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.
The Remarkable Saga of the Frozen Dog
Blossom Toes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Won't you come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog
Won't you come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog
I'll tell you a tale about a frozen dog, he's gone (gone gone gone gone)
Went out one day and opened up his thoughts (thoughts thoughts thoughts thoughts)
He was frozen then but he's not anymore, he's got things to do,
Now he's out in the country side (side side side side)
Digging up lots of little things to do (do do do do)
He was frozen then but he's not anymore, he's got things to do,
Places to build
He's got places to build, lots of places to build
Won't you come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog
Won't you come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog
Now he's wagging this tail and killing flies (flies flies flies flies)
Shouting at cows and eating wooly sheeps (sheep sheep sheep sheep)
He was frozen then but he's not anymore, he's got things to do
And places to build
Now he's found his true vocation in life (life life life life)
He's fell in love with a lady who sings folk music
He was frozen then but he's not anymore, he's got things to do
And places to build
He's got places to build, lots of places to build
Won't you come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog
Won't you come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog
Come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog
Won't you come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog…(Repeat 7 times)
The Remarkable Saga of the Frozen Dog by Blossom Toes is an intriguing song that defies easy interpretation. The lyrics suggest a story of a frozen dog that went out one day, opened up his thoughts, and subsequently regained his agency. The dog is described as having "things to do, places to build" and is now "out in the countryside digging up lots of little things to do". The song suggests that the frozen dog has found his true vocation in life and has even fallen in love with a lady who sings folk music.
The lyrics are symbolic and surreal, which is characteristic of psychedelia, the genre to which Blossom Toes belongs. The frozen dog could be a representation of someone who has felt stuck or frozen in their life and has finally found purpose and direction. The dog digs up "lots of little things to do", which could be read as a metaphor for finding joy in small things, similar to the philosophy of mindfulness. The refrain of "won't you come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog" suggests a curiosity about the journey the dog has undertaken, and the repetition at the end of the song adds to the dream-like quality of the lyrics.
Overall, The Remarkable Saga of the Frozen Dog is a whimsical and enigmatic song that invites listeners to ponder its meaning. The surreal imagery, coupled with the playful rhyming of "dog" with "thoughts", "sheep", and "build" reinforces the feeling that the song is a fanciful reverie.
Line by Line Meaning
Won't you come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog
Asking the subject to share their story of transformation
I'll tell you a tale about a frozen dog, he's gone (gone gone gone gone)
Narrating the transformation of the frozen dog into something more than what he was before
Went out one day and opened up his thoughts (thoughts thoughts thoughts thoughts)
The subject became self-aware and cognizant of what he could do
He was frozen then but he's not anymore, he's got things to do, Places to build
The subject is no longer stuck in his previous state and now has aspirations
Now he's out in the country side (side side side side)
The subject is now living a rural life
Digging up lots of little things to do (do do do do)
The subject is constantly searching for new activities to engage in
He was frozen then but he's not anymore, he's got things to do, Places to build
Reiterating how the subject has moved beyond his original state and is now focused on achieving his goals
He's got places to build, lots of places to build
The subject has many goals and aspirations that he wants to achieve
Now he's wagging this tail and killing flies (flies flies flies flies)
The subject is enjoying his newfound freedoms and idiosyncrasies
Shouting at cows and eating wooly sheeps (sheep sheep sheep sheep)
The subject is living life on his own terms regardless of societal expectations
He was frozen then but he's not anymore, he's got things to do And places to build
Reaffirming how the subject has changed and is actively pursuing his goals
Now he's found his true vocation in life (life life life life)
The subject has discovered what he truly wants to do and is pursuing it
He's fell in love with a lady who sings folk music
The subject has found love and is exploring new relationships
He was frozen then but he's not anymore, he's got things to do And places to build
Emphasizing once more that the subject has shed his previous state and is actively pursuing his goals
He's got places to build, lots of places to build
Reiterating how the subject has many aspirations and goals
Won't you come and tell me where you've been you silly little frozen dog
Closing out the song with a repeat of the initial inquiry
Contributed by Riley E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.