "Pages of Your Life"[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Top 11 Bubblegum Pop Songs". Rockcellarmagazine.com.
  2. ^ history.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Billboard-IDX/IDX/60s/1969/Billboard%201969-12-27-OCR-Page-0017.pdf "Top Records of 1969" (PDF). Billboard. Cincinnat, Ohio: Billboard Publications, Inc. 27 December 1969. Retrieved 11 July 2017. {{cite magazine}}: Check |url= value (help)
  3. ^ "Call Up The Groups Pinks". Bobleroi.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Flying Machine - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  5. ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 259. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  6. ^ "Smile a Little Smile for Me - Flying Machine - Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  7. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Machine_(band)
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