Cado Belle

Cado Belle was a Scottish soul-funk band that released a 1976 self-titled album and a 1977 EP, both on Anchor. Singer Maggie Reilly sings on the Mike Oldfield hits “Family Man” and “Moonlight Shadow.”

Background

Cado Belle had their roots in a musical partnership between singer Maggie Reilly and keyboardist Stuart MacKillop, who invited her into his band, Joe Cool. In October 1974, they joined with another local act, Up (no connection to UPP). The merged band comprised Maggie, MacKillop, and four fellow newcomers: guitarist Alan Darby, bassist Gavin Hodgson, drummer Davy Roy, and reedist Colin Tully.

They chose “Cado” (a clay vase used for liquid) as an apparent metaphor of the curvature of a “Belle” (a beautiful woman). Cado Belle signed with Anchor, a UK division of ABC Records. MacKillop and Tully wrote the band’s material with outside lyricist Alasdair Robertson.

Cado Belle

Cado Belle released their singular album in September 1976 on Anchor. It features ten originals in a slick soul-pop vein. 

MacKillop composed “Got to Love” and co-wrote five songs with Robertson, who also collaborated with Tully on “Rocked to Stony Silence,” “I Name This Ship Survival,” “Airport Shutdown,” and “Stones Throw From Nowhere.”

Musically, Cado Belle ranges from funky upbeat numbers (“All Too Familiar,” “Airport Shutdown,” “Infamous Mister”) to misty ballads (“Rocked to Stony Silence” “Paper in the Rain” “Rough Diamonds”).

A1. “All Too Familiar” (3:04)
A2. “Infamous Mister” (3:51)
A3. “Rocked to Stony Silence” (5:27)
A4. “I Name This Ship Survival” (4:25)
A5. “Paper in the Rain” (3:58)

B1. “That Kind of Fool” (3:54)
B2. “Airport Shutdown” (3:41)
B3. “Rough Diamonds” (4:38)
B4. “Got to Love” (2:48)
B5. “Stones Throw From Nowhere” (4:44)

Cado Belle recorded the album with Keith Olsen, the American West Coast producer/engineer behind the 1973 Polydor release Buckingham Nicks; a credit that led to his involvement (and the duo‘s membership) on the 1975 eponymous tenth album by Fleetwood Mac, which crested on the US Billboard 200 just as Cado Belle hit shelves.

Cado Belle features string arrangements by Paul Buckmaster, a longtime Elton John associate. Telly co-arranged the horns with Olsen and Kokomo saxophonist Mel Collins, a King Crimson alumnus and future Camel member.

Photographer Alan Messer snapped the group cover shot, presented as a billboard poster in a flooded old town, where wave splashes enter the photo and spray the members. Messer’s photography also appears on 1976/77 covers for Mott, Nutz, Stretch, and Paice Ashton Lord. 

Anchor lifted “Got to Love” as a single backed with “Paper in the Rain” (UK) and “That Kind of Fool” (UK). In February 1977, “Stones Throw From Nowhere” became the second UK single backed with “Airport Shutdown,” which became an April US a-side (b/w “Paper in the Rain”).

The Cado Belle EP

In 1977, Cado Belle released a EP with originals by Darby (“September”) and MacKillop (“Play It Once for Me”) between covers of Boz Scaggs (“It’s Over”) and Brenton Wood (“Gimme Little Sign”)^>.

A1. “It’s Over” (2:59)
A2. “September” (5:26)
B1. “Play It Once for Me” (2:34)
B2. “Gimme Little Sign” (2:39)

Cado Belle recorded the EP with ex-Spencer Davis bassist Muff Winwood, a recent Sparks and Deaf School soundman who worked concurrently with Burlesque on their 1977 debut. Winwood co-produced the EP with Rhett Davies, a longtime soundman on the solo output of Roxy Music personnel (Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera). Davies recently mixed Second Thoughts, the second album (and Northern Hemisphere debut) by Kiwi art-rockers Split Enz.

The EP cover presents Victorian postcards arranged by Graves Aslett Assoc., a visual firm behind recent covers for Absolute Elsewhere and Vangelis.

After Cado Belle

In 1979, the London-based disco trio Ritz recorded the Reilly–MacKillop composition “Ain’t No Doubt About It” on their Epic album Puttin’ On the Ritz, recorded with keyboardist Lynton Naiff (Affinity), drummer Graham Jarvis (Deep Feeling), guitarist Robert Ahwai (Hummingbird), violinist Gavyn Wright (Penguin Cafe Orchestra), trumpeter Henry Lowther, and saxophonist Ray Warleigh.

Maggie Reilly joined Mike Oldfield‘s backing band for his 1980–84 albums QE2, Five Miles Out, Crises, and Discovery. Her vocal spots include the singles “Sheba,” “Five Miles Out,” “Family Man” (a US hit for Hall & Oates), “To France” (Belgium No. 2), and the European evergreen “Moonlight Shadow,” a No. 1 hit in nine nations (UK No. 4). She’s also appeared on albums by Flairck, Runrig, Sisters of Mercy, and side-projects from the camps of Pink Floyd (Mason + Fenn) and The Stranglers (Greenfield & Burnel). Reilly launched her solo career with the 1992 Electrola disc Echoes, made with writing input by MacKillop and Hodgson.

Alan Darby joined the backing band of ex-Bay City Rollers singer Les McKeown for the 1979–81 albums All Washed Up, 100% Live (At the Budokan), The Face of Love, and Sweet Pain. He also plays on 1981 albums by Anthony Moore, Skids, and late-period String Driven Thing vocalist Kim Beacon. In 1983, he joined Fashion for their single “Eye Talk” and its parent album Twilight of Idols. Subsequent credits include late-eighties titles by Bonnie Tyler, Colin Blunstone, Mark Knopfler, Robert Palmer, and ex-Triumvirat singer Barry Palmer.

Gavin Hodgson interacts with Darby on one track (“Don’t Tell Me”) on Talking To Myself, Beacon’s 1981 second solo album (co-produced by Stackridge–Korgis mainstay Andy Davis). Hodgson co-wrote three Echoes tracks (“Real World,” “Only a Fool,” “Wait”). He co-wrote five songs with MacKillop for Maggie’s 1993 album Midnight Sun. Bonnie Raitt includes the Darby–Hodgson number “Wherever You May Be” on her 2002 disc Silver Lining.

Stuart MacKillop co-wrote “Syonara,” the b-side to Maggie Reilly’s 1984 non-album cover of the Rolling Stones–Marianne Faithfull ballad “As Tears Go By.” He remained one of Reilly’s main songwriters into the 21st century.

Davy Roy surfaced on 1983–84 Celtic titles by Electric Ceilidh Band and Blair Douglas.

Colin Tully scored the soundtrack to the 1981 coming-of-age comedy Gregory’s Girl, starring Altered Images singer Clare Grogan. As a sessionist, he guested on albums by Fools Gold and Smokie. He also interacted with Roy on the two Celtic titles and joined John Martyn‘s late-eighties backing band.

Discography:

• Cado Belle (1976)
• The Cado Belle EP (1977)

Sources:

• Discogs: Cado Belle
• 45worlds: Cado Belle
• 45cat: Cado Belle