The Mindbenders
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | June 1963 |
| Founder | Wayne Fontana |
| Defunct | November 20, 1968 |
| Headquarters | Manchester , England, United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
The Mindbenders were a British beat group originating from Manchester. Initially serving as the backing band for Wayne Fontana, they rose to prominence in the mid-1960s during the British Invasion, achieving hits such as "The Game of Love"—which topped the US charts in 1965 with Fontana—and "A Groovy Kind of Love" in 1966.
Career
The group was established by Wayne Fontana in June 1963, featuring Bob Lang, Ric Rothwell, and Eric Stewart. Their name was derived from the 1963 British film The Mind Benders. Prior to this formation, Fontana had fronted Wayne Fontana and the Jets starting July 1962. Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders released several singles before scoring their initial significant UK hit with "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" in 1964, which led to a tour alongside Brenda Lee. Their 1965 US chart-topping single "The Game of Love" also reached number two on the UK singles chart. Their eponymous album climbed to No. 18 in the UK.
Following a US tour and two singles that did not achieve notable success, Fontana exited the band abruptly during a concert in 1965. The remaining members continued as a trio: Stewart took over lead vocals and guitar duties, Lang handled bass, and Rothwell played drums; both Lang and Rothwell contributed backing vocals.
Their first release without Fontana was "A Groovy Kind of Love", written by Carole Bayer Sager and Toni Wine. This track reached No. 2 on both US and UK charts in 1966 and topped the Cashbox chart in the US, selling one million copies worldwide. The album sharing its title peaked at No. 28 in the UK.
Subsequent singles included Bayer/Wine’s "Can't Live With You (Can't Live Without You)", which struggled to break into the UK Top 30, while "Ashes to Ashes" achieved a peak position of No. 14 during autumn 1966.
On 4 July 1966, The Mindbenders commenced a US tour as opening act for James Brown, performing before large audiences including notable appearances at San Francisco's Fillmore West Auditorium. Stewart remarked that their more intense live sound complemented innovative lighting effects.
Later that year, they joined Dave Berry on a UK package tour that also featured Dusty Springfield and the Alan Price Set.
During this era, Stewart honed his songwriting skills; however, most compositions still came from external writers. Their next project was With Woman in Mind, an early concept album centered on themes of relationships but lacking a cohesive story arc. It included songs like "I Want Her, She Wants Me" (written by Rod Argent), "Ashes to Ashes", and "Schoolgirl" (by Graham Gouldman). The album did not achieve commercial success and was not issued in the United States; its single "We'll Talk About It Tomorrow" also failed to chart.
The band appeared in the 1967 Sidney Poitier film To Sir, with Love, contributing two tracks to its soundtrack. Shortly after this period, Rothwell departed and was succeeded by Paul Hancox. Around this time, Graham Gouldman took on production duties while future Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones assisted with arrangements.
Later in 1967, their rendition of "The Letter" reached only No. 42 on the UK charts—marking their final charting single there—while the original version by the Box Tops secured a Top 10 position in the UK. After further unsuccessful releases, Lang left in March 1968 and was replaced by Gouldman. Under producer Ric Dixon’s guidance, they recorded Gouldman's "Uncle Joe, the Ice Cream Man," which became their last single.
The Mindbenders officially dissolved on 20 November 1968 following a UK tour where they supported acts such as the Who, Arthur Brown, and Joe Cocker.
Aftermath
Before establishing 10cc, Stewart and Gouldman worked together in Hotlegs. Lang had a short stint with the rock group Racing Cars, known for their 1977 UK hit "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" which peaked at No. 14, although he did not participate in any recordings with them.
