The Love I Lost – West End feat. Sybil

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The Love I Lost – West End feat. Sybil

 

I love finding out more about songs I love and remember.
Back in 1993 in my night clubbing days, this song was a huge favouite, it was slightly different to other dance songs of that time which were even more beat heavy. This song has proper lyrics, a proper tune and is a stand out track which used to fill dance floors, it's had so many remixes I don't even know which is the official original version. It's one of those songs I hear and can suddenly cast my mind back to those days, visions of dancing with my mates and the bright lights spinning round our heads, speakers cranking out this at top volume. You could see everyone belting this one out as it's so singable and the subject matter is so universal, we all have a love that didn't make it.

Sybil was one of those artists that fitted perfectly into a certain genre, releasing hits basically based on each other, everyone of them perfect pop tunes and instantly recognizable. Another favourite being 'When I'm Good And Ready.'

I was recently watching a documentary about singer Teddy Pendergrass who was the lead vocalist in a group called the Harold Melvin & The Blue Tones back in the day, another band I didn't know much about. I was quite surprised by their list of hits as it turns out that some of them have been covered in the past 30 years by some big artists. Simply Red for example redid 'If You Don't Know Me By Now,' and The Communards releasing 'Don't Leave Me This Way'.
Watching the film I was quite shocked to hear the Blue Tones released the original version of this song, which up until then I thought was an original for Sybil. To hear a man sing it for starters and their version was very disco sounding, so much more heart felt.

Teddy Pendergrass left the Blue Tones and went solo where he had a huge career with many Platinum selling songs and albums, he'd had a big falling out with Harold Melvin who claimed to be the band leader but it was Teddy that was the driving force as the well respected lead singer.
Sadly Teddy suffered a huge car crash a few years later, this really interrupted his career and savagely left him in a wheelchair.

 Favourite lyric : And I can remember hoping / That you and I could make it on through


Location: Rayleigh, UK

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