"The Loved One" is a song by Australian R&B/rock band The Loved Ones and was released in May 1966 as the debut single ahead of their extended play, The Loved Ones (also known as the Blueberry Hill EP), which appeared in December. The song also featured on their debut long play album, Magic Box, in October 1967. "The Loved One" reached No. 2 on the Australian Top 40 singles charts in 1966.[1][2]
Background
The Loved Ones were formed in Melbourne in 1965 by Gerry Humphrys, Ian Clyne and Kim Lynch.[3] They had previously been members of a youthful trad jazz band, The Red Onion Jazz Band, in which Humphrys and Lynch had played clarinet and tuba respectively.[4] They recruited drummer Gavin Anderson and ex–Wild Cherries guitarist Rob Lovett.[5] The band were renowned as an exciting, if erratic, live act in a Stones–Animals mould and quickly rose to prominence in the local club and dance scene.[2]
The group's visual impact was heightened by their striking mod stage attire, and the band had a strong focal point thanks to the charismatic stage presence, saturnine good looks and growling, blues-influenced baritone voice of Humphrys, who is widely acknowledged as one of Australia's finest male pop-rock vocalists.[citation needed] The Loved Ones were one of the first Australian rock bands to use electric piano as part of their regular stage setup, and their distinctive keyboard-based sound set them apart from most of their contemporaries.[citation needed]
They signed to the In Records label (a subsidiary of W&G Records) early in 1966. They shot to national prominence, scoring a major Australian hit with "The Loved One", which reached No. 2 on the Australian Top 40 singles charts in May.[1] "Ever Lovin' Man", was issued in July and reached No. 9.[1] A reworking of Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill" appeared on their first extended play, Blueberry Hill, in December—together with the two previous singles. "Sad Dark Eyes" followed in January 1967. Each release captured an emotional intensity and musical inventiveness which marked them out from their peers.
They released an album in 1967 titled Magic Box, a collection of their singles. The Loved Ones split later that year in October, just two years after they were formed. Magic Box is considered a classic recording and to this day in Australia it enjoys cult status and has reportedly never been out-of-print since it was released.[citation needed]
"The Loved One" was recorded twice by INXS. The original studio version was issued as a stand-alone single in March 1981, in Australia only. It reached No. 20 on the national charts, and was later featured on their 1982 compilation album Inxsive.
The band re-recorded the track (in a substantially different arrangement) for their 1987 international hit album Kick. INXS also frequently performed the song live, and one such version is featured on their 1991 live video, Live Baby Live.
^ abMcFarlane "'The Loved Ones' entry". Archived from the original on 27 June 2004. Retrieved 27 June 2004.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Retrieved 16 March 2010.
^Spencer et al, (2007) 'Loved Ones, The' entry. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
^Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Turramurra, NSW: Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd. ISBN0-646-44439-5. Note: Chart positions back calculated by Kent in 2005.