Love and Money

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Love and Money was a rock/soul/funk band formed in 1985 in Glasgow, Scotland. The band consisted of three former members of the band Friends Again (band) (singer-songwriter and guitarist James Grant, drummer Stuart Kerr and keyboardist Paul McGeechan) along with bassist Bobby Paterson, who replaced Friends Again's Neil Cunningham and who had been a member of Set The Tone, a band previously signed to Island Records in 1983.

In their nine years together they recorded four moderately successful albums, three of which were released in the United States, and had six chart hits in the United Kingdom.

Debut album

Signing to Phonogram's Mercury Records in the United Kingdom, they recorded "Candybar Express" with production from Duran Duran's Andy Taylor, and this recording became their first hit receiving considerable airplay in the U.S. and reaching number 56 in the UK Singles Chart in the spring of 1986.^[1] Shortly afterwards they released their debut album, All You Need is Love and Money produced by Tom Dowd but this failed to chart. Follow up singles "Dear John" and "River Of People" were released to modest success. In September 1986, the group played an Artists Against Apartheid concert at Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, alongside acts such as The Big Dish and Lloyd Cole. The band also had a high profile support slot with U2 at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh.

Strange Kind of Love

The 1988 follow-up album Strange Kind of Love (which featured Toto's Jeff Porcaro on drums following the departure of Kerr) was overseen by Steely Dan producer Gary Katz and featured the minor hit "Halleluiah Man" which helped to establish a sizeable following for the band. The more restrained production and the band's refined and tight funk sound made the album almost unrecognisable from their earliest work. Further singles "Strange Kind of Love" and "Jocelyn Square" charted, although they did not break into the Top 40.

The band toured extensively to promote Strange Kind Of Love, including support slots with Tina Turner, Simply Red and BB King. Part of the band's performance at the Eden Court Theatre in Inverness was filmed for BBC Scotland's "Sounds of Eden" programme. A half hour set from the band also featured on the "Night Network" television show and they performed the "Strange Kind Of Love" single on Wogan.

The Mother's Boy and Dogs In The Traffic

The band, now supplemented by permanent drummer Gordon Wilson and rhythm guitarist Douglas MacIntyre, returned to the studio to record the follow-up, to be entitled "The Mother's Boy", but the songs met disapproval from Phonogram. The release was scrapped and the band returned to the studio. Several of the tracks including proposed album opener "Hubcap to Blue Town" would reappear as b-sides to the singles from the eventual follow-up Dogs in the Traffic.

Dogs in the Traffic is considered by many to be Love and Money's greatest achievement and was included in the All Time Top 100 Scottish Pop and Rock albums in The Scotsman newspaper (at number 30). The album reflected Grant's growing maturity as a writer and the stripped-down arrangements allowed greater emphasis on his lyrics and melodies. The band gave a pre-release performance of the album at City Halls in Candleriggs, Glasgow which included an encore featuring Tom Waits' "Clap Hands" and Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere". Three further singles were released, "Winter", "My Love Lives In A Dead House", and the "Wishing Waters" EP on which live favourite "Looking For Angeline" was lead track.

Littledeath

Love and Money's fourth and final album, Littledeath (1993) was released independently on Iona Gold records and featured what would be the band's last single, "Last Ship on the River". Due primarily to lack of promotion, "Littledeath" sold 25,000, one tenth of the sales for "Strange Kind of Love" and the group were subsequently released from Mercury. Bassist Bobby Paterson split from the band to form a career in bar management and did not feature on this album, Grant himself taking on bass duties. The remainder of the band went their separate ways in 1994, although they did regroup for one final gig at Barrowlands, on 23 December 1994 entitled "Love and Money: RIP" where older hits "River of People", "Halleluiah Man" and "Candybar Express" were dusted off, alongside newer material "Pray For Love", "Johnny's Not Here", and "Pappa Death" and a cover of Bowie's "Ziggy".

