Representative Albums: "Hullaballoos/On Hullabaloo", "England's Newest Singing Sensations/On Hullabaloo", "I'm Gonna Love You Too
Representative Songs: "I'm Gonna Love You Too", "Did You Ever", "Every Night
Biography
So named because they hailed from Hull, England, the Hullaballoos were arguably the most exploitative act of the first wave of the British Invasion. With their wig-like helmets of bleach-blond hair that vied with the Pretty Things and the Stones in length, they had an immediately striking visual presence. Musically it was another matter, for the Hullaballoos were actually not even stars in their homeland, but packaged for U.S. consumption by Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, notorious vice presidents and A&R directors of Roulette Records. Most of their music was written by hack Brill Building songwriters, who were apparently intent on making the band sound as much like Buddy Holly as possible. Indeed, one of their small U.S. hits was a cover of Holly's "I'm Gonna Love You Too" (the other, "Did You Ever," was Holly-esque down to the hiccuping vocal). New York hacks may have devised their Buddy Holly-cum-Merseybeat sound -- dominated by driving simple guitar chords and drums -- in a superficial manner, but it's catchy and considerably forceful. The Hullaballoos faded almost immediately after a tiny splash in 1965, but that was probably built into the plan from the beginning. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
They were more popular in the United States than their homeland, and had a minor hit with a cover of Buddy Holly's, "I'm Gonna Love You Too". They were packaged for U.S. consumption by Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, vice presidents and A&R directors of Roulette Records. Signed to Roulette in the U.S., their UKrecords appeared on the Columbialabel.[3] Most of The Hullabaloos music was written by hack Brill Buildingsongwriters.[1] They made numerous television appearances, most notably the Hullabaloo show.[3] With their long hair (for the time) dyed blonde, they commanded a striking appearance and, besides singing, they all played their own musical instruments.[1] They recorded two albums; England's Newest Singing Sensations and On Hullabaloo (both 1965).[4] Both albums are now available on a single CD.
Their music was reminiscent of Buddy Holly[1] but despite their best efforts, internal strife and the management problems killed off the band. Knight left first and was replaced for a short time by Mick Wayne (born Michael Wayne, 1945, Kingston upon Hull — 26 June 1994) but they soon broke up completely in 1966.[1]
