Biography
In 1970, Kevin Godley, Lol Crème, and Eric Stewart formed the house band at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, alongside Graham Gouldman. While Gouldman spent extended periods in New York writing under contract for the Kasenatz/Katz bubblegum operation, his three colleagues stayed behind to install and experiment with the studio’s new gear. During one such session involving a drum kit and a fresh four-track recorder, Philips A&R executive Dick Leahy dropped in, caught the playback, and declared the track an immediate single.
The percussive piece revolved around the chant “I’m a Neanderthal man/you’re a Neanderthal girl/let’s make Neanderthal love.” Leahy’s judgment proved accurate: re-cut and issued as Hotlegs in summer 1970, “Neanderthal Man” climbed to number 22 on the U.S. chart, number two in Britain, and number one in Italy, eventually moving more than two million copies worldwide. The Idle Race, nearing the close of their short career, secured one last hit by covering the song for German and Argentine markets. Bandleader James Last placed a version on his current album, and Elton John, still working as a session musician before stardom, cut his own interpretation for a low-budget hits collection.
Buoyed by the breakthrough, Hotlegs quickly assembled an album. Thinks: School Stinks contained the hit alongside a revised take of “To Fly Away,” a Godley/Crème composition first tracked during their Frabjoy and the Runcible Spoon period. Beyond the tribal track “Um Wah Um Woh,” however, the LP failed to echo the single’s impact; instead it showcased the trio’s melodic, understated style. Capitol, their American label, reacted by bypassing the project entirely for the follow-up and selecting a stronger re-recording of “There Ain’t No Umbopo,” which the three musicians released in Britain as Doctor Father in August 1970. Neither that single nor Hotlegs’ final U.S. release, “How Many Times,” charted.
Still, the musicians—now joined by Gouldman—toured Britain briefly as support for the Moody Blues late in 1970. A year later, in September 1971, they issued “Lady Sadie” as Hotlegs while Philips retitled Thinks: School Stinks as Songs for the U.K., Germany, and Venezuela, replacing “Neanderthal Man” with two fresh cuts: “The Loser,” the B-side of “Lady Sadie,” and “Today,” another reworked Frabjoy-era number. Songs fared no better than its predecessor, and Hotlegs was soon set aside. Less than twelve months afterward, the same four musicians resurfaced as 10cc. At the peak of that band’s success, the earlier recordings reappeared on the 1974 compilation You Didn’t Like It Cos You Didn’t Think of It, which gathered all previously issued Hotlegs material.
The percussive piece revolved around the chant “I’m a Neanderthal man/you’re a Neanderthal girl/let’s make Neanderthal love.” Leahy’s judgment proved accurate: re-cut and issued as Hotlegs in summer 1970, “Neanderthal Man” climbed to number 22 on the U.S. chart, number two in Britain, and number one in Italy, eventually moving more than two million copies worldwide. The Idle Race, nearing the close of their short career, secured one last hit by covering the song for German and Argentine markets. Bandleader James Last placed a version on his current album, and Elton John, still working as a session musician before stardom, cut his own interpretation for a low-budget hits collection.
Buoyed by the breakthrough, Hotlegs quickly assembled an album. Thinks: School Stinks contained the hit alongside a revised take of “To Fly Away,” a Godley/Crème composition first tracked during their Frabjoy and the Runcible Spoon period. Beyond the tribal track “Um Wah Um Woh,” however, the LP failed to echo the single’s impact; instead it showcased the trio’s melodic, understated style. Capitol, their American label, reacted by bypassing the project entirely for the follow-up and selecting a stronger re-recording of “There Ain’t No Umbopo,” which the three musicians released in Britain as Doctor Father in August 1970. Neither that single nor Hotlegs’ final U.S. release, “How Many Times,” charted.
Still, the musicians—now joined by Gouldman—toured Britain briefly as support for the Moody Blues late in 1970. A year later, in September 1971, they issued “Lady Sadie” as Hotlegs while Philips retitled Thinks: School Stinks as Songs for the U.K., Germany, and Venezuela, replacing “Neanderthal Man” with two fresh cuts: “The Loser,” the B-side of “Lady Sadie,” and “Today,” another reworked Frabjoy-era number. Songs fared no better than its predecessor, and Hotlegs was soon set aside. Less than twelve months afterward, the same four musicians resurfaced as 10cc. At the peak of that band’s success, the earlier recordings reappeared on the 1974 compilation You Didn’t Like It Cos You Didn’t Think of It, which gathered all previously issued Hotlegs material.
Albums
