I though that I'd completed my series of under-recognised girl singers of the 60's, but an article in the current Record Collector alerted me to a band that I'd overlooked, but who deserve to be included. The original line-up of Lady Greensleeves was Shelly Gillespie, Sue Kirby and Robin Yorke, and they formed a group together in their native Canada in the early 60's. In late 1965 they all emigrated to England, and it was there they they enlisted the services of Pauline Moran as their bassist, and then signed a management deal with Peter Grant, who put them in touch with producer Mickie Most. It was Most who re-christened them She Trinity, and he took them into the studio to record their first single, a re-interpretation of The Bobby Fuller Four's 'I Fought The Law' entitled 'He Fought The Law'. The big difference between She Trinity and the plethora of other girl groups around at the time was that they played their own instruments, which in 1966 was something of a novelty. Their second single was a cover of Lou Christie's 'Have I Sinned', but it was their next one which attracted attention, with the unwieldy title of 'The Man Who Took The Valise Off The Floor Of Grand Central Station At Noon'. Sue Kirby had left the band quite early on, and the remaining members felt that they needed a keyboard-player, so Marion "Rusty" Hill joined them, and she was later replaced in 1967 by Eileen Woodman, who stayed until the very end. Their cover of 'Yellow Submarine' was recorded by the band themselves before Most arrived at the studio, and he played it to Brian Epstein to see if he would let them release it, but Epstein was so annoyed that he rush-released The Beatles version as a single, to squash any success that the band might have had with their version. In 1967 future jazz great Barbara Thompson joined the group on flute and saxophone, and singer Beryl Marsden was also a member for a while, although she didn't record with them. In 1968 the band released a single under the pseudonym of Gilded Cage, with Maxine Silverburg as the vocalist, and this was followed a year later by a reggae version of 'My Bonnie', which the group now say was recorded against their better judgement. One last single was released under the She Trinity name, which was a re-recording of 'Hair' - the b-side to one of their Gilded Cage singles - and on the flip was the outstanding 'Climb The Tree', which was a great piece of UK psyche, although the music was actually by a band called Onyx, with Eileen Woodman singing the lead vocal. The single didn't sell that well, and in 1970 the band quietly split up, with the various members going their own ways, but luckily they have left behind a great collection of UK pop and psyche which we can enjoy today.
Track listing
01 He Fought The Law (single 1966)
02 The Union Station Blues (b-side of 'He Fought The Law')
03 Have I Sinned (single 1966)
04 Wild Flower (b-side of 'Have I Sinned')
05 The Man Who Took The Valise Off The Floor Of Grand Central Station At Noon (single 1966)
06 Yellow Submarine (single 1966)
07 Promise Me You'll Cry (b-side of 'Yellow Submarine')
08 Across The Street (single 1967)
09 Long Long Road (For The Broken Hearts) (single as Gilded Cage 1968)
10 Baby Grumbling (b-side of 'Long Long Road (For The Broken Hearts)')
11 My Bonnie (single as Gilded Cage 1969)
12 Hair (single 1970)
13 Climb That Tree (b-side of 'Hair')
