R.I.P. Rick And Mark

Posted on by

Sadly, within the past two weeks we have lost two musicians whose records I liked, so it seems like time for one of my tribute posts. Their names may not mean much at first, but I’m sure you’ll know their bands – I’ll be playing three songs by each of them to refresh your memory.

 

Davies performing in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1979

 

The first of these is Rick Davies, who you can see above. He was one of the co-founders (with Roger Hodgson) of Supertramp, who were hugely successful in the Seventies, with a brand of music that encompassed elements of prog rock tempered with pop tendencies. Rick was born in 1944 and grew up in Swindon. His first introduction to music was when he was given a secondhand radiogram and some records when he was 8, one of which was Drummin’ Man by Gene Krupa, which Rick played to bits – in his words, ‘2,000 times.’ His mother has been quoted as saying that music was the only thing he was good at in school, so it seems he found his niche in life at an early age! As I said, I’m playing you three of their songs, starting with one which Rick and Roger co-wrote, and on which Rick takes lead vocal:

 

That was, of course, Bloody Well Right from their third and breakthrough album, Crime Of The Century, which was released in October 1974 and reached #4 in the UK and #38 in the US, earning Gold discs in both countries but going Platinum in Canada, where it sold a million copies. This track was released as a double A-side single with Dreamer that December, peaking at #13 in the UK and #35 in the US. The video is from a performance on the US tv show Midnight Special in 1975, where it looks like the producer was trying out some new toys he had been given to play with the images. Twat.

I’m cheating a bit with this next one, as although all of their songs are officially credited to both Rick and Roger it was Roger who wrote this and sings lead. But Rick can of course be heard on keyboards and as it is my favourite Supertramp song it makes the cut:

Give A Little Bit was the opening track on their fifth album, Even In The Quietest Moments, which came out in April 1977 and got to #12 in the UK and #16 in the US. Rick is credited with playing piano, organ and clavinet on the recorded version of the song – a difficult trick to pull off for a live performance. This track was released as a single in October 1977, making #29 in the UK and #15 in the US, though it went Gold for 400,000 UK sales.

My final taster of Supertramp to honour Rick’s passing comes from their most successful album:

Breakfast In America was the title track of the band’s sixth album, released in March 1979 and surpassing everything they had done previously – or since, come to that. It reached #3 in the UK but made #1 in the US, Australia, Canada, France, The Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Norway and Spain, and sold more than 20m worldwide, 4m of those in the US. This song was released as a single in June 1979, peaking at #9 in the UK and #62 in the US, again going Gold in the UK for 400,000 sales. It is credited on the record label to Rick though it is actually one of Roger’s songs, but it feels right to share it as part of the legacy of music Rick has left us. R.I.P. Rick, and thank you for many happy hours of listening.

 

 

The second guy who has just passed is Mark Volman (above). You may not recognise his name at first, but if I tell you he was a founder member of The Turtles it may ring a bell for you. Along with his friend Howard Kaylan he and the band had a number of hit records in the Sixties, and after The Turtles broke up in 1970 they continued to perform together as Flo and Eddie, having found that their Turtles contract forbade them from using the band name for more music, or even their own names! They should have had a better lawyer! Mark carried on performing with Howard until 2018, when Howard retired on health grounds, but Mark continued, and still used the Turtles name. The pair were also for a time an integral part of Frank Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention. He earned degrees in arts and music in his forties, and went on to teach music, having been prompted by his daughter’s academic success. In December 1968, NME magazine reported that Mark had insured his distinctive frizzy hair for US$100,000 against fire, theft or loss due to illness. The guy had style!

Now for some music. I’m playing you three of their big hit songs from 1967 and 1968, in chronological order. This is the first:

Happy Together was the title track of the band’s third album, released in April 1967 and reaching #18 in the UK and #25 in the US. The song had already been released as a single, in January 1967, and was big success: #1 in the US, #2 in Canada and New Zealand, and #12 in the UK. It went 4x Platinum in the US for 4m sales, and Platinum in the UK for 600,000.

Their follow up single was released in April 1967 to coincide with the album:

As the video showed, that was She’d Rather Be With Me. It was another hit for them, getting to #3 in the US and #4 in the UK. It topped the charts in Canada and South Africa, and was a top ten hit in many other countries. You may have noticed a similarity in the appearance of these two songs: both were recorded on the Ed Sullivan Show on 14 May 1967 – I assume the psychedelic intro screen was Ed or his producer trying to be ‘groovy.’

My final song for today comes from 1968:

Elenore was released as a single in September 1968 ahead of its inclusion on the album The Turtles Present The Battle Of The Bands that November. The single was another hit, reaching #6 in the US and #7 in the UK. The album was a concept album, with the band playing songs in a variety of styles, but it didn’t do that well in the charts, only getting to #128 in the US and #40 in Canada. I bought the album and thought it was great, with tracks like Chicken Little Was Right and Kamanawanalea, an ode to a fictitious Hawaiian ‘god of lust and perversion’ – say it out loud!

Mark was a happy go lucky type and always shared that in his music. He is another I’m sad to see leave us: R.I.P. Mark.

See you again for Song Lyric Sunday, I trust? 🎶

 

54 thoughts on “R.I.P. Rick And Mark”

  1. Pingback: September Fields | Take It Easy

  3. Pingback: Pete Springer | PRIORHOUSE INTERVIEW Sepember 21st, 2025 – priorhouse blog

  5. I played the Breakfast in America album repeatedly until there were scratches all over the record. They were different from all other groups at the time with such a distinctive sound. I remember all of the Turtles’ songs, but that was a little bit before I was all-in with music.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  6. Good songs, great tribute. It feels like someone else from the 60s/70s is going as we speak.Some were great, some so-so but they all held our ear, even if only for a short while. For every Elvis there was an Edward Bear.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  9. Hi Clive, I enjoyed your tribute post and forgot how much I really liked the song Bloody Well Right – 🎶🎶 and I like Supertramp’s music in general
    Happy Together is the only song I think I know from The Turtles –

    seems both had lived rich and full lives

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  10. Great songs as always. Eleanore is a song that, to me, always sounds like early Roy Wood – possibly The Move, but maybe that’s just me. Supertramp were/are one of my very favourite bands and my eldest daughter (Rosie) was named after a very sad character in one of their songs – it’s not too difficult to work out which one!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  13. I have a lot of respect for both…I grew up with Supertramp real time and like most Americans loved Breakfast in America…I was in 6th grade when that came out…but I discovered the Turtles from an old Eleanor single…I loved Flo and Eddie as well and their music. Mark seemed like a great guy… he taught music business at Belmont in Nashville. The Turtles contract woes taught him a lot. Wonderful post Clive!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  14. Every one of these songs I remember and like a lot. I didn’t remember the name of Supertramp, but I sure recognized the songs. The Turtles will always be a favorite. sad news of the passing of these talented artists.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  18. Great artists all, and timeless music. I always remember this line from “Elenore”: “Elenore gee I think you’re swell, and you really do me well, you’re my pride and joy, etcetera…” Witty! I own two Flo & Eddie albums and still have them from childhood!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  20. One thing both of these bands had in common was the ability to write great catchy melodies and choruses. Supertramp hold the greater gravitas as a ‘serious’ band, but it’s still a great skill.

    Sad news for both artists, thanks for highlighting Mark Volman who I wasn’t aware of. Supertramp’s Breakfast in America represents a time when going to the US became more accessible, and incredibly exciting.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • That ability was at the root of their success, wasn’t it. Supertramp did far better when they toned down the prog rock elements. They moved to the States in 1977 and that was the first album they recorded there.

      Happy to have drawn Mark to your notice. He always seemed to be having fun 😊

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • Yes I noticed how much he seemed to be enjoying himself, must have been why he carried it on so long I guess.

        I guess, a little like Genesis, the decision to go a little more commercial for Supertramp was a conscious thing, and it worked really well.

        Liked by 1 person

Please leave a reply, I'd like to know what you think