Truly Smith - Windows And Doors (1967, DES Stereo Remix 2025)

Описание: A new mono-to-stereo remix of a classic 1960's song. Subscribe for more! :)
Writers - Bacharach, David. Released - 27th January 1967. Label - © Decca. Catalogue - F 12554.
TRULY IT'S TRULY SMITH - Born Josephine Taylor she hailed from Dallam, Warrington, in North-West England. Her interest in music really began when working behind the counter in Dawson's Record Shop, and she would be found singing at the Club del Sol in Manchester, where club owner Harvey Livingstone was particularly impressed by her rendition of Barbra Streisand's ' My Colouring Book'. In 1966, she auditioned for Noel Walker, an A & R man for Decca Records, who was based in Liverpool. Josephine was offered a contract with Decca, obtained a manager Her manager in Ted Ross, and selected her professional name to be 'Truly Smith', possibly inspired by 'Truly Scrumptious' form 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'? Her first professional engagement still at the tender age of 16 was for Noel Walker's Stompers. I've seen comments about her first single for Decca, that both sides were done better by other artists. Everyone has to start somewhere. It was followed by five more releases on Decca and then a final single on MGM.

PEEKING THROUGH - "Windows and Doors" was her fourth Decca 45, composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. This is a relatively obscure one of theirs, despite the fact Bacharach was residing in London at the time where it was all happening, getting his wares out and about in the pop capital of the world. With lyrics like "Windows and doors, ceilings and floors, true love is something you can't buy in stores, like the windows and doors...", some reckon these are far from being Hal David's finest hour. Even Jackie DeShannon who recorded the song first wasn't able to do much with a chorus like that. And with DeShannon's not even getting a UK release, clearing the way wasn't enough to get Truly Smith her hit. It is one of a handful of Decca 45's which appeared as demos using the London label.

GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME - Smith's best record was arguably the 5th, an absolutely wonderful take on Chris Clark's Motown classic "I Want To Go Back There Again". Apparently, Truly Smith's version featured in the last "Record of the Week" on Radio 270 in August 1967 and was also in the 'Big L Final Fab Forty' from August 1967. Despite its strong production, seductive melody and smooth beat, it failed to dent the charts. The final Decca 45 was the Goffin & King number, "The Boy From Chelsea", which was previously done by a pre-Monkee Davy Jones as "The Girl From Chelsea".

THE FINAL SPIN - Her final single followed a move to the M.G.M. label and was probably her finest record. For many years, the only version I knew of "This Is The First Time" was Cilla Black's on her "Sherroo!" LP in 1968, though this turned out to be the original. Only in the 2020's did I discover Truly Smith's version which sounds great, meaning Cilla probably missed a trick by not having hers out as a single. She might have had a hit too, for Smiths just followed the rest of hers into pop history. Finally frustrated by her lack of success, Truly Smith elected to leave the music business in 1968 and switched to a totally different career as a teacher - and later Headmistress - at a school in Alnwick, Northumberland.

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