John Miles - One Minute Every Hour

[Sunnysoul]

This has always been perceived as a northern soul record.

If so, when, where and by whom was it first played?

What (label) was the first issue of the record in the UK?

It was also composed by Aussie pop legends George Young and Harry Vanda of the Easybeats. Does anyone know the background to the song? How did Vanda & Young end up composing a soul styled track for a UK singer in the early 70's?

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

It was issued on Orange, a label that had some sort of a tie-in with the manufacturers of amplifiers etc (I think).

Harry and George also wrote John Miles' previous two singles on Orange, "Hard Road" (great rock tune) and "Yesterday Was Just the Beginning" (more souly). JM was, if memory serves, the only artist on the label, apart from the group that he had been in (name escapes me) before going solo. I think the V?Y connection was just a publishing thing, either that or Miles knew great pop songwriting when he heard it.

Don't know who played it on the Northern scene, though!

[Mark B]

would have thought twisted wheel era as this used to get played at our parish disco and youth clubs circa early 70's

mark

[Pete S]

would have thought twisted wheel era as this used to get played at our parish disco and youth clubs circa early 70's

mark

Don't think it was that early, I think it was released in 72/73 so it would be Torch/Cats, agree it was a monster youth club record though. Must have been deleted quickly because it was actually bootlegged on Orange like a US copy. Just found a scan of the bootleg - 1973 release originally.

[Sean Hampsey]

would have thought twisted wheel era as this used to get played at our parish disco and youth clubs circa early 70's

mark

Think it was a bit later than the Wheel.

I first heard it around 72/73 at The Charade in Rotherham.

DJ Dave Grounds used to always play it side by side with Jimmy James "A Man Like Me".

Always loved the track.

[Pete S]

Think it was a bit later than the Wheel.

I first heard it around 72/73 at The Charade in Rotherham.

DJ Dave Grounds used to always play it side by side with Jimmy James "A Man Like Me".

Always loved the track.

Yes it's very similar to A Man Like Me. There were a lot of those "Biddu" type productions round in the early 70's that got interest, The Playthings was mentioned last week and I heard one of the radio today I haven't heard in decades, Polly Brown - Up in a puff of smoke, that was a good youth club record that the girls all seemed to like. Nice nostalgic little pop tune.

[Mark B]

Think it was a bit later than the Wheel.

I first heard it around 72/73 at The Charade in Rotherham.

DJ Dave Grounds used to always play it side by side with Jimmy James "A Man Like Me".

Always loved the track.

yes you are right but i am old so memory banks are shite it must have been played right away as a new release as i remember it from the 73 most of the normal discos in the 70's played a lot of soul stuff anyway, in 73 iwa 15/16 so still going to youth clubs as well.

mark

[Guest]

Think it was a bit later than the Wheel.

I first heard it around 72/73 at The Charade in Rotherham.

DJ Dave Grounds used to always play it side by side with Jimmy James "A Man Like Me".

Always loved the track.

" OMEH " was released in 1973 on Orange , as to who played it first on the NSS . I have no clue ......

It was hugely popular back then , and despite its' origins , the track never seemed " out of place " when , or wherever , you heard it .....

Malc Burton

Edited January 4, 2008 by Malc Burton

[Mark B]

" OMEH " was released in 1973 ,: as to who played it first on the NSS . I have no clue ......

It was hugely popular back then , and despite its' origins , the track never seemed " out of place " when you heard it .....

Malc Burton

it was in the swiss charts in 1972 according to one site i just looked? so could it have been late 72 early 73.

mark

[Sunnysoul]

John Miles RIP

[Torch56]

Based only on hearsay, apparently 'Yesterday (was just the beginning)' was played at Up The Junction in 1972. It was released in March, so the timing fits.

[Dobber]

RIP 

but you realise you have just escalated the value of (one minute) from 10 quid to 500 quid just by re opening the post  although i must admit ive always liked the tune

[Dave Pinch]

it was issued in august 1973 and is a UK only 45 as far as i know altho there is a US style counterfeit.. probably played from the get go in youth clubs and even northern nighters to warrant the boots

yesterday was just the  beginning is also a decent dancer by him

[Tim Richmond]

One Minute Every Hour was played last Saturday at the 'Seaside Soul' event in Hornsea. Haven't heard it for what must be 45 years!  Enjoyed it.

