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Real McCoy

From: Dublin

Active: 1968-72

Lineup:

Bio:

Formed in August 1968 with guitarist Liam McKenna, ex Creatures and singer Mike O'Brien ex Gnumps and Good Tymes. Drummer Dave Pennefeather had a long perigree including The Inmates, the Earl Gill Showband and the Semitones.

The Real McCoy were a pop showband, the rare case of a band who managed to straddle the pop group/showband divide reasonably well, successfully incorporating beat influences into the showband format. Their recordings were almost all covers and yet their recordings were vibrant modern pop music. As such, they were in fact a bubblegum group.



During 1968-69 they recorded some excellent bubblegum pop-sike covers which were released as singles. The arrangements on these singles are invariably strong with driving rhythms, good fuzz guitar moments and catchy vocals. Many are better than the original versions.

The cover of The Equals "I Get So Excited" for example is fantastic, with heavy use of phasing and a really driving performance.

Kasenetz-Katz's "Quick Joey Small" is a bubblegum classic that's been covered many times and the Real McCoy turn in a superior version with again some fantastic guitar. The B-side, a version of Lennon/McCartney's "I Will" is given a northern soul-ish workout.

Psych legends The Fire's version of "Round The Gum Tree" flopped when it was released as a single. The Real McCoy added more psych guitar effects and a key change to their longer and marginally better version.

All 10 tracks from the first five singles appear on the band's debut LP which is well worth tracking down. The were two more singles which were non-LP. The second of these, "I'll Give You Things" came out on CBS instead of Pye in the UK despite being a Target release in Ireland (does anyone know why?). It's described as a "nice minor-key organ psych pop with a superb arrangement and harmonies, that only loses half a point out of 10 for the somewhat MOR lead vocals... a bit 'Bachelors' methinks! The flip is a much rockier brew, with several pinches of brass and a soupcon of fuzz guitar." This flip is by Kevin McAlea; the A-side is by Neil Levenson, whose songs had been heavily covered by Liam McKenna's earlier band The Creatures of course. This was the band's last single.

In late 1971 or early 1972 Mike O'Brien left to form the Brown & O'Brien Band with Billy Brown of The Freshmen. The rest of the band ended up backing Tina who'd previously fronted The Mexicans (1964-68) and Jim Farley's Band (1968). Tina & The Real McCoy recorded an LP with a ghastly front cover consisting of bland country-tinged covers done showband style ("The Banks Of The Ohio", "Put Your Hand In The Hand" and other excreta) before disbanding in 1973 -- in part as the result of a road accident on the way home after a gig -- an ignoble end to a great pop band, despite the #1 single! Tina spent several weeks in hospital but recovered, of course, and continued to score hits in Ireland both solo and with the Nevada, during the bad old days of the Bad Music Era.

Where are they now? Eddie Campbell RIP; Kevin McAlea worked with Kate Bush; Keith Donald later played with many many artists including Moving Hearts and had some official Arts Council post; Dave Coady was later with Brendan Bowyer's Big 8; and Dave Pennyfeather went into the business side of the music biz.


   


Discography:

• I Get So Excited / Somebody's Taken Maria Away
7" - Target Records - 7N 17618 - IRL 1968
7" - Pye Records - 7N 17618 - UK - 20 September 1968
Spent 8 weeks in the Irish charts, peaking at #10 in October 1968.





• Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run) / Happiness Is Love
7" - Target Records - 7N17669 - IRL 12/1968
7" - Pye Records - 7N17669 - UK 1968
7" - Pye Records - 69407 - Turkey 1968
Spent 13 weeks in the Irish charts, spending 2 weeks at #1 in January 1969.


   


• Round The Gum Tree (Berry) / I Will (Lennon/McCartney)
7" - Target Records - 7N 17704 - IRL 1969
7" - Pye Records - 7N 17704 - UK 1969
7" - Pye Records - 69402 - Turkey 1969 - PS
Spent 6 weeks in the Irish charts, peaking at #9 in March 1969.


   


• Gitarzan / Any Time You Need Me
7" - Target Records - 7N 17772 - IRL 1969
7" - Pye Records - 7N 17772 - UK 1969
7" - Pye Records (Serie Fashion) - PV 16324 - France 1969? - PS





• Many The Memories / She's Different She's Beautiful
7" - Target Records - 7N 17850 - IRL - 21 Nov 1969
7" - Pye Records - 7N 17850 - UK - 21 Nov 1969
Spent 9 weeks in the Irish charts, peaking at #4 in December 1969.
Dave Coady lead vocal.





• This Is The Real McCoy
LP - Marble Arch Records - MAL 1251 - UK 1970 - flipback
LP - Target Records - 1251 - IRL 1970
LP - Bullseye Records - BLP 1251 - 19??
Collects both sides of the first 5 singles
. The Irish release consists of the UK disc housed in a Target sleeve


   


• Near And Far / So Long
7" - Target Records - 7N 17972 - IRL 1970


• I'll Give You Things / Baby, Go Home
7" - Target Records - 7N 17992 - IRL 1970
7" - CBS Records - 7065 - UK 12.3.1971


Tina & The Real McCoy

• I Don't Know How To Love Him / Rip It Up
7" - Ruby Records - RUB.142 - IRL - 1971
The A-side is credited to The Real McCoy featuring Tina.
Spent 8 weeks in the Irish charts, peaking at #1 on 9 December 1971.


• Tell Me What's The Matter / It's Really Over
7" - Play Records - PLAY 26 - IRL - 1972
Reached #15 in the Irish charts in July 1972.


• I Don't Know How To Love Him
LP - Heritage Records - HSLP 002 - IRL - 1972


• When Morning Has Come / It's Really Over
7" - Polydor Records - 2078-027 - IRL - 1973
Credited as a Tina solo release.
Reached #20 in the Irish charts in May 1973.


Compilations:

• various artists - Round The Gum Tree - The British Bubblegum Explosion!
CD - Sanctuary/Castle - CMRCD904 - UK 2004
tracks: Round The Gum Tree / I Get So Excited / Quick Joey Small






See also: The Creatures, The Inmates


Help!: We need your help to complete this entry. If you can tell us more about this band then please do! We welcome any corrections, missing details, connections to other bands, where are they now, etc. We also need photos, scans, copies of releases or live or demo recordings, and any other memorabilia gathering dust in the attic.



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