Françoise Hardy, leaping from #34 to #15

(I once met a guy who told me I reminded him of his favourite female singer, a lady he referred to as 'Frankus Ardy'. Sadly, the resemblance between me and the glamorous Ms Hardy did not go beyond my having long, dark hair.)

Incense is also to be found amongst the 25 gems on The Soul of Sue, Vol 2

There has long been controversy over this brilliant and highly-collectable single and the identity of the Anglos' vocalist, who is often alleged to be Steve Winwood. Some of the confusion undoubtedly arose because Winwood is known to have performed under the pseudonyms 'Steve Anglo' and 'Steve D'Angelo'. He has stated via his official website that he had no involvement with the Incense session. Despite this insistence on Steve Winwood's part, the single appears on the compilation CD The Spencer Davis Group Singles!

Brian Long reports in The London Sound that Tony Windsor was receiving letters of complaint from listeners. Having heard Incense, (first issued on an early Chris Blackwell label Brit – BRIT WI 004), they had experienced difficulty in finding it (to paraphrase a TW catchphrase) 'available at their local store'. The recording was then switched to Fontana, although the Record Collector Price Guide lists it as having two matrix numbers, Fontana TF 561 (unreleased) and Fontana TF 589.

Whether or not being with Fontana resulted in improved distribution, is debatable. The Spencer Davis Group's single Strong Love was released on the same label around this time and a month later, prompted TW to air further listener complaints about both singles' unavailability!

As to the mystery vocalist, Peter Young received a phonecall from the single's producer, Jimmy Miller, after he played the single during a Soul Cellar show. Jimmy (who died in 1994) told PY that he had sung the lead on Incense. If that is the case, Jimmy possessed an incredible, soulful voice and should have been making a lot more singles of his own!

It seems likely that Incense was recorded by Jimmy Miller and others in the States, as Chris Blackwell maintains that he heard the single while there (it was released on the Orbit label) and was so impressed that he brought Miller to work in the UK on the strength of it. Miller did work with the Spencer Davis Group and went on to produce many top bands, including the Stones. Incense was later recorded by Owen Gray (see Fab 7th March 65) as an Island B-side in 1967, and the Anglos' version of the song was reissued on Island in 1969.

Jimmy Miller (b 1942 New York, d 1994) was married to Gayle Shepherd, lead singer on the 1957 Top Twenty US single by the Shepherd Sisters, Alone. They had a daughter, Deena, who is also a singer and has her own website, where she shares family photos and biographies of her mother and father. Jimmy was the producer of many well-known albums, including the Stones' Beggars' Banquet and Let it Bleed.