Satisfaction -

Satisfaction was an English brass-rock band that released a self-titled album and two singles on Decca in 1971. They recorded a second album, Three Ages of Man, that remained vaulted for 42 years.

Members: Mike Cotton (trumpet, flugelhorn), John Beecham (trombone), Derek Griffiths (guitar, vocals), Bernie Higginson [aka Byrnes] (drums, vocals), Lem Lubin (saxophone, bass), Nick Newell (saxophone, flute, vibraphone)

Background

Satisfaction sprung from the Mike Cotton Sound, a London R&B houseband led by trumpeter Mike Cotton, a soul and jazz bandleader since the early Fifties.

Cotton (b. August 12, 1939) grew up in Tottenham, North London, and took up trumpet and flugelhorn. As a teenager during the UK trad-jazz boom, he formed the Mike Cotton Jazzmen. After some years on the Southwest club circuit, they cut four singles and two EPs between August 1961 and May 1963 on Columbia.

In October 1962, Columbia issued The Wild and the Willing, an EP with four Jazzmen cuts for the namesake British college drama starring Virginia Maskell, Paul Rogers, Samantha Eggar, Ian McShane, and (in his film debut) John Hurt. The final Jazzmen release, “Swing That Hammer” (b/w “Heartaches”), reached No. 36 on the UK Singles Chart.^>

Mike Cotton Sound

After a late-1963 spell as the Mike Cotton Band, they reconfigured as the Mike Cotton Sound, an octet with trombonist John Beecham, saxophonist John Crocker, keyboardist Dave Rowberry, bassist/banjoist Stu Morrison, guitarist Les ‘Mome’ Muscutt, drummer Jimmy Garforth, and Scottish singer Jeanie Lambe. Their new style echoed the R&B/pop sound of Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band and Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames.

In April 1964, Columbia issued the first Mike Cotton Sound single: “I Don’t Wanna Know,” a Beecham/Rowberry original backed with Cotton’s “This Little Pig.” Both songs appeared on their self-titled album, released in May 1964 with ten additional songs, including covers of Herbie Hancock (“Watermelon Man”), the Jazz Messengers (“Moanin”’), and The Clovers (“Love Potion No.9,” a soon-to-be hit for The Searchers).

The Mike Cotton Sound served as a UK tour group for visiting American pop and soul singers, including Gene Pitney, Stevie Wonder, and Solomon Burke. After their October 1964 second single “Round and Round” (b/w “Beau Dudley,” both Cotton originals), Morrison cleared for bassist Jim Rodford.

In July 1965, Columbia issued their single: “Make Up Your Mind” backed with “I’ve Got My Eye On You,” both Rowberry/Rodford originals. By the time of this release, Rowberry replaced Alan Price in The Animals and played on their hits “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and “It’s My Life.”

By mid-1966, Cotton reconfigured his band with Beecham, Crocker, Rodford, Jeanie Lambe, and three new recuits: guitarist Eric Lees, drummer Bernard ‘Bernie Burns’ Higginson, and male vocalist Lucas. In August, Polydor issued their fourth single: “Harlem Shuffle” backed with the Cotton/Leese original “Like That.” The Action cultivated the a-side, a 1963 R&B song by the American vocal duo Bob & Earl. Lucus claimed featured status in subsequent Cotton Sound lineups.

In April 1967, Pye issued the first of three singles billed to Lucas & The Mike Cotton Sound: “Step Out of Line” backed with “Ain’t Love Good, Ain’t Love Proud,” both covers. Between April and July 1968, they cut two MGM singles: “We Got a Thing Going Baby” (b/w “Soul Serenade”) and “Jack and the Beanstalk” (b/w “Mother-In-Law”), all covers. Late-stage lineups including brief memberships of Tramline guitarist Mick Moody (future Juicy Lucy, Whitesnake) and Looners/Shotgun Express keyboardist Pete Bardens (later Camel).

In early 1969, Rodford jumped ship to Argent, the namesake band of his cousin, former Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent. The final Cotton Sound lineup gigged as a septet comprised of Cotton, Beecham, Higginson, Jeanie Lambe, guitarist Derek ‘Low’ Griffiths (ex-Artwoods), bassist Lem Lubin, and saxophonist Nick Newell. After Jeanie’s departure, Cotton rechristened the band Satisfaction, a sextet grounded at the crossroads of blues, rock, soul, and jazz.

