Song #133 - "Game Of Love" - Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders

Recorded - late 1964 or early 1965

Released - January 22, 1965 (UK), February, 1965 (US)

#1 for week of April 24, 1965. 

     Despite me being more than familiar with British Invasion music and bands, much of the discography of Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders has slipped by me. In fact, "Game Of Love" is a total mystery to me. It certainly isn't one of the first songs people think of when 1965 comes to mind, and the band who sung it is probably alien to many people. This could mean one of two things: The song is mediocre and time forgot it, or the song is a buried gem. Which one will it be?

     Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders were another British Beat group with a strong garage rock and blues influence. The group's guitarist, Eric Stewart would later become of the members of 1970's rock group 10cc. Much of WF and The Mindbenders' prime material is singles based. Only a diehard fan would seek out one of their albums. 

     In September of 1965, singer Wayne Fontana left the group. Rather than split up, Eric Stewart became the new lead singer, and the group were called simply "The Mindbenders". They put out a mix of hit singles ("Groovy Kind Of Love" which was a #2 hit in 1966) and buried gems ("My New Day And Age" from 1967), before calling it quits in 1968. 

     "Game Of Love", written by Clint Ballard Jr (Who would soon write The Hollies' "I'm Alive"), was released in early 1965. It became The Mindbenders' first and only US chart topper. Perhaps this was because the song is an interesting hybrid of various American styles and thus, the American market lapped it up. Much of the song sounds very similar to "Louie Louie" in terms of chord and musical progression. The bridges of the song, on the other hand, use the famous Bo Diddley shuffle rhythm which endless bands have copied. 

     Lyrically, this is not a strong song. The verse lyrics borderline on cringe-worthy and the rest of the lyrics are rather formulaic and repetitive. Also, the "Love" bass vocalizations in the chorus sound really out of tune in parts and aren't exactly that pleasing to hear over and over again. At least I can say that Wayne Fontana gives the song a good vocal performance. 

     Does it work? Did this song deserve to be so big? No, I don't think it did. However, I think with some extra effort, it could have cooked. Change the chord progression, clean up and expand the lyrics. Most importantly, this song is calling out for a solo and/or a "Rave Up" section. As the song stands now though, it's not very memorable and doesn't hold up as well when compared to other similar songs by rival bands. 

Final Verdict - "Game Of Love" disappointed me, I was expecting this to be a knockout gem. Although it certainly isn't a bad song, it's a song that isn't the band's best and it certainly isn't among the best songs of 1965. It's just OK. 

Coming Up Next - "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits. 

Until Next Time - Remember,"The purpose of Dr. Rock, is to talk about rock" -