Pop-Tops

Pop-Tops
OriginMadrid, Spain
GenresPop
Years active1967-1974
LabelsBarclay Sonoplay (Spain)
Explosion (Spain)
Bellaphon (Germany)
Past membersPhil Trim
Julián Luis Angulo
Alberto Vega
Enrique Gómez
Ignacio Pérez
José Lipiani
Ray Gómez
Francisco Urbano Romero
Rafael Guillermo Gertrudis

Pop Tops (or Los Pop-Tops) were a vocal/instrumental band, formed in 1967 in Madrid, Spain, with Phil Trim from Trinidad and Tobago as lead singer. Their sound was a blend of baroque pop with the soulful vocals of Trim.

Members

Original set-up included

  • Phil Trim (born January 5, 1940, in Trinidad and Tobago) – lead singer
  • Julián Luis Angulo – guitar, vocals
  • Alberto Vega – saxophone, clarinet, vocals
  • Enrique Gómez – bass, trumpet
  • Ignacio Pérez – organ, piano
  • José Lipiani – drums
  • Ray Gómez – guitar

Some changes occurred in members:

  • Francisco Urbano Romero – drums (replacing José Lipani)
  • Rafael Guillermo Gertrudis – keyboards, piano (replacing Ignacio Pérez)

Hits

Their first release to gain attention was "Oh Lord, Why Lord" (1968), written by Jean Marcel Bouchety and Phil Trim.[1] It was the first pop song to incorporate the melody of Pachelbel's Canon in D. That single's b-side, "The Voice of the Dying Man" (based on a Johann Sebastian Bach composition) was also recorded in Spanish as "La Voz del Hombre Caido".

They are best known for their 1971 hit "Mamy Blue",[2] referring to a son's poignant song addressed to his departed mother about his childhood memories and life in general, sometimes spelled "Mommy Blue", "Mammy Blue" or "Mummy Blue", which was a Top 10 hit throughout much of Europe, Japan (#2), and Canada (#42), and a minor Billboard Hot 100 chart hit in the United States (#57). It was covered in the US by the Stories peaking at No. 50 in 1973. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a platinum record.[3][where?] The composer and lyricist of the French song "Mamy Blue" was Hubert Giraud.[3] English lyrics were written by Phil Trim. The Pop Tops also recorded Italian and Spanish versions, with lyrics by Gefingal.

As follow-up singles they released "Suzanne Suzanne" (early 1972) and "Hideaway" (mid 1972), which were only minor hits in some European countries.

Discography

Albums

Title Year Peak positions
GER
Canarios 1968 —
Mamy Blue 1971 30
Top Pops of Pop Tops 1976 —

Singles

Title Year Peak positions Album
AUS
[4] 		AUT
 GER
 ESP
 SWI
 UK
 US
"Oh Lord, Why Lord" 1968 — — — — — — 78 Canarios
"Mamy Blue" [5] 1971 — 3 1 2 1 35 57 Mamy Blue
"Suzanne Suzanne" 1972 — — 16 — — — — Top Pops of Pop Tops
"Hideaway" — — 22 — — — —
"My Little Woman" 1973 75 — — — — — —

Spanish releases

Barclay, Spain

  • 1967: Con su blanca palidez / I Can't Go On
  • 1967: Viento to otoño (Autumn Winds) / Cry
  • 1968: Somewhere / The Voice of the Dying Man (La voz del hombre caido)
  • 1968: Oh Lord, Why Lord / Beyond the Sea (El mar)
  • 1968: Oh Lord, Why Lord (in Spanish) / El mar
  • 1968: Esa mujer (That Woman) / Adagio cardenal
  • 1968: That Woman / The Man I Am Today
  • 1968: Pepa / Junto a ti
  • 1969: Dzim-dzim-dzas (Love and Care) / Young and Foolish
  • 1969: Soñar, bailar y cantar (She's Coming Back) / Anytime

Explosion, Spain

  • 1971: Dios a todos hizo libres (Road to Freedom) / Movimento de amor
  • 1971: Road to Freedom / Who Will Believe
  • 1971: Mamy Blue (span.) / Love Motion
  • 1971: Mamy Blue / Grief and Torture
  • 1972: Suzanne Suzanne / Happiness Ville
  • 1972: Suzanne Suzanne (in Spanish) / Walk along by the Riverside
  • 1972: Hideaway / What a Place to Live In
  • 1973: My Little Woman / Girl, What's on Your Mind?
  • 1973: Happy, Hippy, Youppy Song / Where Can I Go
  • 1973: Happy, Hippy, Youppy Song (in Spanish) / Angeline
  • 1974: What a Way to Go / Baby I Will Cry

German releases

Bellaphon, West Germany

  • 1971: Mamy Blue / Road to Freedom
  • 1971: Oh Lord, Why Lord / Walk Along by the Riverside (Remake)
  • 1972: Suzanne Suzanne / Happiness Ville
  • 1972: Hideaway / What a Place to Live In
  • 1973: My Little Woman / Girl, What's on Your Mind?
  • 1973: Happy, Hippy, Youppy Song / Where Can I Go
  • 1973: What a Way to Go / Baby I Will Cry

References

  1. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  2. ^ Pop-Tops: Mamy Blue at Discogs (list of releases)
  3. ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 297. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 236. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (January 29, 1972). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 68–. ISSN 0006-2510. MAMMY BLUE. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)


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