In 1966 he signed with Andrew Loog Oldham, releasing an Immediate label EP featuring the tracks - In the Midnight Hour, Mr Pitiful, Satisfaction and Who Can I Turn To. Followed by the his first Album, 14 Things to Think About. The summer of 1966 saw the release of his biggest hit - Out of Time.
In the later part of the sixties he did the classic - Handbags and Gladrags, written by his friend Mike d' Abo of Manfred Man and recently covered by the Stereophonics. This was to be his last solo chart success. In the 70's Chris sang with the band Colosseum before he moved on to the group Atomic Rooster.
He was involved in a serious road accident which stopped him recording and performing for a couple of years.
He worked with various bands/musicians througout the 80's and 90's and
he still performs live today.
Birth name John Henry Deighton
Also known as Little Joe Cook Born October 13, 1940 (age 68)
Origin Islington, North London, England
Genre(s) Rhythm and Blues Jazz rock
Instrument(s) Vocals
Label(s) Columbia, Immediate
Associated acts The Chris Farlowe Band
The Thunderbirds
The Johnny Burns Rhythm and Blues Quartet
The John Henry Skiffle
Group Colosseum Atomic Rooster
Website chrisfarlowe.co.uk
Career
Farlowe's musical career began with a skiffle group, The John Henry Skiffle Group in 1957, then The Johnny Burns Rhythm and Blues Quartet in 1958. He met lead guitarist Bob Taylor (born Robert Taylor, 6 June 1942, London) in 1959 and he joined the band Taylor was in (The Thunderbirds), recording five singles for the Columbia label, without much success. He then moved to Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label and recorded another eleven singles, five of them cover versions of Rolling Stones songs; ("Paint It, Black", "Think", "Ride On, Baby", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Out of Time"). His most successful was "Out of Time" which was number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1966. His next four singles were also well received. The most famous was "Handbags and Gladrags" (which was written by Mike d'Abo), later covered by Rod Stewart and more recently by the Stereophonics).As an English R&B star of the early 1960s, Farlowe released one single, "Stormy Monday Blues", under the pseudonym, 'Little Joe Cook', which helped perpetrate the myth that he was black.His association with jazz rock group Colosseum began in the 1970s, recording a live album and three studio albums Daughter of Time, Bread and Circuses and Tomorrow's Blues (2006).Farlowe continues to tour extensively throughout the UK and Europe with band Colosseum, and also with his own band. Farlowe also deals in antiques and has a showroom in Islington. In 1972 he joined Atomic Rooster and is featured on the albums Made in England and Nice and Greasy. He also sang on three tracks of Jimmy Page's Death Wish II soundtrack 1982 and Outrider album Hummingbird, Prison Blues & Blues Anthem in 1988.
Thunderbirds
In the beginning, Farlowe was backed by the band 'The Thunderbirds', which featured guitarist Albert Lee and Dave Greenslade, (later with him again in Colosseum), Bugs Waddell (bass), Ian Hague (drums) Bernie Greenwood (sax) and Jerry Temple (percussion).
Albums
Chris Farlowe and the Thunderbirds (February 1966)
14 Things to Think About (June 1966)
The Art of Chris Farlowe (December 1966)
Tonite Let's All Make Love In London (Soundtrack) (July 1968)
The Last Goodbye (August 1969)
From Here to Mama Rosa (September 1970)
Chris Farlowe Band Live (November 1975)
Out of the Blue (July 1985)
The Live EP: Live in Hamburg (March 1986)
Born Again (June 1986)
Chris Farlowe & Roy Herrington Live in Berlin (17/18 October 1991)
Superblues (Recorded live 1991, released 1994)
Farlowe: Waiting in the Wings (May 1992)
Swinging Hollywood (1994)
Lonesome Road (September 1995)
BBC in Concert (January 1996)
As Time Go By (October 1996)
The Voice (April 1998)
Glory Bound (March 2001)
Farlowe That! (May 2003)
Hungary for the Blues (November 2005)
At Rockpalast (October 2006)
Hotel Eingang (2008)
Singles
Singles & EPs on Immediate Records (1965-70)
IM016 "The Fool" / "Treat Her Good" 7"
IM023 "Think" / "Don't Just Look At Me" 7"
IM035 "Out of Time" / "Baby Make It Soon" 7"
IM038 "Ride On Baby" / "Headlines" 7"
IM041 "My Way of Giving" / "You're So Good To Me" 7"
IM049 "Yesterday's Papers" / "Life is But Nothing" 7"
IM056 "Moanin'" / "What Have I Been Doing" 7"
IM065 "Handbags and Gladrags" / "Everyone Makes a Mistake" 7"
IM066 "The Last Goodbye" / "Paperman Fly in the Sky" 7" (B-side with Thunderbirds)
IM071 "Paint It Black" / "I Just Need Your Loving" 7"
IM074 "Dawn" / "April was the Month" 7" (With Thunderbirds)
IM078 "Out of Time" / "Ride On Baby" 7"
IMEP001 "Farlowe in the Midnight Hour" EP
IMEP004 "Chris Farlowe Hits" EP
Handbags and Gladrags
Chris Farlowe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
trying to make the other side
Ever seen a young girl growing old
trying to make herself a bride
So what becomes of you my love
When they have finally stripped you of
The handbags and the gladrags
That your Grandad had to sweat so you could buy
Once I was a young man
and all I thought I had to do was smile
You are still a young girl
and you bought everything in style
Listen
But once you think you're in you're out
cause you don't mean a single thing without
the handbags and the gladrags
that your Grandad had to sweat so you could buy
Sing a song of six-pence for your sake
And take a bottle full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake
And bake them all in a pie
They told me you missed school today
So what I suggest you just throw them all away
the handbags and the gladrags
that your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy
They told me you missed school today
So I suggest you just throw them all away
the handbags and the gladrags
that your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy ya
The song "Handbags And Gladrags" by Chris Farlowe, which was also famously covered by Rod Stewart, reflects on the fleeting nature of material possessions and the idea that one's worth should not be measured by what they own. The opening verse paints a picture of individuals struggling to achieve their goals despite societal pressures and obstacles. The blind man crossing the road represents the struggle for independence and the young girl growing old trying to make herself a bride represents the societal expectations of women. The chorus poses the question of what happens to one's value and self-worth when all they have worked for has been stripped away, leaving them with nothing but the memories of the sacrifices made by their ancestors. This theme is further emphasized in the second verse where the singer reflects on his own youth and naivety, realizing that material possessions do not define one's worth. The song ends with the suggestion to discard the handbags and gladrags, acknowledging that these items are fleeting and ultimately do not define one's worth.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever seen a blind man cross the road trying to make the other side
Have you ever witnessed a visually impaired person trying to cross a street, aiming to reach the other side?
