The Mindbenders – THE MINDBENDERS***

The Way You Do The Things You Do/Just A Little Bit/Seventh Son/One Fine Day/Tricky Dicky/A Groovy Kind Of Love/Little Nightingale/Don’t Cry No More/You Don’t Know About Love/Love Is Good/Rockin’ Jaybee/All Night Worker

After splitting with vocalist Wayne Fontana, The Mindbenders achieved an international smash hit with A Groovy Kind Of Love, a No. 2 single in both the US and UK. (UK:28)

"The Mindbenders were guitarist Eric Stewart, bassist Bob Lang and drummer Ric Rothwell, and as this album shows they were all very accomplished musicians. Like many bands of the sixties who started with pop and beat, they tried their hand at R & B standards, which would be the main reason for purchasing this LP."

"If you like R & B and beat music then give this album a go. There are some excellent tracks on it - once you get past Groovy Kind Of Love then you start getting into the real Mindbenders - my favourite tracks being The Seventh Son and Love Is Good."

"The group's choice of songs is pretty reflective of the period, with many beat group standards, including older US pop hits, plus rhythm and blues padding out the other half of originals, many of which were mostly pretty forgettable and never destined to be hits."

"This album is best looked at as the apprenticeship period of Eric Stewart, before he went on to later fame with 10cc, so is more an artefact rather than essential."

"After the departure of Wayne Fontana, his three-strong backing band promoted guitarist Eric Stewart to the role of front man with impressive results. Stewart didn't have quite as much charisma but he was just as able a singer. Sadly, despite one huge hit, the band waved the white flag after two albums. Like many beat groups, by 1967 they were weeded out by the demand for artists to create their own material and adapt to a more sophisticated approach to recording."

"It reveals a band who were followers rather than leaders, but whose music combines fun with quality. It rather disappointingly begins with a series of songs already well known by other artists, such as One Fine Day. The upside is that the band perform them with a healthy mix of professionalism and enthusiasm."