The band picked up on the British psychedelic movement after supporting The Pink Floyd as a soul/blues band called 'The Five Proud Walkers', the lineup was Richard " Hud" Hudson on drums, John Ford on bass, Colin Forster on lead guitar, Jimmy Horrocks (Horovitz) on organ and flute (who left early in the band's history), and Dave Terry on vocals and harmonica.
Earlier, they gigged for a while playing blues-based material,but gradually got interested in more a free-form style. The name Velvet Opera was chosen initially, which was amended to Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera within days after Dave Terry turned up to a session wearing a long black cape and a preacher's hat and had to endure some piss-taking from the rest of the band (Elmer Gantry was the fictional hero of a Sinclair Lewis novel and 1960 film about a preacher). The name stuck and Dave became Elmer. By this time Elmer, influenced by the music of John Cage, was making experimental taped backing sounds and using signal generators on stage in the act.
The band began to get quite a following and played clubs and university gigs all over the UK and at London venues like the Marquee and 100 club and Electric Garden. They would also occasionally play at the Speakeasy where Jimi Hendrix would jam with them, also people like Jeff beck and Eric Burdon. The band had been recorded independently for a while by Southern Music Publishing, who had their own four-track studio in Denmark Street, and it wasn't long before they had secured a record deal with CBS's "Direction" label. The problem was that Southern Music had originally signed them as a bluesy/jazzy band and they were not very keen on trying to get new, more riotous stage act on disc.
The group were persuaded to do more "regular" material. The first recording was the song, written by Elmer, that the band were best known for, 'Flames'. The record was on jukeboxes all over the UK and was covered live by bands as diverse as "The Joe Loss Orchestra" and "Led Zeppelin", in fact Jimmy Page told Elmer that Flames was the only non-Zep number that they included in their early stage-act (Robert Plant also included it in his 2001-2002 tour). However, for the average radio listener the song was too far ahead of its time and despite live popularity and numerous radio plays the song only managed to achieve number 30 in the charts. Direction did however, take faith in the band to record second and third singles and more importantly a self-titled album.
The group's second single, "Mary Jane" was removed from the BBC playlist after they realised that the song was the slang term for Marijuana. The third single, Volcano, was written by Howard & Blakely, who had written hits for Dave Dee etc.
After three singles and the album, major success had still not been achieved. The agent at the time, Terry King, had booked the group a lot of shows, they were regularly appearing on the BBC on John Peel's show, among others, they were playing, touring and promoting hard, but recording success was still elusive. Colin Forster was then replaced by Paul Brett but this still didn't achieve the desired result.
Disagreements erupted within the band, which led to a split from Elmer and so the Velvet Opera was formed. Elmer Gantry remembers : "eventually, EGVO broke up due to a change of direction within the band. Paul Brett, (who incidentally I had worked with previously and had brought into the band following our initial success) although a brilliant guitarist, had a strong interest in more folkish music and, with Hud's increasing interest in playing instruments other than drums, the band started to change direction. I did not welcome this change, and whilst I had great admiration for all the other members as musicians, was not interested. There followed a coup in which the other members of the band attempted to just replace me and keep the name. This would clearly have been ridiculous as I was already known as Elmer Gantry and the band was largely know for its riotous, envelope-pushing stage presence, not for electro-folk. The result was that they brought twelve string guitarist folk-blues guitarist Johnny Joyce in, and continued as The Velvet Opera and eventually Strawbs and The Monks producing the novelty hits "Union Man" and "Nice legs, shame about the face" and I continued with a new line-up, formed from the Downliners sect, as the Elmer Gantry band. I also later had a lead role in "Hair" in the west end, recorded on two Alan Parsons Project albums, did the lead vocals on Cozy powell's album, sang and wrote with Jon Lord on his solo album."
A second album, "Ride a Hustler's Dream" was released by the Velvet Opera on their own, Elmer and Colin having been replaced by John Joyce and Paul Brett. The album was recorded (as was the EGVO album) at Southern Music's studios in Denmark St. Paul Brett remembers : "It was an 8 track set up and was a real struggle to get real quality and instrument separation, but we did our best. We did lots of Radio 1 sessions and quite a few dates, the most memorable being with the Who at The Lyceum. John Ford and Richard Hudson were getting more into writing their own songs and they also wanted to perform them, Johnny and I were more into acoustic music and inevitably, we went our own ways quite amicably. Southern would have made another LP with us but we felt we needed to follow our hearts! I spoke to Hud last year about the possibility of collaborating on a new Velvet Opera LP as the bands reputation has survived and even grown over the years, probably because we have all done our own things. This is very much a possibility and I will pursue this with Hud and John. I did a CD last year with John Joyce 'Acoustic Power' that was really well received by the media. It could also be that there is another Fire LP in the future and certainly their will be more Paul Brett CD's and there are collectors issues on CD of the previous material and some unreleased Paul Brett & Sage stuff via my site www.fret-dancer.com".
After the split, Ford and Hudson joined Strawbs whilst Rick Wakeman was still a member. In 1971, Colin Forster recruited a whole new Velvet Opera featuring ex-Tintern Abbey vocalist, Dave MacTavish, bass player Colin Bass and drummer Mike Fincher who recorded one single on the Spark label. Elmer Gantry later appeared in the Seventies in Stretch singing the hit single "Why Did You Do It?" Stretch released four albums and some singles on the "Anchor" label. During the 90s, a CD of live "John Peel BBC Sessions" was released by "Strange Fruit" and a double CD set " Stretch, The Story of Elmer Gantry" was released on Repertoire Records. The Stretch catalogue is currently handled by "Trojan Records." Elmer is now working in the drug-rehabilitation field but still gigs occasionally both in the UK and in America.
