British Period and "In A Broken Dream"
Arriving in the UK in October 1968 Bentley, Liber and Montgomery (joined by former Levi Smith Clefs' bass player John Helman) played at the Vesuvio club on Tottenham Court Road. In early 1969 they performed at the Arts Lab on Drury Lane for several months where they were spotted by DJ John Peel. In April 1969 Bentley, Liber and Montgomery, joined by Jamie Byrne from The Groove, recorded three tracks in the studio with British singer Rod Stewart.
Stewart was brought in to sing a few songs and one in particular, since Bentley had informed his bandmates that he didn't think his own voice was right for it. Recorded by John Peel, "In a Broken Dream" and several other songs sung by Stewart remained unreleased until 1970 when Miki Dallon re-produced the track for his Youngblood label and released it. The single was not a success on its release but Dallon re-released it in early 1972. The single rose to number three in the UK Singles Chart and #56 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Following the recording of the songs with Stewart the group had continued to make sporadic live appearances and Time Out magazine advertised one show at the Bottleneck Club in the Railway Tavern, Stratford in London's East End on 28 June 1969. After a hiatus, during which the band members explored separate projects in the years from 1970 to 1972. David Bentley, Mick Liber, David Montgomery and Tony Cahill (bass) (who had played drums with The Easybeats) made some recordings in 1972 with English guitarist Gary Boyle. These tracks subsequently appeared on the band's only album (also titled "In A Broken Dream") alongside the earlier Rod Stewart recordings from 1969 resulting in the release of the song and the subsequent charting.
(Montgomery would also go on to briefly play drums for the American band King Harvest. He had been due to meet with Brian Jones on the day of Jones's death to discuss a collaboration.)
The song was popular in Europe and appeared on the soundtrack of films and documentaries (including the art house movie Breaking the Waves) and became the subject of many cover versions.
Rod Stewart included the song on two anthologies of previously recorded work and, in 1996, an English band, Thunder, delivered a high-octane rendering that propelled it into the UK chart for the second time.
In 2004 a cover of the song on Relations recorded by British singer Kathryn Williams.
In 2009, Half A Cow released Sweet Consolation, a 24 track anthology of their work. Meant to be a definitive collection, it does not however, contain "In A Broken Dream" as the producers were unable to obtain the required licences needed to include their most famous song.
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Famous quotes containing the words british, period, broken and/or dream:
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—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
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“I feel that the Godhead is broken up like the bread at the Supper, and that we are the pieces. Hence this infinite fraternity of feeling.”
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—Georges Bernanos (1888–1948)