The Real Thing - Best Of (2020)

Iconic British soul and funk band, The Real Thing, will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2020 with the release of a brand-new Best Of album, featuring a never-before-released track, released on BMG on 10th January 2020. The release coincides with a brand-new documentary about the group, Everything – The Real Thing Story, by filmmaker Simon Sheridan which will be coming to cinemas in January 2020. Formed in 1970, The Real Thing’s incredible rise from the streets of Toxteth in Liverpool to the bright lights of New York is chronicled in this new album full of incredible hits, including ‘Can’t Get By Without You’, ‘You’ll Never Know What You’re Missing’, ‘Can You Feel The Force’, and of course the ubiquitous song that saw the band become the first all-black British group to hit #1 in the UK charts: ‘You to Me Are Everything’. The Real Thing were formed out of the ashes of Liverpool band The Chants, whom The Beatles performed as a backing band for at the height of their fame such was the admiration between the two bands for each other. Consisting of Chris Amoo, Eddie Amoo, Ray Lake, and Dave Smith, The Real Thing toured worldwide, including a period as David Essex’s backing band, as well as achieving their own success both in the 1970’s and 1980’s, when remixes of their notable hits were re-released. Several tracks on this brand-new Best Of album will be appearing on CD format for the very first time, and as well as this, it will include a brand-new track – ‘Someone Oughta Write a Song (About You Baby)’. Originally written and recorded with Ken Gold and Mick Denne, the same team behind several of the band’s hits including ‘You To Me Are Everything’ and ‘Can’t Get By Without You’, ‘’Someone Oughta Write a Song (About You Baby)’ was due to be the third of a would-be trio of hits, however it was shelved when the band decided they wanted to write and produce their own material, despite being fully mixed. For decades it remained a lost track, until in 2017 Ken Gold found the only remaining tape copy of the track in a storage locker. Through a process known as ‘tape baking’, with the assistance of James Guthrie (Pink Floyd engineer/ producer), the tape was salvaged, playable, and transferred to digital. The band featuring original members Chris Amoo and Dave Smith will also perform at The Jazz Café in London on 14th January.