Long Nights Of Summer
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Singing its sad song of broken dreams
(Lay) beneath the sun
And days of fun long ago
Now I think of those
Long nights of summer
Long nights of summer
That's how it used to be
Everything is gone
Every hope, every dream
How we used to build castles in the air
What would the future bring
How we wished on those
Long nights of summer
Long nights of summer
Thoughts that were once so clear
Gone now that winter's here
And now the love of spring
we felt would live an age
lies like the dying flowers
now that the season's changed
Nothing left of love
Only sad memories still remain
But hope still lingers on
after the winter is gone comes spring again
Long nights of summer
Long nights of summer
Forgetting the hurt before
learning to love once more
That's how it used to be
It all comes back to me
The lyrics of Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera's song Long Nights Of Summer reflect on memories of days gone by and the bittersweet nostalgia that comes with them. The opening lines urge the listener to "listen to the moon" and its "sad song of broken dreams," suggesting a reflection on past hopes and aspirations that may have gone unfulfilled. Similarly, the mention of "days of fun long ago" and "thoughts that were once so clear" implies a longing for a more carefree and optimistic time in life.
However, the lyrics also acknowledge the reality that "everything is gone" and "every hope, every dream" has faded away. The imagery of "building castles in the air" and "wishing on long nights of summer" suggests a sense of youthful naivete and idealism that has since been lost. Yet, there is a sense of resilience and hopefulness in the closing lines, as the singer speaks of "forgetting the hurt before" and "learning to love once more" after the passing of winter.
Overall, the lyrics of Long Nights Of Summer convey a sense of wistful reflection on the past, while also acknowledging the potential for new beginnings and renewed hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to the moon
The singer is metaphorically describing the sound of the moon which represents a sad, mournful feeling.
Singing its sad song of broken dreams
The moon's sound represents the feeling of sadness and unfulfilled aspirations or hopes, and serves as a reminder of lost opportunities.
Beneath the sun
The singer reminisces about the joyful, carefree days of childhood when he played outside under the warm sun.
And days of fun long ago
The previous line is further emphasized, as the artist recalls the happy moments of his youth that are now distant memories.
Now I think of those
The present moment triggers the artist's thoughts and memories of the past.
Long nights of summer
The singer fondly remembers the long, warm, and pleasant evenings of summertime when he experienced love, joy and togetherness with those close to him in his life.
Everything is gone
The singer reflects on the transience of life and the inevitability of change, as he realizes that everything he cherished and hoped for has disappeared.
Every hope, every dream
The artist laments the loss of his aspirations, and how the future which he once imagined so vividly, is now nothing but a distant memory.
How we used to build castles in the air
The artist remembers that he and his loved ones once had grandiose and unrealistic dreams and plans for the future, and imagines these as figurative castles in the sky.
What would the future bring
The artist recalls the uncertainty that accompanies youthful dreams, where the future is seen as an exciting and promising adventure.
How we wished on those
The singer nostalgically reminisces about the moments when he and his loved ones would reflect on their hopes and dreams, and wish for them to come true.
Thoughts that were once so clear
The artist recalls how his ideas and plans for the future in his youth were much more concrete and thought out than they are now, making him feel unsure and doubtful of himself.
Gone now that winter's here
The metaphorical 'winter' represents the current season of the singer's life where things are gloomy, cold and dark, and all the hopes of the past have been washed away.
And now the love of spring
The singer is hopeful for the future, hoping that spring - a metaphor for a new beginning or a fresh start - will bring something good after the winter of disappointment.
We felt would live an age
The singer is disappointed that what he thought would last forever - the love and joy he felt in his heart - only lasted for a short amount of time.
Lies like the dying flowers
The artist compares the fading of the flowers in autumn to the dying of his love and happiness once felt in spring, and how they both come to an end.
Now that the season's changed
The artist recognizes that everything is subject to change and nothing lasts forever, and acknowledges that the present is different from the past.
Nothing left of love
The singer is reminiscing about a past love that is now gone, and how he feels empty without it.
Only sad memories still remain
The singer is haunted by only the painful memories of the love that once was, and can no longer access the happy memories associated with it.
But hope still lingers on
Despite the past disappointments and hardship, the artist still holds onto the hope that things can get better.
After the winter is gone comes spring again
Just as winter gives way to spring, the artist metaphorically expresses his hope and belief that the pain of the moment will eventually pass.
Forgetting the hurt before
The artist wants to remember the good and forget the bad memories of his past, and hopes that spring will help him do this.
Learning to love once more
The singer is hopeful that the coming of spring will bring new opportunities to find love and happiness again, and that the lessons he has learned from the past will make it possible for him to do so.
That's how it used to be
The artist concludes the song by reflecting on an idealized past that can no longer be regained, and how remembering it can be bittersweet.
It all comes back to me
The singer is haunted by the memories of the past, and reminiscing about them has brought back the emotions associated with them.
Contributed by Riley M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
VideoTester7
The vocalist here Elmer Gantry/David Terry would later go on to sing both "May Be a Price to Pay" from 'The Turn of a Friendly Card' and "Psychobabble" from 'Eye in the Sky' two albums from The Alan Parsons Project.
Parklife Enjoyer
Damn this sounds like it’s from the 80s
Julien P
i don't blame you. it's a great piece of proto-powerpop that's just begging for the new-wave treatment