A recent release from Cherry Red's RPM Records imprint opens with a bold statement in its liner notes: "In 1968, only The Beatles sold more records in Britain than The Love Affair" - surprising but true!  Today, the band is best-known for its hit "Everlasting Love," a U.K. Number One that still is in rotation on oldies radio.  But in the brief period between January 1968 and July 1969, The Love Affair scored five U.K. Top 20 hits.  The Love Affair and Steve Ellis' Time Hasn't Changed Us: The Complete CBS Recordings 1967-1971 encompasses not just that halcyon hitmaking period, but the years directly before and after.  The 3-CD set provides a definitive overview of the group's CBS years.

Vocalist Steve Ellis, drummer Maurice "Mo" Bacon, guitarist Rex Brayley, bassist Mick Jackson and keyboardist Morgan Fisher created the classic Love Affair line-up (though a sabbatical from Fisher led to a revolving door of keyboardists).  Playing on bills with artists like Long John Baldry, The Marmalade and The Iveys (later Badfinger), the group attracted the attention of Decca Records' marketing director John Cokell.  He thought so highly of The Love Affair (originally The Soul Survivors, reflecting their mod/R&B influences) that he eventually left Decca to manage their daily affairs.  Cokell nabbed the band a Decca contract, and producer Mike Vernon oversaw the group's debut single: a cover of The Rolling Stones' Between the Buttons track, "She Smiled Sweetly."  Though the single stiffed, The Love Affair was in luck.

Muff Winwood, brother of Steve (with whom Steve Ellis shared vocal similarities), arranged to bring the band to CBS Records.  When Cokell brought Robert Knight's hit "Everlasting Love" (penned by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden) to Muff, he immediately recorded it with The Love Affair.  But the sound still wasn't right.  Enter CBS producer Mike Smith and arranger Keith Mansfield.  Backing Steve Ellis with the cream of London's studio crop, Smith and Mansfield recut "Everlasting Love."  The December 1967 release entered the charts in January 1968 at No. 36; following a publicity onslaught from CBS, it made it to pole position on February 3.

The Love Affair followed up the hit single with another cover of a song popularized by Robert Knight, "Rainbow Valley," and then tapped songwriter Phillip Goodhand-Tait for subsequent A-sides such as "A Day Without Love," "One Road" and "Bringing On Back the Good Times."  The Affair's debut album, The Everlasting Love Affair, featured the hits alongside original band compositions and covers of songs like Cat Stevens' "The First Cut is the Deepest," Joe South's "Hush" and Mike d'Abo's "Handbags and Gladrags."  (The band members were allowed to play on the album tracks and B-sides though studio musicians were called upon for the A-sides.)

Successful package tours with artists like Herman's Hermits, Amen Corner, The Tremeloes and Scott Walker kept The Love Affair's profile high, but the band members were dogged by their identification as pure pop rather than rock.  In December 1969, amidst frustration with the way management was handling the finances, Steve Ellis announced his departure from the group.  The remaining members and new lead singer Gus Eadon pressed on, redubbing themselves as "L.A." and recording the second album included on this set, 1970's New Day.  The album couldn't ignite strong sales, however, and CBS dropped the band less than a year after Ellis' departure.  The Love Affair moved to Parlophone in 1971 and then to Pye in 1973 before disbanding altogether; a 1977 single arrived reuniting the remaining band members with Phillip Goodhand-Tait on the Creole label.

Despite dropping The Love Affair, CBS stuck with Steve Ellis.  The third disc of Time Hasn't Changed Us collects his recordings for the label made in 1970 and 1971 with Keith Mansfield.  The eclectic selections include Jimmy Webb's "Evie" (also recorded by Johnny Mathis), Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil's "Take Your Love" (a 1966 single for Bobby Goldsboro), Neil Diamond's "Holly Holy," Elton John and Bernie Taupin's "Take Me to the Pilot," Randy Newman's "Have You Seen My Baby" and Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway's "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart."  Following the period covered on this compilation, the singer moved over to CBS-affiliated Epic with the band simply called Ellis, and then formed an even harder-rocking group, Widowmaker, on the Jet label.

