The Idle Race

Though they received substantial praise from reviewers, the Idle Race saw scant sales during their run from 1966 through 1972 within the U.K. pop-psych scene. Still, the group helped advance the paths of several noteworthy British rock figures, above all Jeff Lynne, whose skills first reached listeners on the band's opening effort, The Birthday Party, issued in 1968. The Idle Race likewise connected Lynne with Roy Wood, setting the stage for their subsequent partnership in the Move and Electric Light Orchestra. Their own arc also tracks the arc of British rock's opening decade, shifting from an initial rock lineup into a beat outfit, onward to psychedelia, and finally toward a tougher, working-class approach. Laden with bright melodies and inventive structures that put the then-new Mellotron to striking use, the 1968 debut The Birthday Party exerted an influence well beyond its modest sales, while Lynne took the production reins for the self-titled follow-up LP in 1969. After his departure the remaining members recorded a third set, 1971's Time Is, which leaned toward prog and folk-rock textures before the unit dissolved.

Originating in Birmingham in England's West Midlands, the Idle Race's roots reach back to 1959 and the launch of Billy King and the Nightriders. Alongside vocalist and frontman Billy King, the roster included guitarists Al Johnson and Dave Pritchard, bassist Brian Cope, and drummer Roger Spencer. King exited in 1962, after which the outfit became Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders once Sheridan (born Mike Tyler) assumed vocal duties. By 1963 Al Johnson had left the Nightriders, Roy Wood took over on lead guitar, and Greg Masters replaced Brian Cope on bass. This configuration secured a deal with EMI and issued five singles from 1963 to 1966, among them the September 1965 release "Take My Hand" b/w "Make Them Understand," which marked Roy Wood's first professionally issued composition. At the close of 1965 Wood departed to form the Move, Johnny Mann (formerly of Carl Wayne and the Vikings) joined as lead guitarist, Sheridan also stepped away, and the group simply became the Nightriders.

Once their EMI agreement ended without chart success, the Nightriders moved to Polydor, yet shortly after signing Johnny Mann quit. In urgent need of a guitarist they brought aboard the inexperienced but promising Jeff Lynne, who appeared on the Nightriders' sole Polydor single, "It's Only the Dog" b/w "Your Friend," released in November 1966.

The lineup of Jeff Lynne, Greg Masters, Dave Pritchard, and Roger Spencer now operated in a shifting climate as beat music and R&B yielded to fresher, more experimental sounds, and Lynne's Beatlesque writing mirrored the turn toward psychedelic pop. A name change followed; after a brief spell as the Idyll Race they adopted the sharper Idle Race. Liberty Records was establishing its U.K. arm, and after Roy Wood linked the Idle Race with producers Eddy Offord and Gerald Chevin the band became one of the label's earliest signings.

Under Offord and Chevin the Idle Race issued their first single, "Imposters of Life's Magazine" b/w "Sitting in my Tree," in October 1967, followed soon by "Here We Go 'Round the Lemon Tree" b/w "My Father's Son"; a Move version of the A-side, however, kept the Idle Race's take from charting. Their debut album The Birthday Party appeared in October 1968 and drew acclaim for its clever, bright songs and imaginative production, much of it showcasing the Mellotron. DJs John Peel and Kenny Everett championed the record and reviews were favorable, yet Liberty's awkward marketing and decision not to extract a single after release kept The Birthday Party from reaching listeners.

Following the commercial shortfall of The Birthday Party, Roy Wood invited Jeff Lynne to join the Move, but Lynne stayed with his band to complete the second album. He produced 1969's The Idle Race, which placed the material in a somewhat less quirky yet still pop-oriented frame. Despite further strong notices the album matched the debut's commercial fate, and Liberty declined to issue it in the United States. Lynne grew weary of the lack of hits, and when Wood extended another invitation to the Move in early 1970 Lynne accepted.

Liberty let the Idle Race go, yet Greg Masters, Dave Pritchard, and Roger Spencer continued. They added Dave Walker on vocals and harmonica plus Mike Hopkins on guitar and vocals, then secured a Regal Zonophone deal through EMI. A brief uptick came when the new lineup's cover of Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime" reached the Argentine Top Ten. 1971's Time Is shifted the Idle Race away from their Beatles-derived pop toward folk and progressive elements. Despite their Argentine success the album drew little notice in the U.K., and months after its release Dave Pritchard and Roger Spencer departed. Walker and Hopkins soon followed, leaving Greg Masters to assemble another Idle Race with guitarists Dave Carroll and Bob Wilson plus drummer Bob Lamb. Masters exited in February 1972; shortly before his departure Steve Gibbons became lead singer, and with Trevor Burton on bass the final Idle Race configuration became the Steve Gibbons Band.

After their shared time in the Move's later years, Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood launched Electric Light Orchestra in late 1970; following the first album Wood formed Wizzard, leaving Lynne to reshape ELO into one of the most successful acts of the 1970s and 1980s. As ELO attained worldwide recognition the Idle Race's cult audience expanded, and The Birthday Party saw occasional reissues, notably a two-CD expanded edition in 2020. Roger Spencer later pursued his own entertainment path as the comedian Ollie Spencer.