The Stylistics At The Torch

[Tony Turner]

I've heard that The Stylistics appeared and were impressive. My knowledge of them is limited to their 70s hits and a couple of early 80s releases. Was anybody in the forum there? What sort of material did they do? I've often wondered.

[Twoshoes]

Can't help you with the Torch but I saw them around the same time in Manchester, they had just had their first hits in the charts , they were very slick, from memory they sang most of the stuff off their album, nothing remotely Northern, remember they were excellent. Saw them again a couple of years later, still vocally excellent but a bit too cabaret I remember thinking as some of their later stuff from the charts was a bit too twee and sugary sweet for me. I think the Torch gig has been mentioned on here before on the favourite live act thread,could be wrong though.

[Davebanks]

Well I was there with my missus and a bunch of us from Merseyside. Must have been 1973. The band where over here to promote their second UK hit Stone in love with you, but it was the b side that was played at the Torch, Point of no return.

We had known of the band from Stop Look and You are everything both non hits here in UK but played at most clubs in the north. They were the sort of band you wooulkd see every week in those days headlining at the local working mens club eg Drifters, Gems, Fantastics etc.

As I recall they did not light up the Torch!! Certainly not in the same league as the Major or Junior Walker. It was also a time when top US soul acts regularily toured the UK, by then we had seen the 4 Tops, Supremes, Temptations, Martha Reeves and Stevie Wonder all the original lineups. So maybe we were hard to impress.

We had also seen many of the fraud groups touring UK in the early 70s eg the Fabulous Impressions the Original Drifters. In fact if we had known that the Original Drifters were in fact the Invitations we would have been well impressed at the time!!!

Dave Banks

[Julianb]

Did they appear in Leeds?

I remember spending an evening in the Dragonara Hotel with Chris Burton and Keith Minshull with a group. Was this the Stylistics or some other group?

I assume Chris was involved in the show/promotion for him to invite me there.

[Kenb]

If you look closely you'll see The Stylistics booked for 28th Oct.

atb

ken