Straight’s Lost Early ’70s Folk-Rock Album ‘Going for Broke’ Comes To CD
‘Going for Broke’ by Straight is a long-shelved early ’70s British folk-rock album, recorded in London between late 1971 and summer 1972 by a young Portsmouth band comprising Tom Powell, John Lytle, Andy McGuigan and Mike McGuigan.
Left unfinished at the time and never given a proper contemporary release, the album is now issued on CD via Seelie Court / Good Time Records. It dates from the period when the group were connected with Les Reed’s Chapter One, and brings together a set of gentle, melodic songs built around close harmonies, acoustic guitars, melodic bass, piano, organ, Mellotron and Tom Powell’s blues harp.
The story begins, improbably enough, on the set of Ken Russell’s film The Boy Friend. Tom Powell, then working around the production, met and became involved with Barbara Windsor, who was appearing in the film. At Windsor’s encouragement, he put a band together for an end-of-shoot celebration. Powell brought in Portsmouth musicians Andy and Mike McGuigan, along with guitarist and songwriter John Lytle. What might have been a one-night party group quickly turned into something more serious.
Straight had no drummer, but rather than weaken the sound, that absence became a crucial part of the band’s character. Mike McGuigan’s bass holds the songs together, while the guitars, piano and close harmonies give the music a warm, surprisingly full sound. The harmonies suggest West Coast folk-rock, but Straight’s music has a more English feel. The songs are gentle and hopeful, but there is a grey edge to them too, as if the band already knew this kind of moment would not last.
The recordings were made across several London studios, including locations around Highbury, Denmark Street and Marquee Studios. One of the strongest pieces, ‘My World’, was recorded with a Mellotron that happened to be in the studio, adding a strange, dreamlike colour to the song. Engineer Phil Dunne of Marquee Studios is the one studio figure firmly confirmed in the surviving credits.
The album opens with ‘Back In Town’ and ‘Tomorrow’s Too Late’, two songs about moving on, missing home and looking for what comes next. ‘Best For Us Both’, ‘Take Me There’, ‘I Have Waited’ and ‘Time For Living’ follow the same line of love, distance and uncertainty. ‘Forget It’ has its own story, tied to Powell’s relationship with Barbara Windsor, who also contributes to the recording.
As the album was being pieced together, Chapter One’s circumstances changed and Straight’s recordings were shelved. Powell’s relationship with Windsor also became part of tabloid mythology. What followed was messy, painful and damaging, and the band did not survive it. Powell later left the country and settled in Spain for a time. The others moved on with their lives: Andy and Mike McGuigan went into the clothing trade, while John Lytle continued playing music, later joining Isle of Wight punk group The Pumphouse Gang.
For years, Straight’s music existed only as unfinished recordings, surviving fragments and memories. This release of ‘Going for Broke’ offers another welcome insight into the rich folk-rock and singer-songwriter period of the early 1970s. It’s a modest, likeable album with very strong songs, warm playing and a band that might have gone much further if luck had been on their side.
The CD edition also includes liner notes by me. I was very happy to be part of this release and to help tell Straight’s story, from Portsmouth to Ken Russell’s film set, from London studios to years of silence, and now back into circulation. I also want to point readers toward Michael Björn’s insightful Shindig! article, “Barbara, The Crooked Story of Straight,” for anyone who wants to read more about the band’s story.
After listening to this album countless times, and now with the satisfaction of finally seeing it released, two words keep coming to mind: human and warm. Very warm, in fact.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Straight (Credit: Seelie Court / Good Time Records)
Seelie Court Facebook / Instagram
Good Time Records Website / Facebook / Instagram