Satisfaction

Satisfaction released their self-titled album in January 1971 on Decca. The album contains one song by Bernie Higginson (“Cold Summer”) and two by Lem Lubin (“She Follows the Band,” “Call You Liar, Liar”), who co-wrote “Go Through Changes” with Derek Griffiths, who composed “Just Like Friends” and co-wrote songs with John Beecham (“Sharing”) and Mike Cotton (“Just Lay Back and Enjoy It”). Side B contains “You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie,” a Tim Hardin cover.

Cotton plays trumpet, flugelhorn, harmonica, and pocket cornet on Satisfaction, which features brass by Beecham (trombone, tuba) and additional trumpet by reedist Nick Newell, who plays flute and saxophone (alto, tenor). Lubin plays bass and acoustic guitar and sings most of the vocals, backed by Cotton, drummer Higginson, and lead guitarist Griffiths.

A1. “Just Lay Back and Enjoy It” (7:35)
A2. “She Follows the Band” (3:52)
A3. “Cold Summer” (5:08)
A4. “Sharing” (6:15)

B1. “Call You Liar, Liar” (4:17)
B2. “You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie” (6:27) originated on the 1967 Verve Forecast release Tim Hardin 2, the US singer/songwriter’s second album.
B3. “Just Like Friends” (4:01)
B4. “Go Through Changes” (7:08)

Sessions occurred in late 1970 with Decca/Deram staffer David Hitchcock, who produced Satisfaction in sequence with titles by Aardvark, East of Eden, Fuchsia, Jan Dukes de Grey, Walrus, and the third Caravan album (In the Land of Grey and Pink). Fellow Decca soundman John Punter engineered Satisfaction back-to-back with EoE’s Snafu and the debut Hunter Muskett album (Every Time You Move).

Satisfaction appeared with a bold primary-color lips illustration, backed with monochrome portrait pics of the six hirsute members.

1971 Singles

On February 12, 1971, Satisfaction released an exclusive track: “Love It Is,” a Lem Lubin original backed with “Cold Summer,” a pre-released deep cut. Decca issued the single in the UK and Greece.

A. “Love It Is”
B. “Cold Summer”

On July 30, Satisfaction released two exclusive sides: “Don’t Rag the Lady,” a Lubin/Beecham number backed with “Gregory Shan’t,” a Newell/Higginson track. Hitchcock produced the single, which Decca issued in the UK, Belgium, Germany, and Italy.

A. “Don’t Rag the Lady”
B. “Gregory Shan’t”

Three Ages of Man

In 1972, Satisfaction completed work on their second album, comprised of seven originals and the Animals cover “House of the Rising Sun.” The contents remained vaulted until the appearance of Three Ages of Man, a 2014 archival disc on the Acid Jazz label.

Derek Griffiths wrote “My Fixation,” “Reprise,” and the title track. Lem Lubin composed two songs (“Liar Liar,” “One Man Band”) and co-wrote “Hotel” with John Beecham. The disc also contains the 1971 a-side “Don’t Rag the Lady” and the Griffiths-arranged traditional “Don’t Turn Away.”

1. “My Fixation” (7:52)
2. “Don’t Turn Away” (1:47)
3. “House of the Rising Sun” (9:03)
4. “Three Ages of Man” (1:59)
5. “Don’t Rag the Lady” (5:10)
6. “One Man Band” (1:59)
7. “Liar Liar” (5:58)
8. “Hotel” (2:25)
9. “My Fixation – Reprise” (8:45)

Satisfaction recorded seven tracks on April 28, 1971, with the same lineup as their earlier album. Two tracks (“Liar Liar,” “Reprise”) date from a 1972 session with Titus Groan drummer Jim Toomey, who later surfaced in The Tourists.

Post-Satisfaction

Mike Cotton retained John Beecham for a new ‘Mike Cotton Sound’ with saxist/clarinetist Alan Holmes (ex-Sounds Incorporated). They served as a brass-trio auxiliary (studio and live) for the 1971–73 ragtime iteration of The Kinks, as chronicled on the albums Percy, Muswell Hillbillies, Everybody’s in Show-Biz, and Preservation Act 1. They also played on 1972/73 albums by Caravan (Waterloo Lily), Chris Youlden, Colin Blunstone, and Michael Fennelly.

Discography: