By the time Newley made these two albums in ’71 and ’72 respectively, his pop heyday was a decade behind him. At a time when his most famous mimic, David Bowie, was rivalling Bolan as the biggest rock star in Britain (significantly, only after dropping the Newley-inspired quavering twang of his “Laughing Gnome” years), Tony lagged behind with this odd brace of LPs featuring songs originally penned for Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory and rummy ballads asking “Will I ever learn to eat organic food?” Hunky Dory these ain’t.
Advertisement