"Let's Live for Today," a top ten U.S. hit in the Summer of Love, will forever be associated with The Grass Roots. But not one, but two, U.K.-based groups also staked a claim to the song. Now, Cherry Red's Grapefruit arm is chronicling the discography of one of those groups, Living Daylights. The single-CD anthology Let's Live for Today: The Complete Recordings is due this Friday, August 12.
Living Daylights - a.k.a. brothers Garth and Norman Watt-Roy on guitar and bass, respectively, plus Bob O'Neale on vocals, Doug Ellis on rhythm guitar, and Ron Prudence on drums - came together in the British beat boom, formed (like so many other groups of the day) from the ashes of other bands, in this case The Guyatones and The Naturals. Hailing from Harlow, about 20 miles northeast of London, Living Daylights came to the attention of impresario Dick James who signed them and hooked them up with a team including Dennis Berger and Dick's son Stephen as producers, and musician/songwriter Caleb Quaye.
The new anthology opens with "Let's Live for Today," a 1966 song written and introduced by The Rokes, a U.K. group that had been recording in Italy, as "Piangi con Me." English-language writers quickly sensed the tune's potential. Dutch band The Skopes adapted the melody into English as "Be Mine Again," scoring a top 40 hit in the Netherlands. The Rokes went ahead with a different adaptation, "Passing Through Grey," but Dick James - who had acquired the publishing rights - still didn't think it hit the mark. He enlisted lyricist Michael Julien (Lulu's "Boom Bang-a-Bang," Shirley Bassey's "Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me") who crafted "Let's Live for Today." With Bob O'Neale on lead, Living Daylights' version was issued in April 1967. Not to be outdone, The Rokes quickly recorded the melody for the third time, now with the newest lyric, and issued their single on the same day as Living Daylights' 45. Neither group likely knew that, in America, Dunhill Records had poached "Let's Live for Today" for the label's Grass Roots. Though Buddah Records went ahead and issued the Living Daylights' take as a single in the U.S., The Grass Roots' momentum couldn't be stopped. The Living Daylights had to settle for some regional success in America, including top ten status on the New York market's WOR-FM. Their rendition is more raw and less polished than the Grass Roots', though filled with a youthful garage energy.
Despite the unfortunate turn of events, Dick James (who profited from the Grass Roots' recording, natch) encouraged the band to record a full album. Garth Watt-Roy, who wrote the "Let's Live for Today" B-side "It's Real," penned a new clutch of original songs including the timely "I'm So High," urgent "Always with Him," and a jaunty ode to "Jane." The track listing was rounded out by a couple of Beatles covers ("Getting Better," "I'll Be Back"), Caleb Quaye's attractively moody ballad "Cos I'm Lonely," and Denny Laine's "Say You Don't Mind."
But while a handful of the songs trickled out (as well as a non-LP single, "Baila Maria" from the pen of U.S. songwriter Tash Howard), Dick James shelved the album. In early 1968, Living Daylights split. The brothers Watt-Roy wished to explore new musical avenues including blues and soul. Before long, Bob O'Neale (and possibly Doug Ellis) had reformed their old band The Naturals and re-recorded "Cos I'm Lonely" as Elliots Sunshine. The brothers and Ron Prudence joined a new outfit called The Greatest Show on Earth and released two albums on EMI's progressive-minded Harvest imprint in 1970 before breaking up and moving onto other bands.
Let's Live for Today features Living Daylights' vaulted album in both mono and stereo (with the title track and "It's Real" absent from the stereo program) as well as "Baila Maria" and U.S. and Japanese single versions of "Let's Live for Today," the latter in electronically rechanneled stereo. The 24-page color booklet within the four-panel digipak is filled with memorabilia as well as compilation producer David Wells' comprehensive history of the band featuring new remembrances from Garth and Norman Watt-Roy. Simon Murphy has remastered the audio
This psych-pop gem, redolent at various points of The Beatles, The Who, The Hollies, and The Kinks, is an enjoyable discovery for longtime fans of the genre. It's due this Friday, August 12, from Cherry Red/Grapefruit and can be pre-ordered at the links below.
Living Daylights, Let's Live for Today: The Complete Recordings (Cherry Red/Grapefruit CRSEG 116, 2022) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Mono Album
- Let's Live for Today (Philips single BF 1561, 1967)
- It's Real (a.k.a. I'm Real) (Philips single BF 1561, 1967)
- Cos I'm Lonely (Fontana (France) EP 460.234 ME, 1967)
- Up So High (*)
- Say You Don't Mind (*)
- Jane (Fontana (France) EP 460.234 ME, 1967)
- What'cha Gonna Do About It (*)
- Getting Better (*)
- I'll Be Back (*)
- If I Had My Way (*)
- Always with Him (Philips single BF 1613, 1967)
Singles
- Baila Maria (Philips single BF 1613, 1967)
- Let's Live for Today (U.S. Single Edit) (Buddah single BDA-2, 1967)
Stereo Album
- Cos I'm Lonely (*)
- Up So High (*)
- Say You Don't Mind (*)
- Jane (*)
- What'cha Gonna Do About It (*)
- Getting Better (*)
- I'll Be Back (*)
- If I Had My Way (*)
- Always with Him (*)
Bonus Track
- Let's Live for Today (Japanese Single Version) (Philips (Japan) single SFL-1127, 1967)
bob says
Great song (Let's Live...) but a majority of its melody was copped from "I Count the Tears" by the Drifters.