RIP John Miles.

[Dave Pinch]

On 04/01/2008 at 11:45, Mark B said:

 

 

it was in the swiss charts in 1972 according to one site i just looked? so could it have been late 72 early 73.

 

mark

i know this is a lifetime ago mark but i dont think it came out anywhere else officially back in 1973

[Floyd]

1 hour ago, Dave Pinch said:

i know this is a lifetime ago mark but i dont think it came out anywhere else officially back in 1973

 

was played at the early Yate all nighters, quite a popular sound back then

ATB

Floyd

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Floyd
mistake

[Tomangoes]

A great youth club tune, up their with love on a mountain top and run baby run.

Aside from that John Miles RIP looks to have had a massively successful career.

Ed

[Dave Pinch]

2 hours ago, Tomangoes said:

A great youth club tune, up their with love on a mountain top and run baby run.

Aside from that John Miles RIP looks to have had a massively successful career.

Ed

Ye he certainly had his day in the sun from 1975 to 77.  In the 80s he worked with Alan parsons project and was always popular touring all over the world

[Twoshoes]

There's a demo for sale on ebay at the moment that has a release date of 29/6/73

[Dave Pinch]

3 hours ago, Twoshoes said:

There's a demo for sale on ebay at the moment that has a release date of 29/6/73

so defo not played in 1972 then

[Dobber]

1 hour ago, Dave Pinch said:

so defo not played in 1972 then

I dont know about 1972, but i have a sneaking suspicion were gonna be hearing a lot at niters in 2022

[Dave Pinch]

Just now, Dobber said:

I dont know about 1972, but i have a sneaking suspicion were gonna be hearing a lot at niters in 2022

be smart like me and do not attend niters in 2022

[Goldsoul]

Firstly, JOHN MILES Rest in peace. 
Born John Errington in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear. 
He had 4 singles on Cliff Cooper’s Orange label. 
3 were Club hits from the get go……1. Why Don’t You Love Me.  2. Yesterday(was just the beginning) 3. One Minute Every Hour, by far his most popular ‘up North’ selling more than 10k early through mid 70’s. 
ironically, this isn’t the original. Vanda & Young(Easybeats) wrote it for John Farnham, who released it in Australia. More of a Rock version. 
A 4th single Hard Road is less desirable. 
Moving to Bristol, he signed to Decca and slammed the charts with ‘Music(was my first love) and Highfly. 
 

Really good vocalist and musician. A good body of work from the man. 

[Goldsoul]

In case you haven’t heard the original of ‘One Minute’ Thank heavens for John Miles

 

[Dobber]

5 minutes ago, Goldsoul said:

In case you haven’t heard the original of ‘One Minute’ Thank heavens for John Miles

 

I think this is alright,ive certainly heard worse things in the past and present!

[Bruv]

RIP John Miles 

[Sunnysoul]

9 hours ago, Goldsoul said:

Firstly, JOHN MILES Rest in peace. 
Born John Errington in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear. 
He had 4 singles on Cliff Cooper’s Orange label. 
3 were Club hits from the get go……1. Why Don’t You Love Me.  2. Yesterday(was just the beginning) 3. One Minute Every Hour, by far his most popular ‘up North’ selling more than 10k early through mid 70’s. 
ironically, this isn’t the original. Vanda & Young(Easybeats) wrote it for John Farnham, who released it in Australia. More of a Rock version. 
A 4th single Hard Road is less desirable. 
Moving to Bristol, he signed to Decca and slammed the charts with ‘Music(was my first love) and Highfly. 
 

Really good vocalist and musician. A good body of work from the man. 

Actually Kev,  Farnham's version was released in Australia in 1974 (and only ever released in Australia and New Zealand) which places it after John Miles' release from 1973.

Also Vanda & Young were based in the UK from 1970 to 1973 and were very likely shopping their songs around primarily to artists in the UK and Europe at the time and Miles in fact had already released two singles in the UK previously to "One Minute" which were also Vanda - Young compositions.

John Miles' version of "One Minute" was never released in Australia, so one suspects that once his version became a hit in the UK in 1973, Vanda and Young and the music publisher placed it with an artist like Farnham in order to try to also get a hit with it in Australia and New Zealand.

All of which is to say that John Miles version surely is the original version.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Sunnysoul