''Beware of the Beautiful Stranger'' is the first commercially released album by British musician
Pete Atkin
Pete Atkin (born 22 August 1945) is a British singer-songwriter and radio producer, notable for his 1970s musical collaborations with Clive James and for producing the BBC Radio 4 series, '' This Sceptred Isle''.
Early life
Born in Cambridge, ...
in collaboration with writer
Clive James
Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.
Production
Atkin and James met while attending Cambridge University as members of the
Footlights
The Cambridge Footlights, commonly referred to simply as Footlights, is a student sketch comedy troupe located in Cambridge, England. Footlights was founded in 1883, and is one of Britain's oldest student sketch comedy troupes. The comedy so ...
. They connected through a mutual love of a broad range of music, from Buddy Holly to Tin Pan Alley. Although Atkin also wrote songs on his own, the two quickly began to collaborate with James writing lyrics and Atkin composing the music. They intended to write songs for other vocalists, inspired by fellow Footlights performers such as
Julie Covington
Julie Covington (born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album '' Evita''.
Early life
Julie Covington was born ...
and Maggie Henderson. After two privately-pressed LPs and in the midst of a television series with a number of Footlights alumni, the songwriters came to the attention of
David Platz
David Platz (January 13, 1929 – May 20, 1994) was a German-born British music publisher and music business executive who established and led Essex Music, one of the major independent music publishing companies of the 1960s and 1970s. He also ...
, who signed them to a publishing deal at Essex Music. Platz introduced them to producer Don Paul, and recording commenced with the intention of demoing the songs to pitch to other performers. Paul gave several of the tracks to his friend, DJ
Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English radio Disc Jockey, DJ and television entertainer, known for his zany comedic style. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the m ...
, who began playing them regularly. Everett was particularly enamored with "Master of the Revels" and "Girl on the Train".
The album was recorded across three sessions in March and April 1970 at Regent Sound Studio A in London. Former
Viscounts
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty.
In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...
member Don Paul served as producer, assisted by engineer
Tom Allom
Thomas James Allom is an English record producer and sound engineer. His best-known work was in the 1970s and 1980s, working with artists such as Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Krokus (band), Krokus, Loverboy, Def Leppard, KIX (band), Kix and Rou ...
.
Russell Davies
Robert Russell Davies (born 5 April 1946) is a British journalist and broadcaster.
Davies was born in Barmouth, North Wales. He attended Manchester Grammar School, according to his own statement on a November 2010 '' Brain of Britain'' programm ...
, a friend from Footlights, played tuba. Don Paul lent Atkin the velvet suit seen on the album cover, sourced from London fashion store Mr. Fish
Numerous songs previously appeared on the privately-pressed ''The Party's Moving On'' album in 1969, sung by Julie Covington and Pete Atkin and corresponding to their television series of the same name: "Girl on the Train," "Sunrise," "Have You Got a Biro I Can Borrow?," "Luck of the Draw," "All I Ever Did," and "You Can't Expect to Be Remembered."
The production of Julie Covington's ''
The Beautiful Changes
''The Beautiful Changes'' is the debut album by British performer Julie Covington, released in 1971 on Columbia Records. All songs were written by the songwriting team of Pete Atkin and Clive James, except for three tracks. Covington's previous rec ...
'' album overlaps with ''Beware of the Beautiful Stranger''; sessions at
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
with Covington took place over 1969-1971. Atkin joined Covington in the studio during many of those sessions, providing arrangements and playing piano and guitar on several tracks. Covington's album shared producer Don Paul, and featured songs such as Atkin's solo composition "The Original Original Honky Tonk Night Train Blues" and the Atkin/James "Tonight Your Love is Over" on a later reissue.
The songs cover a diverse array of subjects and inspirations. A line from
John Keats
John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tub ...
provided the title of "Touch Has a Memory" (Atkin was dissatisfied with the track and it was replaced on the 1973 reissue). Lex Banning provided the title of "Rider to the World's End". On "Luck of the Draw", Atkin and James pay homage to the short, concise songs of
Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart's ...
, a structure they would continue to value over the years. "The Original Original Honky Tonk Night Train Blues", a favorite from Footlights performances, was inspired by "
Honky Tonk Train Blues
"Honky Tonk Train Blues" is a song written by Meade Lux Lewis, and first recorded in 1927. A proto boogie-woogie song, it has many of the traits that would come to be identified with rock and roll. It is also the first recorded use of the term ...
" by
Meade Lux Lewis
Anderson Meade "Lux" Lewis (September 4, 1905 – June 7, 1964) was an American pianist and composer, remembered for his playing in the boogie-woogie style. His best-known work, " Honky Tonk Train Blues", has been recorded by many artists.
Biog ...
. And "You Can't Expect to Be Remembered" echoes the conversational style of rarely-heard verses of American Songbook standards, those of which tended to transition to and from the scenic context of the musical theatre play, in which the songs were often embedded.
The album prompted other covers as well: "Girl on the Train" was recorded by Joe Stead in 1973, while "Master of the Revels" appeared on a
Wizz Jones
Raymond Ronald "Wizz" Jones (25 April 1939 – 27 April 2025) was an English acoustic guitarist, and singer-songwriter. He performed from the late 1950s and recorded from 1965 until 2025. He possessed what was described as "unparalleled virtuo ...
recorded "Touch Has a Memory" in 1987 and 2018. Atkin and Julie Covington performed "The Original Original Honky Tonk Night Train Blues" in the 1977 television film and corresponding album of '' The Mermaid Frolics''. Writer Tom Holt parodied "Rider to the World's End" in the collection ''Bitter Lemmings'' in 1997.
The title track was one of the first songs the duo wrote together, and remains one of Atkin's most performed songs.
Critical reception
The album was critically acclaimed. '' Sounds'', which had just begun publishing a week before, noted that Atkin was likely classified as folk music, for lack of a better category and praised the quality of the music: "One of the most immediately impressive albums of the year". It was recommended by
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
Stephen Fry
Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
cited it as one of his favorite records.{{cite news , last1=Harbinson , first1=Chris , title=Return of the Stranger , work=Belfast Telegraph , date=26 January 1974
Track listing
All songs written by Pete Atkin and Clive James, except "The Original Original Honky Tonk Night Train Blues" and "All I Ever Did" which were written by Pete Atkin.
# "The Master of the Revels"
# "Touch Has a Memory"
# "Be Careful When They Offer You the Moon"
# "Have You Got A Biro I Can Borrow?"
# "Sunrise"
# "Frangipanni Was Her Flower"
# "The Rider to the World's End"
# "The Luck of the Draw"
# "The Original Original Honky Tonk Night Train Blues"
# "Girl on the Train"
# "Tonight Your Love is Over"
# "You Can't Expect to be Remembered"
# "Laughing Boy"
# "Beware of the Beautiful Stranger"
# "All I Ever Did"
Russell Davies
Robert Russell Davies (born 5 April 1946) is a British journalist and broadcaster.
Davies was born in Barmouth, North Wales. He attended Manchester Grammar School, according to his own statement on a November 2010 '' Brain of Britain'' programm ...
- tuba
Technical personnel
*Don Paul - producer
*
Tom Allom
Thomas James Allom is an English record producer and sound engineer. His best-known work was in the 1970s and 1980s, working with artists such as Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Krokus (band), Krokus, Loverboy, Def Leppard, KIX (band), Kix and Rou ...