Editor's Blog3 mins ago
Alvin Stardust Didn't Sing My Coo Ca Choo
I was gutted to read this. One of my faves from childhood. Peter "Love Me Love My Dog" Shelley sang it, not Alvin (although technically Shelley was Alvin Stardust at the time). How shocked are you?
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Where did you read this? How could he have technically been Alvin Stardust? Shelley had hits in his own right and wrote and produced for Alvin at the same time. I'd be interested to hear where you heard this, Alvin had already had a pop career in the 60's under the name Shane Fenton so I'd be surprised if someone else sang on 'My Coo Ca Choo'. It's news to me.
The producer Peter Shelley wrote this song long before he decided who would perform it; all he knew was he wanted someone "Who could sing Rock n' Roll, but who looked pretty mean." After he heard Alvin Stardust's demo, he knew he'd found his man.
This was the first release on the independent Magnet record label - it had the catalogue number MAG 1. It was kept from the top of the UK charts by Gary Glitter's "I Love You Love Me Love."
Londoner Alvin Stardust (real name Bernard Jewry) first saw chart action in the UK in 1961 as Shane Fenton. Although Jewry was the vocalist with Shane Fenton and the Fentones, he was in fact the second singer to bear that name, the first having died suddenly before the group's success. After their final and biggest hit "Cindy's Birthday" reached UK #19 in 1962, Jewry went into management, but returned in 1973 as leather clad Alvin Stardust. This was his first hit under his new name and it became his most well known recording despite the fact it peaked at #2 and it's follow up "Jealous Mind" topped the charts. As Alvin Stardust, Jewry went on to achieve 7 Top 10 British hits between 1983 and 1984 including 4 altogether written by Shelley. Peter Shelley himself had 2 Top 5 hits in the UK, "Gee Baby" and "Love Me Love My Dog."
This was the first release on the independent Magnet record label - it had the catalogue number MAG 1. It was kept from the top of the UK charts by Gary Glitter's "I Love You Love Me Love."
Londoner Alvin Stardust (real name Bernard Jewry) first saw chart action in the UK in 1961 as Shane Fenton. Although Jewry was the vocalist with Shane Fenton and the Fentones, he was in fact the second singer to bear that name, the first having died suddenly before the group's success. After their final and biggest hit "Cindy's Birthday" reached UK #19 in 1962, Jewry went into management, but returned in 1973 as leather clad Alvin Stardust. This was his first hit under his new name and it became his most well known recording despite the fact it peaked at #2 and it's follow up "Jealous Mind" topped the charts. As Alvin Stardust, Jewry went on to achieve 7 Top 10 British hits between 1983 and 1984 including 4 altogether written by Shelley. Peter Shelley himself had 2 Top 5 hits in the UK, "Gee Baby" and "Love Me Love My Dog."
I think it's quite well known that it's Shelley singing on my coo-ca-choo, and also that he sings some vocals on jealous mind. More interesting ( to me) is that ,when Shelley wanted somebody to take over "being alvin stardust", Marty Wilde was approached. Also the man who became stardust had not even been the first Shane Fenton. Ramble,ramble,ramble
The info on line about this has always been ambiguous. It was common at the time though- the first two hits for the Bay City Rollers had different vocalists for example. It was rumoured about Alvin/Shelley at the time but I always felt that Jealous Mind sounded very similar and that was Jewry (we think!) so maybe he rerecorded Coocachoo
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