Before the Bee Gees were ha ha ha Stayin’ Alive as ’70s disco kings, they actually had a psychedelic period in the late ’60s that was equally brilliant and intriguing.
Manchester-based singer-songwriter Luna Collins, and duo Strangers In A Strange Land, pay tribute to this period in the career of the brothers Gibb with a cover of their 1968 song “Lemons Never Forget.”
The song is very Beatles-esque, and it originally appeared on the Bee Gees’ second UK album Horizontal. This Bee Gees’ era is one of Collins’ favorites, and it’s expertly captured in this current iteration by these musical colleagues that include Vince Melouney as lead guitarist.
“My thoughts about covering the song went back quite a few years, but I decided to ask Vince if he would be interested in playing on a remake featuring my great musical friends, Strangers in a Strange Land,” recalls Collins.
Surprisingly, Melouney had already been toying with similar plans. “I was absolutely thrilled when Vince said he was also thinking about re-recording a version of ‘Lemons Never Forget,’” recalls Collins. “He immediately sent me his already-recorded guitar work, and we began the journey of putting the single together.”
On the song, Collins shares vocal duties with Paul Kopf, while Alec Palao contributes bass and keys. Working from various parts of the world – Manchester and Somerset (UK) as well as the San Francisco Bay Area – proved to be somewhat challenging.
“The time differences made communication tricky, but we managed to lay down all the components and voila!” says Collins.
The result is both sweet and zingy, and also plenty psychedelic in the vein of the original. The vocal harmonies performed by Collins and Kopf pay tribute to the magnificent harmonies the Gibb brothers are known for, while Melouney’s guitars are powerful and set the groovy mood for the song.
“We are all very pleased with this project and can’t wait for everyone to hear our labour of love,” says Collins.
Luna Collins grew up in San Francisco and experienced the resounding changes to our culture during the Summer of Love in the late 1960s. She listened to the radio non-stop awaiting each new Everly Brothers and Motown tune, but when the Beatles hit the Ed Sullivan Show, she knew she wanted to do that. So, she moved to the UK at 17, and found herself in and out of pub bands, singing and playing keys with no great success – but she had loads of fun.
Back in the United States, she and her new band, The Relay, took advantage of the punk/New Wave movement. The band had many ups and downs, eventually disbanding, but Collins soldiered on, continuing to write and spend time in Celtic/folk bands.
After the upheaval of divorce and quite a few years of challenges, Collins decided it was time to pursue music wholeheartedly again. In her 60s, she moved back to England and began the journey of putting together new original material to share.
Her new single “Lemons Never Forget,” with Strangers In A Strange Land and special guest Vince Melouney, is available now.