Personnel
- Wayne Fontana (Glyn Geoffrey Ellis, born 28 October 1945, Manchester – deceased 6 August 2020) – lead vocals, tambourine (1963–1965)
- Bob Lang (Robert Francis Lang, born 10 January 1946, Manchester) – bass guitar (1963–1968)
- Ric Rothwell (Eric Rothwell, born 11 March 1944, Stockport) – drums (1963–1967)
- Eric Stewart (Eric Michael Stewart, born 20 January 1945, Droylsden) – guitar, vocals (1963–1968)
- Paul Hancox (born 25 October 1950, Birmingham) – drums (1967–1968)
- Graham Gouldman (Graham Keith Gouldman, born 10 May 1946, Salford) – bass guitar (1968)
- Jimmy O'Neil (James Andrew O'Neil, born 6 July 1945, Birmingham – died January 2016) – organ (1968)
- Ted Lee (Edward James Lee, born 26 December 1940, Manchester) – bass guitar
Studio albums
- Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders
- Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders (released as Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um – It's Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders) – 1965 (UK Fontana TL5230)
- The Game of Love – 1965 (US Fontana MGF 27542 Mono / SRF 67542 Stereo)
- Eric, Rick, Wayne and Bob – It's Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders – 1965 (UK Fontana TL5257)
- The Mindbenders
- The Mindbenders (UK Fontana STL 5324) – June 1966
- A Groovy Kind of Love (US Fontana MGF 27554 Mono / SRF 67554 Stereo) – US No. 92, July 1966
- Initial pressings included "Don't Cry No More," later replaced by "Ashes to Ashes"
- With Woman in Mind (UK Fontana STL 5403) – April 1967
Compilation albums
- Hit Single Anthology (Europe Fontana 848 161–2) – released in 1991
- The Best of Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders (US Fontana 314 522 666–2) – released in 1994
Appearances
- To Sir, with Love: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (US Fontana SRF-67569 / UK Fontana STL-5446) - released in 1967
Singles
- Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders
| Year | Single | Catalogue | Chart Positions | UK album | US album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AU | CAN | IRL | US | |||||
| 1963 | "Hello Josephine" b/w "Road Runner" |
UK Fontana TF404 | 46 | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | Non-album tracks |
| "For You, for You" b/w "Love Potion No. 9" |
UK Fontana TF418 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1964 | "Little Darlin'" b/w "Come Dance with Me" |
UK Fontana TF436 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Stop Look and Listen" UK B-side: "Duke of Earl" US B-side: "Road Runner" |
UK Fontana TF451 US Fontana 1917 |
37 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" b/w "First Taste of Love" |
UK Fontana TF497 | 5 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1965 | "The Game of Love" b/w "Since You've Been Gone" b/w "One More Time" (Second US pressing) |
UK Fontana TF535 US Fontana 1503 US Fontana 1509 (Second US pressing) |
2 | 38 | 3 | 10 | 1 | A-side Non-album track B1-side Non-album track B2-side Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders |
A-side The Game of Love B1-side Non-album track B2-side The Game of Love |
| "It's Just a Little Bit Too Late" b/w "Long Time Comin'" |
UK Fontana TF579 US Fontana 1514 |
20 | 55 | 9 | — | 45 | 'Eric, Rick, Wayne and Bob' | Non-album tracks | |
| "She Needs Love" b/w "Like I Did" |
UK Fontana TF611 US Fontana 1524 |
32 | — | — | — | — | 'A-side Non-album track B-side Eric, Rick, Wayne and Bob' | ||
- The Mindbenders
< small > b/w "You Don't Know About Love" </ small > "I Want Her, She Wants Me"
< small > b/w "The Morning After" </ small > "We'll Talk About It Tomorrow"
< small > b/w "Far Across Town" </ small > "Off and Running"
< small > b/w "It's Getting Harder All the Time"</ small> "The Letter"
< small > b/w "My New Day and Age"</ small > "Schoolgirl"
< small > b/w "Coming Back"</ small > 'Blessed Are the Lonely'
< small > b/w 'Yellow Brick Road'</ small > 'Uncle Joe, the Ice Cream Man'
< small > b/w 'The Man Who Loved Trees'</ small > 1969
| Year | Single | Catalogue | Chart Positions | UK album | US album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK</ small > | < small > AU </ small > | < small > CAN </ small > | < small > IRL </ small > | < small > US </ small > | |||||
| "A Groovy Kind of Love" < small > b/w "Love Is Good" </ small > |
UK Fontana TF644 US Fontana1541 |
2 | — | 4 | 9 | 2 | The Mindbenders | A Groovy Kind of Love | |
| "Can't Live with You< small > (Can't Live Without You) </ small>"< br />< small > b/w "One Fine Day" </ small> | "UK Fontana TF697" | "28" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "Non-album track" | "B: The Mindbenders" | |
| "UK Fontana TF731 US Fontana1555" |
"14" | "—" | "18" | "—" | "55" | "A: With Woman in Mind" | "B: The Mindbenders" | ||
| "UK Fontana TF780 US Fontana1571" |
"—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "With Woman in Mind" | |||
| "UK Fontana TF806" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "Non-album track" | |||
| "US Fontana1595" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "To Sir, with Love: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" | |||
| UK FontanaTF869 | "42" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | Non-album track | |||
| 'UK FontanaTF877' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | 'A: With Woman in Mind B: Non-album track' | |||
| 'UK FontanaTF910 USFontana1620' |
'—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | 'Non-album track' | |||
| 'UKFontanaTF961 USFontana1628' |
'—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | 'Non-album track' | |||
| 'A Groovy Kind of Love' < small > b/w 'Ashes to Ashes'</ small > |
'UKFontanaTF1026' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | 'A: The Mindbenders B: With Woman in Mind' |
'B: Non-album track' | |
See also
- List of music artists and bands from Manchester
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
Notes
- A New recording version.
External links
- under Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders
- credited to Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
- listed as The Mindbenders
- attributed to Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders
- identified as The Mindbenders
- featuring Wayne Fontana