''The Beautiful Changes'' is the debut album by British performer

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 ...

, released in 1971 on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. All songs were written by the songwriting team of

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, ...

and

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.Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

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 ...

. In 1966, Covington answered a notice board advertisement and auditioned for a Rag Day review organized by Atkin. As James and Atkin began writing songs together, many of their tunes were written with Covington in mind. The three collaborated on the 1967 album ''While the Music Lasts'' and 1969's ''The Party's Moving On'', both private pressings. They also produced two television series: ''The Party's Moving On'' and the longer-formatted ''What Are You Doing After the Show?'', with Cambridge friend

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 ...

, in 1970.

Production

In 1968, Covington recorded a song by Pete Atkin called "Duet" as a demo for EMI (this recording has since been lost and as a result has never been re-released). "Duet" had been popular from their Footlights reviews. On the strength of the track, which proved too long and elaborate to release as a single, EMI agreed to record "The Magic Wasn't There" as a single, and subsequently signed Covington for a full album. Producer Don Paul, familiar with the 1969 Atkin/James/Covington album, attempted to contact her, only to find she had moved and could not be located. He subsequently encountered her at an Oxford Street record shop, where she was working. Paul's friend,

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 ...

also heard the demo of Covington singing and promised to play the single if it was produced. The album was recorded across 11 sessions spanning 1969-71, primarily 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 ...

, supplemented by sessions at

Morgan Studios Morgan Studios (founded as Morgan Sound Studios) was an independent recording studio in Willesden in northwest London. Founded in 1967, the studio was the location for recordings by notable artists and bands such as The Cure, Jethro Tull, the Ki ...

and Spot Studios. Among the sessions were Atkin, Davies, as well as a slew of jazz and rock session luminaries. Recording overlapped with Atkin's first solo album '' Beware of the Beautiful Stranger'', which shared producer Don Paul, as well as production of the two LWT series. Columbia released two singles in 1970, ahead of the full album: "The Magic Wasn't There"/"The Way Things Ought to Be" and "Tonight Your Love is Over"/"If I Had My Time Again". "The Magic Wasn't There" proved to be the first commercial release for Covington as well as for Atkin and James. "The Original Original Honky Tonk Night Train Blues" was an Atkin solo composition. It also appeared on 1970's ''Beware of the Beautiful Stranger'' album. Subsequently, it appeared in the 1977 television film and related album releases of '' The Mermaid Frolics'' where it was performed by Atkin and Covington with the Bowles Brothers Band. "He Just Don't Appeal to Me" by Porter Grainger was selected by Atkin, who first heard it on a record by Ozzie Ware and the Whoopee Makers. "For Instance" was previously performed by Maggie Henderson at a Footlights show. "Don't Bother Me Now" included a 12-string guitar at Covington's suggestion. "My Silks and Fine Array", the other non Atkin/James tune, was a

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

poem set to music by arranger Don Fraser. It was recorded at Morgan Studios with members of the band Blue Mink.

Critical reception and legacy

The singles released by Columbia received significant attention, with favorable notices in the ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'' and others. "The Magic Wasn't There" hovered for several weeks just below the charts, but never broke into a hit. ''The Observer'' called it a "pithy ditty" and reported that if the song charted, the songwriters were set to write a musical for Covington. Such a project, as with the recording's commercial performance, did not emerge. Covington also released the Atkins/James track "Tonight Your Love is Over in 1970; the b-side, "If I Had My Time Again" was included on the album but the a-side was not, until a later re-release. The album received muted press coverage and mixed reviews. ''The Daily Mirror'' dismissed the album, labeling Covington's voice "amateurish," while critic Dave Parry lauded it, along with the album's arrangements. Richard Williams of

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

praised "many moments of great beauty", especially the title track, while criticizing the lush arrangements and uninspired production. He nonetheless encouraged people to purchase the record. Amidst the release of the album, Covington continued working extensively in theatre, landing a part in ''

Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set t ...

''. The success of the show led to a single, released by RCA, of the song "Day by Day', with a B-side of the Atkin/James tune "With Me it Goes Deeper". Though favorably reviewed, it did not chart and was the last studio recording of an Atkin/James song sung by Covington, who did not record another full album until 1978's ''

''. ''The Beautiful Changes'' was re-released as ''The Beautiful Changes...Plus'' on the See for Miles label with two bonus tracks ("The Way Things Ought to Be" and "Tonight Your Love is Over" in 1999, and re-released on

Cherry Tree A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...

in 2012 with remastered sound, a commemorative booklet but without the two bonus tracks.

Track listing

All songs written by Pete Atkin and Clive James, except "He Just Don't Appeal to Me" by Porter Grainger, "The Original Honky Tonk Night Train Blues" by Pete Atkin, and "My Silks and Fine Array" by Don Fraser and William Blake. # "The Magic Wasn't There" # "Ice-Cream Man" # "If I Had My Time Again" # "He Just Don't Appeal to Me" # "Winter Kept Us Warm" # "The Beautiful Changes" # "Queen of Lights" # "For Instance" # "The Standards of Today" # "The Original Honkey Tonk Night Train Blues" # "Don't Bother Me Now" # "Friendly Island Song" # "My Silks and Fine Array"

Credits

Musicians

*Julie Covington - vocals *Pete Atkin - piano, guitar *

- trombone, tuba, vocals *

Alan Hawkshaw William Alan Hawkshaw (27 March 1937 – 16 October 2021) was a British composer and performer, particularly of library music used as themes for films and television programs. Hawkshaw worked extensively for the KPM production music company i ...

- organ * Barry Morgan - drums *

Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After abo ...

- electric guitar *

Herbie Flowers Brian Keith "Herbie" Flowers (19 May 1938 – 5 September 2024) was an English musician specialising in bass guitar, double bass and tuba. He was a member of groups including Blue Mink, T. Rex and Sky and was also a prolific session musician. ...

- bass *

Clem Cattini Clemente Anselmo Agustino Cattini (born 20 August 1937) is an English rock and roll drummer of the late 1950s and 60s, who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician. He is one of the most prolifi ...

- drums *Tony Campo - bass * Lyn Dobson - sitar, flute *Steve Cook - double bass *Mike Travis - drums *Henry MacKenzie - clarinet * Duncan Campbell - trumpet, flugelhorn *Alan Franks - trumpet *Brian Daly - acoustic guitar *Mike Maran - piano * Kenny Clare - drums *Dave Bell - acoustic guitar

Technical personnel

*Nick Harrison – arrangements *Pete Atkin – arrangements *Don Fraser – arrangements

References

Columbia Records albums 1971 debut albums {{DEFAULTSORT:Beautiful Changes, The