ADRIAN BAKER can lay a fair claim to being ‘first’ in the current mix and medley disease. Back in 1978, Adrian, who hails from Romford, Essex, where he owns his own studio and indulges his alter-ego, Liquid Gold, recorded ‘Beach Boy Gold’ and released it under the name Gidea Park.
“We had half an hour to think of a pseudonym for the record. Most of the harmony vocalists in this country — Tony Rivers and the Castaways for example — come from Gidea Park in Essex.”
Before the record’s original release (first time around it got to 81 and died) Adrian had had a hit with a remake of the Four Seasons’ ‘Sherry’ and made jingles for anyone from Noel Edmunds to Crown Paint.
‘Beach Boy Gold’ has two sequels. “Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys heard the Gidea Park medley when he went to the Roger Scott show at Capital for a Brian Wilson celebration. As a result he invited me over to the States to co-produce the band and I ended up singing with them for two months while Carl Wilson toured with his solo material. Now I’m trying to write some new Beach Boys material in the old style.”
Plus there’s a follow up to ‘Beach Boy Gold’ — this time with a different beat; “The first record has a straight beat, the next one is called ‘California Girls’ and consists of the best of all the Beach Boys’ shuffle songs.”
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