Mighty Avengers, The ?– So Much In Love

TracklistHide Credits

Credits

• Directed By – John Paul Jones
• Producer – Andrew Loog Oldham

History

The group were managed by Andrew Loog Oldham, who at the same time, also managed The Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote the group's only hit, "So Much In Love",[1] which spent two weeks in the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 46 at the end of 1964.[2]

The group released several more singles, including "Hide Your Pride,[3] which all failed to chart.[2] The band split up in the mid-1960s, though several members later joined the group Jigsaw, which had several chart hits in the mid-1970s.

Band members

• Tony Campbell (lead guitar, vocal)
• Dave "Biffo" Beech (drums, vocal)
• Mike Linnell (bass, lead vocal)
• Kevin "Bep" Mahon (guitar, harmonica)

Pop Into The Past: The Mighty Avengers

• Legendary session guitarist ‘Big Jim Sullivan can be heard playing on So Much in Love.
• Their Decca single So Much in Love would now set you back £25 in good condition.
• The Mighty Avengers were erroneously referred to as ‘a Liverpool band’ in the Andrew Loog Oldham book ‘Stoned’ it also suggests one of the band was sick on Oldham’s desk, though Tony Campbell has no recollection of any such incident.

Local music expert Pete Chambers takes a look back at the best in pop music from the past and present that came from our area.

Every other Friday from 3pm, Pete will be on air to talk about the bands, singers and songs that made Britain swing during the 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. You can also take a trip down memory lane with the songs themselves.

The Mighty Avengers - By Pete Chambers

Formed in 1962, The Mighty Avengers had four claims to fame. Claim to fame number one, saw them link up with loose Cannon manager Andrew Loog Oldham (after their initial release Hide Your Pride failed to do the business) - who just so happened to be managing the Rolling Stones at the time. So the Mighty Avengers got to use the songs that the Glimmer Twins (Mick n Keef) deemed less that worthy for Rolling Stone use.

Claim to fame number Two, one of those songs So Much In Love, was a record that became a record (if you see what I mean). Although only charting at a humble 46, it never the less made history by being the first ‘local’ band to dent the UK singles chart. (Frank Ifield had already clocked up 13 hits in the hit parade by this time, but he was of course classed as a solo artist as apposed to a group).

The Mighty Avengers went on to release the singles Blue Turns To Grey (later a hit for Cliff Richard) and the sublime tour de force (Walkin’ Thru The) Sleepy City. Sadly Tony Campbell (lead guitar, vocals) Dave ‘Biffo’ Beech (drums and vocals), Mike Linnell (bass and lead vocal) and Kevin ‘Bep’ Mahon (guitar and harmonica) failed to dent the charts again as The Mighty Avengers, but……

Claim to fame number three, the band would later re-emerge as Jigsaw and take the music world by storm with the ever popular sky High.

Claim to Fame number four, When the late great John Peel died, he left a box of 142 - 7” vinyl singles, believed to be his favourites, amongst them was the single So Much In love. When you look at the company it was keeping, (I refer to the likes of Elmore James, MC5, the Beatles and of course The Undertones), it’s easy to see what an impressive legacy the band left behind them.

I recently managed to track down the legendary and very elusive Andrew Loog Oldham, and asked him if he remembered the Mighty Avengers?, he replied, "Of course, often and fondly". I asked him if he felt they could have been bigger than they actually were? He replied in his usual Delphian way, "We had good songs, and as I recall, had a nice time getting them done, and you can still hear it, it doesn't get much better than that".

Strictly Graded - RECORD COLLECTOR Grading System.

Grading System: In order to assist everyone who buys and sells rare discs, Record Collector magazine has originated a set of standards for the condition of second-hand records, I have added a (+) or (-) to my gradings where applicable.

MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint. 

EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing. 

VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.

FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump.

The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

BAD: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.

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