1960s

The band was formed in February 1966 as The Soul Survivors, with the original lineup of Steve Ellis (vocals), Ian Miller (guitar), Warwick Rose (bass), Morgan Fisher (keyboards), and Maurice Bacon (drums).^[2] In August 1966, Miller and Rose left and George Michael and Mick Jackson took their place. Also in August 1966, they signed to Decca Records, and the bands name was changed to Love Affair. Love Affair's first single, "She Smiled Sweetly", written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and released on Decca Records, flopped. George Michael left after "She Smiled Sweetly", in March 1967 and was replaced by Rex Brayley. Fisher's mother wanted him to continue his education, meaning he was forced to leave the band, and after being briefly replaced by Peter Bardens,^[3] was permanently replaced by Lynton Guest in September 1967^[4] - "I joined the band when I was still at school, and then various people convinced me I ought to stay at school to finish my 'A' Levels. So I left them for about six months, during which time they had a number one hit. I had no plan to come back, but after they had a number one hit" (Morgan Fisher)^[2]

The band reached the top of the UK Singles Chart in January 1968 with their second single "Everlasting Love".^[5] By this time the group had relocated to CBS Records.^[5] The song was first recorded by Robert Knight,^[5] whose version had reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the autumn of 1967, and it was previously offered to Marmalade, who turned it down. On the B-side was a cover version of "Gone Are the Songs of Yesterday", which was written by Phillip Goodhand-Tait. After its success, Goodhand-Tait saw an opportunity and signed a contract with Love Affair's managers John Cokell and Sid Bacon, the latter was the father to Love Affair Maurice Bacon. Goodhand-Tait went on to write more songs for Love Affair.^[6]

Lead vocalist Steve Ellis had a similar vocal style to Steve Marriott of the Small Faces, and the production was similar to a Motown soul record. Controversy ensued when the group admitted they had not played on the record, but that all the work was done by session musicians, although such a practice had long since been common.^[7] Their first recording of the song, produced by Muff Winwood, had featured them playing all the instruments.^[8] But the record label rejected this version in favour of one produced by Mike Smith, recorded with a recording studio rhythm section, strings, brass, flutes and backing vocalists, arranged by Keith Mansfield^[8] – and Ellis as the only member of the group to be heard.^[9] The backing vocals were provided by four female singers who became well known in their own right: Kiki Dee, Madeline Bell, Lesley Duncan and Kay Garner (as one of the Ladybirds). The bass part was played by Russ Stableford and Clem Cattini played drums.

In late 1968, Fisher asked a friend of his to write a letter to Love Affair to give them an update on his personal life, writing that Morgan was out of school now. The band sent a letter back to Fisher, asking him if he wanted to rejoin the group again, as they weren't really getting along with Lynton Guest and were wanting him replaced.^[10] Morgan was in Love Affair again, and was so until 1971.

Four further top 20 hits followed, "Rainbow Valley", "A Day Without Love" (both 1968), "One Road" and "Bringing on Back the Good Times" (both 1969).^[7] At the end of that year, they released the album, The Everlasting Love Affair.^[5]

The group became frustrated at being treated like teen idols, unable to hear themselves on stage because of the constant screaming and at being pigeonholed as a "pop group". All the A-sides featured heavy orchestral and brass arrangements behind Ellis's vocals, with minimal participation from the others, although they wrote and played on the heavier B-sides themselves.^[8]

As Ellis wrote in the booklet notes to a later compilation CD, Singles A's and B's, "In an attempt to break the mould we recorded a song far removed from the anthemic-like previous hits." The song was called "Baby I Know". Released at the end of 1969, competing with releases from other big names for a place in the charts over Christmas, it failed completely. Ellis felt the band had run its course and he left in December 1969 for a solo career: "We never really made it big anywhere but Britain and I think that if we had started to happen in America, I wouldn't have left".^[11] In fact, the group had issued top ten singles in several European countries, as well as New Zealand, but indeed never made the charts at all in the US or Canada.

1970s

After Ellis' departure, the rest of the band soldiered on without any further success in Britain, continuing briefly with new vocalist, Welsh singer August Eadon, a.k.a. Gus Yeadon (1948, Wales - 7 April 2010, Birmingham^[12][13]). A second album featuring Yeadon was released in 1970. By 1971, Fisher, Brayley, and Jackson had all left and Bacon was the only original member, with Love Affair now consisting of Bacon and a constantly changing personnel, and on a few occasions, entire bands being hired to tour under the "Love Affair" name. When Bacon left in 1972, the group continued for the next three years without any original members.^[14] Further releases never charted in Britain, although they did land a #14 hit in New Zealand with "Lincoln County". Love Affair recorded a progressive rock album in 1971.

In 1971, they recorded the song "Wake Me I Am Dreaming", an English cover of "Mi ritorni in mente" (music by Lucio Battisti and Italian lyrics by Mogol). The band split up in late 1973. In 1974, Sid Bacon, father of Maurice Bacon, passed away, and Maurice took over his management company, and Bacon hired a new band was hired to be Love Affair, and Maurice became Love Affair's new manager.^[15] The new band consisted of Mick Wheeler (vocals), George Williams (guitar, he was later replaced by Dave Wendels), Bill Ball (bass), and Phil Chesteron (drums).^[15] The Love Affair band under Maurice's management lasted for fifteen months, and by the end of 1975, Love Affair was over.

Recent

The group has since been revived^[when?], though sometimes without any original members, for cabaret dates;^[5] and Ellis has also performed live as a solo artist with a reconstituted Steve Ellis's Love Affair. Former lead singer Gus Yeadon died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on 7 April 2010, aged 62.^[12]

Singles

Albums

• CBS 63416 (December 1968) The Everlasting Love Affair
• CBS 64109 (1970) New Day – credited to "LA"^[26]

Compilation CDs

• Columbia 469202 2 (1991) "Everlasting Hits" – 16 tracks recorded by the band in 1968/1969. Released under Sony's "Memory Pop Shop" label.
• Columbia 504419 2 (2001) The Best of the Good Times – includes three new previously unreleased tracks by Ellis
• ACA 8031 (2002) Singles A's and B's – includes six tracks recorded by Ellis as a solo artist (1970–71)^[26]