WALLACE COLLECTION: "LA MAISON" (OST)

Original Released on LP EMI-ODEON C 062-04582 
(FRANCE, 1971)

WALLACE COLLECTION: "Serenade"

Original Released on LP EMI-Parlophone PCS 7099

(UK, 1970)

WALLACE COLLECTION: "The Laughing Cavalier" + Bonus Tracks

Original released on LP EMI-Parlophone PCS 7076

(UK, 1969)

The Wallace Collection is a Belgian group founded in 1968. The mixture of pop, jazz and classical influences gave birth to a brand new sound, a sound that was set to make a career and to mark the identity of the band: the typical sound of the Wallace Collection. The newly formed band (that was named 'cause of the art gallery of the same name in London) didn’t hide its ambitions and to realize these, it needed a manager who knew the business. The musicians decided to entrust the management to the one person who would be capable to allow them to make recordings in England. In fact, this was the big dream of every musician in that fabulous era and that was the challenge Jean Martin had undertaken to confront. Jean Martin went to EMI in London. At the time, EMI was not only the biggest and most famous of all record companies in the world, but also the most prestigious, considering the artists they represented. The greatest pop groups of all times were there to be found: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Hollies, The Shadows, Joe Cocker…. to mention but a few.

Loaded with the demo tapes of the group, Jean Martin made quite an impression to David Mackay, a producer at EMI who had just arrived from Australia, and Jean convinced David to come to Brussels, the capital of Belgium, to see the Wallace Collection perform on stage.The meeting took place in a club that was hot, and this resulted in a first contract. In essence, Raymond Vincent composed the titles that made the repertoire of the band, while the texts were delivered by Sylvain Vanholme and David Mackay. Singing was assured either by drummer Freddy Nieuland (specialised in vocals), or by guitar player Sylvain Vanholme. When the group was ready, it started to perform at different venues in London, for instance at the famous Marquee. Very quickly they made an overall good impression, quite remarkable for a band coming from the continent then. The quality of the six musicians (who, by the way, never made appeal to any studio resident musicians and who played altogether not less than twenty different instruments) gained them the reputation of journalists and professionals in the business, of being the best European group right after The Beatles.

In February 1969, EMI chose a track called “Daydream” to launch the career of the group, because this tune contained a fade-out similar to the one of “Hey Jude” by The Beatles, who had had a smash hit with this in the whole world the year before. EMI was right: "Daydream" (taken from the first Wallace Collection album, called “Laughing Cavalier”) took the hit parades by storm in the whole world. It became number one in more than twenty countries! The “Laughing Cavalier” album in general (recorded in Abbey Road by the audio engineer Geoff Emerick) was even considered by Beatles producer George Martin, as being the best to emanate during the year 1969! Many, many different versions from “Daydream” saw the light of day: In France, for instance, Claude François jumped on the song, which he recorded under the title of “Rêveries”; as a result, the Wallace themselves responded by publishing their own French version under that same title. The present edition - in original mono - of that 1st album (with seven bonus tracks) was edited in France by Magic Records in 1998.

EP PARLOPHONE LMEP 1360 (PT, 1969)

WALLACE COLLECTION: "DAYDREAM"

Disco pertencente à coleção particular de Carlos Santos, que fez a gentileza de disponibilizar as respectivas capas

WC EM AGOSTO EM PORTUGAL

("Mundo da Canção" nº 7, Junho de 1970)