Bobby Paterson 1956 - 2006

Robert Armstrong Paterson was born in 1956 in Carntyne, Glasgow. In the 1970s he recorded with Sandy McClelland and the Backline; in the 1980s with Set The Tone, who released a number of singles and an album on Island Records. The singles "Rap Your Love" and "Dance Sucker" were club hits at the time, with the latter remixed by Francois Kevorkian.

Following involvement in the original incarnation of Primal Scream, he became a member of Love and Money, where he remained for nine years.

Leaving Love and Money before their last album 'Littledeath' was released, he moved into bar and club management in Glasgow, overlooking Big Beat owned clubs such as Expo and The Tunnel Club before setting up and running the innovative boutique hotel, Saint Jude's.

More recently he formed a new band with Bobby Bluebell from 1980s hitmakers The Bluebells, called the Poems. Their CD is entitled Young America.

He died in Glasgow on the 23 July 2006.

James Grant

James Grant released his first solo album Sawdust in My Veins in 1998 and released four further albums, My Thrawn Glory, I Shot The Albatross, Holy Love, and Strange Flowers. The latter was released in February 2009 and Grant premiered the tracks at the Glasgow ABC venue as part of the 2009 Celtic Connections festival.

Grant also scored the film, The Near Room and has collaborated with Capercaillie's Karen Matheson, performing live and writing songs for her solo records.

[Review of James Grant's solo album Strange Flowers http://www.dailymusicguide.com/Reviews/james-grant-strange-flowers-album-review-06062009-1539.aspx

Albums

All You Need Is..Love and Money (1986)

• "Candybar Express"
• "River of People"
• "Twisted"
• "Pain is a Gun"
• "Love and Money"
• "Dear John"
• "Cheeseburger"
• "You're Beautiful"
• "Temptation Time"

Strange Kind Of Love (1988)

• "Halleluiah Man"
• "Shape of Things To Come"
• "Strange Kind of Love"
• "Axis of Love"
• "Jocelyn Square"
• "Walk The Last Mile"
• "Razorsedge"
• "Inflammable"
• "Up Escalator"
• "Avalanche"
• "Scapegoat"

Dogs In The Traffic (1991)

• "Winter"
• "Johnny's Not Here"
• "My Love Lives In A Dead House"
• "Cheap Pearls"
• "You're Not The Only One"
• "Looking For Angeline"
• "Sometimes I Want To Give Up"
• "Lips Like Ether"
• "Whisky Dream"
• "Pappa Death"

Littledeath (1993)

• "Littledeath" (reprise)
• "Last Ship on the River"
• "I'll Catch You When You Fall"
• "Keep Looking For The Light"
• "Pray For Love"
• "Don't Be Afraid of The Dark"
• "Ugly As Sin"
• "Love Is Like A Wave"
• "Bitches Breach"
• "Kiss of Life"
• "Sweet Black Luger"
• "What Time Is The Last Train"
• "Littledeath"

Cheap Pearls and Whisky Dreams: Best of (1999)

• "Halleluiah Man"
• "Winter"
• "River of People"
• "Who In Their Right Mind"
• "Walk The Last Mile"
• "Last Ship on the River"
• "My Love Lives in a Dead House"
• "Looking For Angeline"
• "Strange Kind of Love"
• "Jocelyn Square"
• "You're Beautiful"
• "Up Escalator"
• "Wanderlust II"
• "Sometimes I Want to Give Up"
• "Pray For Love"
• "Candybar Express"
• "Whisky Dream"

Singles

• "Candybar Express" (1986) UK #56
• "Dear John" (1986)
• "River of People" (1987)
• *Love & Money" (1987) UK #68
• "Halleluiah Man" (1988) UK #63
• "Strange Kind of Love" (1989) UK #45
• "Jocelyn Square" (1989) UK #51
• "Up Escalator (1989)"
• "Winter" (1991) UK #52
• "My Love Lives in a Dead House" (1991)
• "Wishing Waters EP" (1991)
• "Last Ship on the River" (1994)

^[1]

References

External links

• Jocelyn Square Website
• James Grant Website