Included among the stories behind the songs is the tale of a tune that started its life as True Love and Apple Pie and ended up as I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (page 63).
If your local librarian hasn't already withdrawn this book from stock, you may still find it lingering on the library shelves. Jasper Rees (clearly not a fan of the New Seekers) fires a few wayward shots at the group in his article about Bob Dylan'sBlowin' In The Wind (pages 101-102). "No one," he claims, "plumbed the depths quite like the New Seekers ... Their version, elaborating on the more restrained example of the Seekers, is a happy-clappy sing-along with a ghastly guitar break."
Music: Over a Century of the Greatest Artists, Albums, Songs, Performances and Events That Rocked the Music World
(The Little Black Book)
An encyclopaedia covering 100 years of popular music, decade by decade. I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing by the New Seekers is featured as a 'Key Song' of the decade 1970-79 (page 405), while the writers of the song, Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, are featured as 'Key People' (page 427).
Music (The Little Black Book)
Rough Guide To
Cult Pop
The Rough Guide To Cult Pop
Edited by Paul Simpson
A pocket-sized pop trivia book that gives a brief nod in the direction of the New Seekers (page 329). The last section, The Final Countdown, makes an interesting link between the group's 1971 single I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing and the Kinks' 1970 hit Lola. Although the New Seekers' hit was easily identifiable as the tune from a Coca-Cola commercial, it was the lyrics of the latter which mentioned the drink by name, necessitating a change to "cherry cola" to prevent the song from being banned by the BBC!
The New Seekers also get a mention in the profile of singer-songwriter Melanie (page 142).
Thirty Years Of
Number 1s
Thirty Years Of Number 1s:
UK and US Chart-Toppers 1960-1989
Phil Swern and Shaun Greenfield
A year by year guide to the chart-toppers on both sides of the Atlantic covering the years 1960-89. The commentary on the year 1972 includes a paragraph about the New Seekers (page 64). The original Seekers are featured in the commentary on 1965 (page 32).
What was the title of the New Seekers' 1973 number 1 hit? (sticklers will note that You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me, although released in 1973, was actually a number 1 in 1974).
'We Could Have Been The Wombles' takes a humourous look at the chart phenomenon known as the 'one hit wonder' (it was originally published in 2004 with the title 'The One and Only'). Books like this often turn out to be tedious - 'anoraks only' lists of little-known and best-forgotten facts - but this one isn't. It's the sort of book that you can dip into as the fancy takes you, but when you do put it down you'll probably find it's not long before you pick it up again. It's almost addictive - or maybe the anorak is getting too comfy?
The New Seekers are cited in Chapter 7 as the inspiration for 'one hit wonder' Robin Beck, whose only UK hit, The First Time, made it to number 1 in 1988.
"In 1971 Coca-Cola launched one of the seventies' iconic adverts, a veritable Benetton of children on top of an Italian hillside, all singing in perfect harmony ... Then someone had the brainwave of rewriting the lyrics and voilà! The New Seekers had a number 1 hit with I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing'. It seemed such a brilliant idea ... that in the late 1980s Coca-Cola decided to see if everyone would fall for it all over again. And guess what? We did." (page 112)
As an example of the book's humour, there's a footnote to this that reads: "In 1994 Oasis had a similar brainwave and released the not-dissimilar-sounding 'Shakermaker'. Their royalties went on a different brand of coke."
Volume 5 of the Vinyl Frontier series takes an in-depth look at the Who's album Tommy, tracing its origins and evolution as a recording, live performance, movie and musical. The New Seekers are mentioned on page 159.
"Then the New Seekers - a UK / Australian clean-living close-harmony group more famous for 'I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)' which was adapted from a Coca-Cola ad - produced a medley of 'Pinball Wizard' and 'See Me Feel Me,' which went to number 16 in the UK and number 29 in the US."
Who's Who Of
Australian Rock!
Who's Who Of Australian Rock!
5th edition
Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara and Paul McHenry
An encyclopedia giving basic information about the recordings of Australian bands and solo artists. It includes entries for three of the New Seekers - Peter Doyle, who is listed both as a solo artist and as a member of the Virgil Brothers, Marty Kristian and Mick Flinn (listed as a member of the Mixtures and the Wild Colonials).
