| Pop-Tops | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Madrid, Spain |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Years Active: | 1967-1974 |
| Label: | Barclay Sonoplay (Spain) Explosion (Spain) Bellaphon (Germany) |
| Past Members: | Phil Trim Julián Luis Angulo Alberto Vega Enrique Gómez Ignacio Pérez José Lipiani Ray Gómez Francisco Urbano Romero Rafael Guillermo Gertrudis |
Pop Tops (or Los Pop-Tops) were a vocal/instrumental band, formed in 1967 in Madrid, Spain, with Phil Trim from Trinidad and Tobago as lead singer. Their sound was a blend of baroque pop with the soulful vocals of Trim.
Original set-up included
Some changes occurred in members:
Their first release to gain attention was "Oh Lord, Why Lord" (1968), written by Jean Marcel Bouchety and Phil Trim.[1] It was the first pop song to incorporate the melody of Pachelbel's Canon in D. That single's b-side, "The Voice of the Dying Man" (based on a Johann Sebastian Bach composition) was also recorded in Spanish as "La Voz del Hombre Caido".
They are best known for their 1971 hit "Mamy Blue", referring to a son's poignant song addressed to his departed mother about his childhood memories and life in general, sometimes spelled "Mommy Blue", "Mammy Blue" or "Mummy Blue", which was a Top 10 hit throughout much of Europe, Japan (#2), and Canada (#42), and a minor Billboard Hot 100 chart hit in the United States (#57). It was covered in the US by the Stories peaking at No. 50 in 1973. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a platinum record.[2] The composer and lyricist of the French song "Mamy Blue" was Hubert Giraud.[2] English lyrics were written by Phil Trim. The Pop Tops also recorded Italian and Spanish versions, with lyrics by Gefingal.
As follow-up singles they released "Suzanne Suzanne" (early 1972) and "Hideaway" (mid 1972), which were only minor hits in some European countries.
| Title | Year | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GER | |||
| Canarios | 1968 | — | |
| Mamy Blue | 1971 | 30 | |
| Top Pops of Pop Tops | 1976 | — |
| Title | Year | Peak positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [3] | AUT | GER | ESP | SWI | UK | US | |||
| "Oh Lord, Why Lord" | 1968 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 78 | Canarios |
| "Mamy Blue" [4] | 1971 | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 35 | 57 | Mamy Blue |
| "Suzanne Suzanne" | 1972 | — | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | Top Pops of Pop Tops |
| "Hideaway" | — | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "My Little Woman" | 1973 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Barclay, Spain
Explosion, Spain
Bellaphon, West Germany
. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 236.