The Magic Lanterns - No Milk Today (1968)

This group didn’t get a Top 30 hit until 1968 when they had already been together for six years. In total, the band was able to scrape together three charting songs in the US as well as three in their native UK. But prior to their charting days (which at one point featured Godley & Creme), the band was still hard at work, hoping to make a name for themselves in their home of Warrington, Lancashire. Although the band never really hit the big time, they put together a handful of songs that are definitely worth listening to.

The song heard below was written by Graham Gouldman in 1966 for the band The Hollies, still featuring Graham Nash. Its lyrics, although seemingly strange, had very little to do with milk. Gouldman has been quoted as stating that his father was largely responsible for the message of the song. He said that he and his father had seen a sign on a neighbor’s home, “no milk today,” indicating to the neighborhood milkman that the home wouldn’t need their daily milk delivered for whatever reason. It was expressed to Gouldman by his father that there could be various reasons why the house didn’t require milk on that day. One such reason he hypothesized was that the man who lived in the house had recently been left by his significant other, resulting in less need for milk and adding much depth to the simple sign.

When the song had been passed up by The Hollies, it was given to Herman’s Hermits. It was the second hit song Gouldman had written for Herman’s Hermits (the first being “Listen People,” reaching number three), reaching number seven on the charts. The version of the song heard below was covered by The Magic Lanterns in 1968 for their debut album, Lit Up – with The Magic Lanterns, recorded on CBS Records for distribution in the UK. The most obvious difference made by The Magic Lanterns in their cover is the increase and decrease of tempo.



The Magic Lanterns - No Milk Today (1968)

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Lyrics:

No milk today
My love has gone away
The bottles stand forlorn
Greeting the summer dawn

“No milk today”
It seems a common sight
The people passing by
Don't know the reason why

How could they know
Just what this message means?
The end of my hopes
The end of all my dreams

How could they know
The palace there had been?
Behind the door
Where my love has been

No milk today
It wasn't always so
The company was gay
We'd turn night into day

As music played
The faster did we dance
We felt it both at once
The start of our romance

How could they know
Just what this message means?
The end of my hope
The end of all my dreams
(Hey!)

How could they know
A palace there had been?
Behind the door
Where my love has been

No milk today
It wasn't always so
The company was gay
We'd turn night into day

As music played
The faster did we dance
We felt it both at once
The start of our romance

How could they know
Just what this message means?
The end of my hope
The end of all my dreams
(Hey!)

How could they know
A palace there had been?
Behind the door
Where my love has been

No milk today
My love has gone away
The bottles stand forlorn
Greeting the summer dawn

“No milk today”
It seems a common sight
The people passing by
Don't know the reason why

The Magic Lanterns - You Must Believe Me (1968)

Formed in Warrington, Lancashire in 1962, this group originally went by the name The Sabres. Notable members included the not-yet-famous duo Godley & Creme as well as Mike “Oz” Osbourne who spent several decades making sure that other Ozzy Osbourne didn’t mistakenly receive credit for his work. Despite their psychedelic sounding name, the group was not at all psychedelic sounding. They featured more of a pop rock sound.

This song was written by Curtis Mayfield and first performed by Mayfield’s group The Impressions. The version heard below appeared as the first track from the group’s first album Lit Up. It has been covered by numerous artists, with some of the more notable being Eric Clapton, The Hollies, and The Zombies.



The Magic Lanterns - You Must Believe Me (1968)

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Lyrics:

You must believe me
No matter what the people might say
You must believe me
Oh Lord, it just didn’t happen that way (oh, no)
Oh no, it just didn’t happen that way

You come ‘round with somethin’ on your mind
Darlin’ tell me, why are you cryin’?
You say, "Be serious, no time for fun”
While tryin’ to tell me somethin’ that I've done
The things I’d said couldn't be denied
But before your opinion, listen to my side

And you must believe me
No matter what the people might say
You must believe me
Oh Lord, it just didn’t happen that way (oh, no)
Oh no, it just didn’t happen that way

It's alright
It's alright

Girl you're wrong to believe what was said
For you know nothin’ could ever be that bad
The talk is out all over town
But darlin’ you know I'd never put you down
To you and me, we’re at the party again
There's nothing else to say about my love bad

And you must believe me
No matter what the people might say
You must believe me
Oh Lord, it just didn’t happen that way (oh, no)
Oh no, it just didn’t happen that way

It's alright
It's alright

Girl you're wrong to believe what was said
For you know nothin’ could ever be that bad
The talk is out all over town
But darlin’ you know I'd never put you down
To you and me, we’re at the party again
And there's nothing else to say about my love bad

And you must believe me
No matter what the people might say
You must believe me
Oh Lord, it just didn’t happen that way (oh, no)
Oh no, it just didn’t happen that way

Oh, you gotta tell ‘em now, now, now, now!
(Oh, it's alright)
Let me tell ya one more time
Oh, it's alright
Yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah!
(Oh, it's alright)...