Time Hasn't Changed Us is housed in a slipcase, with each disc in an individual paper sleeve.  A 16-page booklet features new liner notes by John Reed chronicling the band's history.  Simon Murphy at Another Planet Music has remastered all three discs.  This complete anthology of The Love Affair's CBS years is available now at the links below from Cherry Red's RPM Records label!

The Love Affair and Steve Ellis, Time Hasn't Changed Us: The Complete CBS Recordings 1967-1971 (RPM RPMBXM 526, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

CD 1 (Tracks 7-18 from The Everlasting Love Affair, CBS S 63416, 1968)

1. Everlasting Love (CBS single 3125, 1967)
2. Gone Are the Songs of Yesterday (CBS single 3125, 1967)
3. Rainbow Valley (CBS single 3366, 1968)
4. Someone Like Me (CBS single 3366, 1968)
5. A Day Without Love (CBS single 3674, 1968)
6. I'm Happy (CBS single 3674, 1968)
7. Hush
8. 60 Minutes (Of Your Love)
9. Could I Be Dreaming
10. The First Cut is the Deepest
11. So Sorry
12. Once Upon a Season
13. Tobacco Road
14. The Tree
15. Handbags and Gladrags
16. Build on Love
17. (Don't Go) Please Stay
18. Tale of Two Bitters
19. One Road (CBS single 3994, 1969)
20. Let Me Know (CBS single 3994, 1969)
21. Bringing on Back the Good Times (CBS single 4300, 1969)
22. Another Day (CBS single 4300, 1969)
23. Io Senza Te (Rainbow Valley) (previously issued on An Affair to Remember, Talking Elephant Records, 2013)

CD 2 (Tracks 12-20 from New Day, CBS S 64109, 1970)

1. Baby I Know (CBS single 4631, 1969)
2. Accept Me for What I Am (CBS single 4631, 1969)
3. Time Hasn't Changed Us (previously issued on An Affair to Remember, Talking Elephant Records, 2013)
4. Un Giorno Senza Amore (A Day Without Love) (previously issued on An Affair to Remember, Talking Elephant Records, 2013)
5. All Along the Watchtower (Colour Me Pop - August 2, 1969)
6. A Day in the Life (Colour Me Pop - August 2, 1969)
7. Walk on Gilded Splinters (BBC Session, L.T., November 10, 1969)
8. Lincoln County (CBS single 4780, 1970)
9. Sea of Tranquility (CBS single 4780, 1970)
10. Speak of Peace, Sing of Joy (CBS single 5017, 1970)
11. Bring My Whole World Tumbling Down (CBS single 5017, 1970)
12. New Day
13. Walking Down the Road
14. Gee's Whizz
15. Gypsy
16. Goodbye Brother, Farewell Friend
17. Hurt by Love
18. Bad Girl
19. Nine to Five
20. Thank You Bean

CD 3 - all tracks performed by Steve Ellis (Tracks 9-24 from Rollin' with the '69 Crew: The Lost Masters, Talking Elephant Records, 2013)

1. Loot (from the film Loot) (CBS single 4992, 1970)
2. More More More (from the film Loot) (CBS single 4992, 1970)
3. Evie (CBS single S 5199, 1970)
4. Fat Crow (CBS single S 5199, 1970)
5. Take Your Love (CBS single S 7037, 1971)
6. Jingle Jangle Jasmine (CBS single S 7037, 1971)
7. Have You Seen My Baby (Hold On) (CBS single S 7411, 1971)
8. Goody Goody Dancing Shoes (CBS single S 7411, 1971)
9. Good Time Livin'
10. Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart
11. It's a Man's Man's Man's World
12. Bread and Wine
13. Lean on Me
14. Rainy Night in Georgia
15. Holly Holy
16. Charley Patton Rides the Delta
17. I Don't Know Why
18. Gimme Shelter
19. Pisces Apple Lady
20. Way Up on a Hill
21. I Got a Feelin'
22. Can't Stop Worryin', Can't Stop Lovin'
23. Take Me to the Pilot
24. Sympathy