Initially known as The Ingoes, they were renamed and signed to manager Giorgio Gomelsky's Marmalade label. The original line-up comprised Brian Godding (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Jim Cregan (guitar, vocals), Brian Belshaw (bass, vocals), and Kevin Westlake drums).
The band's debut album, We Are Ever So Clean, is a classic example of English psychedelia. On release, it was presented in the U.K. music magazine Melody Maker as "Giorgio Gomelsky's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Although not a major commercial success, tracks such as "What on Earth" or "Look at Me, I'm You" have helped give the album something of a cult period status as it is unearthed by successive generations of 1960s retro fans. It was recently voted number forty in Record Collector’s list of the "100 Greatest Psychedelic Records".
If Only for a Moment saw the band taking a noticeably heavier and rockier direction, with Cregan and Godding's distinctive two-part guitar harmonies playing a prominent role. The album also marked the departure of Westlake, to be replaced by John "Poli" Palmer and then Barry Reeves.
The quartet was dissolved in 1970. While Belshaw and Godding rejoined Westlake in B.B. Blunder, Cregan formed Stud with Jim Wilson and Charlie McCracken, before joining Family. He would find fame later in the decade with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, and as a part of Rod Stewart's backing band.
The Blossom Toes contributed music to La Collectionneuse (1967), a film by French director Éric Rohmer, and also appeared in Popdown (1967) by Fred Marshall.
Listen to the Silence
Blossom Toes Lyrics
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They just get in my way
Do you know what I'm trying to say
Well beyond all the stars
There's a place in the sky
If you listen you can hear the hush
Listen to the silence
Listen to the silence
Listen to the silence
Silence
Listen to the silence
Silence
Listen to the silence
Silence
Listen
The lyrics to Blossom Toes's song Listen to the Silence appear to describe a deep yearning to communicate beyond words. The singer acknowledges that words sometimes "get in [their] way" of expressing the true depth of their feelings. Instead, they suggest that there is a place "beyond all the stars" where communication can occur without words - if only we can listen. The repeated refrain of "Listen to the silence" may be a call to action, asking the listener to quiet their mind and tune in to the world around them in order to access this deeper mode of communication.
The lyrics may also have a spiritual or metaphysical undertone, suggesting that there is a higher power or divine intelligence that can be accessed through silent contemplation. The idea of listening to the silence could be interpreted as a form of meditation or prayer, allowing the listener to connect with something greater than themselves.
Overall, the lyrics to Blossom Toes's Listen to the Silence express a desire for deeper, more meaningful forms of communication, and a belief that there is something beyond words that can be accessed through attentive listening.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no need for these words
The singer feels that words are unnecessary
They just get in my way
Words obstruct understanding
Do you know what I'm trying to say
The singer is unsure if their message is being received and understood
Well beyond all the stars
There is a realm beyond our physical world
There's a place in the sky
This other realm exists in the heavens
If you listen you can hear the hush
By quieting the mind, one can perceive this other realm
Listen to the silence
The singer encourages the listener to be present and quiet
Silence
The absence of sound
Listen to the silence
Again, the artist encourages the listener to be present and quiet
Silence
The absence of sound
Listen to the silence
Once more, the singer encourages the listener to be present and quiet
Contributed by Lillian G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.