Doctor Father (1970) Umbopo

Mid 70s art rockers 10 cc, known for the transatlantic soft rock hit "I'm Not in Love", had a long chequered career of differing combinations and collaborations before debuting as a whole in 1973. At one point in 1970, three of the band's classic foursome were in a configuration known as Doctor Father, this was one of many aliases they sued to release experimental singles form their base in Stockport, Manchester's Strawberry Studios. They used names such as Hotlegs and New Wave Band for single releases and used Doctor Father for the release of this track that is a slower, reworked version of an earlier track released under the band name Crazy Elephant in 1969. Got that right?

Well the song itself is fantastic and even got the attention of Neil Sedaka who would produced an album with the future 10 cc members in Stockport based on this very song. The song is a glistening strum of a track all about being in the jungle embarking on a treacherous journey to find the Umbopo,which reminds me of Bob Dylan's The Mighty Quinn. It may be a type of elephant, though it may not exist as is stated in the closing refrain; "There ain't no Umbopo!". The song features great falsetto vocals from Kevin Godley, though it didn't catch on with the public like later releases it is a crafted song with a nice melody but more less commercial lyrics; a sign of their later work.