Ever seen a young girl growing old trying to make herself a bride
Have you ever seen a young woman aging and maturing with a deep desire to get married?
So what becomes of you my love When they have finally stripped you of The handbags and the gladrags That your Grandad had to sweat so you could buy
What will become of you, my beloved, when all your material possessions, such as luxury clothes, bags, and accessories that your grandfather had to work hard to buy for you, are taken away from you?
Baby Once I was a young man and all I thought I had to do was smile You are still a young girl and you bought everything in style
Dear, back in my day, when I was a young man, I believed that all I had to do to make my way in life was to smile, whereas you, still a young lady with a lot of time ahead of you, have bought everything that you wanted in your unique style.
But once you think you're in you're out cause you don't mean a single thing without the handbags and the gladrags that your Grandad had to sweat so you could buy
Regardless of how impressive you think you are, once you lose all your material possessions, such as clothing, bags, etc., that your grandfather spent a lot of time and energy to purchase for you, you will become insignificant and meaningless.
Sing a song of six-pence for your sake And take a bottle full of rye Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake And bake them all in a pie
I advise you to enjoy your youth, have fun, and be carefree while you still can, rather than fretting over acquiring material goods. You can even sing a carefree song, have a bottle of rye liquor, make a pie with twenty-four blackbirds in it, and bake them all together.
They told me you missed school today So what I suggest you just throw them all away the handbags and the gladrags that your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy
I was informed that you missed school today, so it's better to stop worrying about your luxurious possessions and even consider throwing them away, knowing that your poor old grandfather had to toil to buy them for you.
They told me you missed school today So I suggest you just throw them all away the handbags and the gladrags that your poor old Granddad had to sweat to buy ya
I heard that you missed school today, and I believe that you should discard all your material possessions, such as your fancy handbags and clothing, that your poor old grandfather struggled to purchase for your benefit.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Michael D'abo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@damredub
Without a doubt, the best version of this wonderful song.
@mpf4434451
This maybe a lengthy story, but I want to share my Chris Farlow experience.
I remember when Jimmy Page "outrider" came out (1988). All of Side B of the cassette featured Chris Farlow on vocals. "Hmmm", I thought to myself. (as I was an early teen discovering blues and soul music.) "Who is this guy? He's has some pretty bad ass vocals". (Remember, internet was not a thing yet and only few people had home computers and I wasn't one of the few) I could not find ANY info of this "blues man" Chris Farlow. Nobody had heard of him.
I went to my local record store and asked for "THE BOOK". A catalog of music that they could order for you of ANY band or artist. I was able to find 1 item. A cassette of "The Soulful Chris Farlow" a collection of late 60s songs. "Hot damn!" I thought to myself, "He sings soul music too? He is definitely black". I ordered it and was excited to see what he looked like.
2 weeks came and my order arrived. I looked at the cassette and it was very vague cover of a silhouette in different colors. Couldn't make him out. No worries, and listened to the tape. I Wore it out. I constantly listened to it until it warped. After that I just went on with my life and became an adult doing adult things, but kept Chris Farlow in the back of my mind.
THEN in 2002 I got my first home computer. (My key to the world) I kid you not, one of the first things I typed in the search box was Chris Farlow and a result was his fan page. "HOLY SMOKES!" I clicked on it, and it was a White English Guy. Hahaha. He had a guest book on his page and I wrote this whole lengthy drawn out story as I am now, and said all this time I thought you were black, (as a compliment of course.) LoL.
Thanks to the internet and YouTube since then I have been enjoying Chris Farlows music. With either Atomic Rooster, Colosseum, or solo he is just that good.
@colindale3027
BEST VERSION EVER - BRILLIANT - Thanks Chris - Regards COLIN DALE RADIO SUTCH 1964
@FHIPrincePeter
Uncontested winner. Farlowe is the definitive version.
@thelordofdarkness141
This is by far the best version
@sexobscura
apart from Jon English
@RickRox75
This the best version of Handbags and The Gladrags by a long way from the highly underrated Chris Farlowe.
@brendahawkins3965
Hi would love to know what you think of my 17 year old grandsons cover of this https://youtu.be/T7Emz268Dio
@keithharvey6354
It's a no from me and Sharon.
@davisscott09
Agreed…