handbags and gladrags

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

This song was written by Mike D'Abo but my question is who was the first person to sing it comercially. I believed that it was Rod Stewart, however it has been suggested to me that it was Steve Harley.

― Tom Pascoe, Friday, 5 March 2004 07:16 (twenty-one years ago)

My first listen was by Rod on Gasoline Alley. Good number.

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 5 March 2004 07:20 (twenty-one years ago)

chris farlowe.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 5 March 2004 07:21 (twenty-one years ago)

rjg otm

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 5 March 2004 09:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Des'ree

― ddb, Friday, 5 March 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

It was on The Rod Stewart Album in 1969, not Gasoline Alley, at least in the US. Mike D'Abo was in Rod's backing band for that album.

― Curt (cgould), Friday, 5 March 2004 18:42 (twenty-one years ago)

freelove on the freelove freeway

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 5 March 2004 18:43 (twenty-one years ago)

if you don't know me by know, sung by david brent

― cutty (mcutt), Friday, 5 March 2004 19:37 (twenty-one years ago)

he sold 50 copies of that, y'know

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Friday, 5 March 2004 20:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Curt, you're right. It is from The Rod Stewart Album, with Mike D'Abo on piano. I should've cleaned some of the dust off of this old thang before I so hastily answered.

― jim wentworth (wench), Saturday, 6 March 2004 02:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I just went and googled some background from a Sunday Express article:

D'Abo promised the song Handbags and Gladrags to R&B singer Chris Farlowe and it went to No33 in 1967. But it was already in demand. "The same week, Rod Stewart came round to the house to discuss songs. Stupidly I played him Handbags and Gladrags and he said, 'I have to record it'. I had promised it to Chris but I told Rod that if he ever got an album deal, we would do it then."
A year later, Stewart had his album deal and came back to claim the track. "He arrived at 6pm and the studio was booked for 10 o'clock the next morning. We stayed up writing flute, oboe, French horn and string parts and booking musicians – not an easy task at 12 hours' notice. At 10am we went into the studio and did it in one take.

― Curt (cgould), Saturday, 6 March 2004 16:55 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.