Today’s classic song of the day is a mid-70s gem by the Climax Blues Band. The song is “Couldn’t Get It Right” and it was released as a single in February of 1977 in the U.S. (October of 1976 in the UK.). The song went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the Cash Box Top 100; it peaked at #10 in the UK.
“Couldn’t Get It Right” was collectively written by all five members of the Climax Blues Band—Pete Haycock (vocals, guitar), Colin Cooper (vocals, sax, guitar), Richard Jones (keyboards, guitar), Derek Holt (bass, keyboards), and John Cuffley (drums). The story goes that the band’s manager, the legendary Miles Copeland (who also managed the Police), demanded that the band produce something radio-friendly for their eighth studio album, Gold Plated. (To be precise, Copeland suggested the band do a cover version of an Elvis Presley song.) Thus commanded, the boys in the band came up with a catchy original tune all about being on the road while touring the U.S. Apparently the line “Kept on looking for a sign in the middle of the night” referred to the band’s search for a Holiday Inn sign while lumbering down the road in their tour bus, which meant they’d found somewhere to crash for the night.
The Climax Blues Band, originally known as the Climax Chicago Blues Band, was a blues/rock outfit that first got together in Stafford, Statfordshire, in England, in 1968. They were a pretty big live act in their native England and have released more than 20 albums over the years (and through a number of lineup changes). “Couldn’t Get It Right” was their first mainstream hit, although they had a second hit in 1980 with the tune “I Love You.”
So here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, the Climax Blues Band performing “Couldn’t Get It Right” on the BBC’s Top of the Pops program on November 4, 1976. I kept on looking for a way to take me through the night, but I couldn’t get it right…
