Kimi and Ritz
Encyclopedia
Kimi and Ritz were a short-lived English pop vocal duo in the early 1970s, comprising Richard O'Brien
(best known as the creator of cult stage musical The Rocky Horror Show
) and his then wife, Kimi Wong O'Brien. Although the duo only recorded six songs (of which two were never even released), they have since acquired something of a cult reputation in the light of O'Brien's subsequent success as a performer and songwriter.
. During this time they befriended fellow cast member John Sinclair and, through him, John's childhood friend Andrew (Andy) Leighton, a budding record engineer. When Sinclair left Hair after a knee injury and, he and Leighton attempted to establish their own recording studio, and then co-founded a music publishing company, Druidcrest Music. By this time, Richard O'Brien had left the cast of Hair to join the original London production of Jesus Christ Superstar
, although he soon left when the management disagreed over his interpretation of Herod. He and Kimi were married on December 4, 1971. After the birth of their son the following April, Kimi re-joined the cast of Hair (playing the featured role of Chrissie) while O'Brien stayed home and looked after their son while working on the script that would eventually become The Rocky Horror Show. During that time, John Sinclair and Andy Leighton were frequent visitors to O'Brien's flat and, after initially signing him to their publishing company, subsequently made him a full partner in it. The three men duly adopted the pseudonym of Andrew O'Bonzo to describe themselves, and launched a music production company, Rich Teaboy Productions.
(a division of CBS Records) for Richard O'Brien and his wife Kimi to release two songs that he had written. Produced under the auspices of Rich Teaboy Productions, the songs were arranged by London musician Robin Sylvester
, later to become a prominent session guitarist and (since 2003) bass player for Ratdog
. The single, released on December 7, 1973, comprised an original Christmas song, "Merry Christmas Baby" (sung by Kimi, with some harmonies and a spoken interlude by O'Brien) and, on the B side, Kimi's rendition of "Eddie" (aka "Eddie's Teddy"), one of the songs written for The Rocky Horror Show. The latter song, released the same year as the show's original London cast album, can rightly be considered as the first of innumerable cover version
s of songs from the cult show.
Along with general release, copies of the debut single were also sold from the foyer of the King's Road Theatre in Chelsea, where The Rocky Horror Show was being performed at the time, and were later given away to crew members when work was completed on the show's 1975 film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show
. According to Kimi Wong, the single sold about 12,000 copies and not only got onto the BBC radio playlist but also scored a complimentary review from John Peel
, a leading DJ of the day. In an effort to generate further Christmas airplay,the single was re-issued around the same time the following year, on November 22, 1974.
, the song was performed as a duet and told the story of two competing race car drivers, one of whom was killed during the race. The B-side was "Pseud's Corner", named after a weekly column in the satirical magazine Private Eye
, which featured a solo vocal by O'Brien and some complex word play
in its dark and obscure lyrics. This time around, the songs were arranged by O'Brien's friend Richard Hartley
, former keyboardist for The Tornados
, who had also served as arranger and musical director for the original stage production of The Rocky Horror Show. The new single was released on February 21, 1975, but generated little attention or airplay.
" by Franz Liszt
, with new lyrics by O'Brien. The B-side was to be another selection from The Rocky Horror Show score – a version of "There's a Light" (aka "Over at the Frankenstein Place
"), albeit re-arranged for a string section and a vocal chorus that included Kimi Wong, Richard O'Brien, Belinda Sinclair
and perhaps even John Sinclair and Andy Leighton themselves.
(with The Richard O'Brien Crusade) (1979). Although O'Brien himself was involved in these projects in various capacities (as a writer, co-writer and/or vocalist), he and his wife never again recorded under the name Kimi & Ritz. Kimi Wong appeared in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and in O'Brien's follow-up stage musical, T Zee (1976) before the couple divorced in 1979.
Since 1975, the three Kimi & Ritz singles have never been commercially re-issued in any format, although they were later included on a limited edition bootleg CD entitled Dark Refrains (1996), which consisted of rare Rocky Horror-related audio tracks. Both the original 7-inch vinyl releases, and the bootleg CD (of which only 35 copies were pressed) remain extremely rare and sought-after collector's items, particularly amongst fans of The Rocky Horror Show. In more recent years, the tracks (except for the still-unreleased "Liebesträume" and "There's a Light" recordings) have circulated as internet downloads from various websites.
Richard O'Brien
Richard Timothy Smith , better known under his stage name Richard O'Brien, is an English writer, actor, television presenter and theatre performer. He is perhaps best known for writing the cult musical The Rocky Horror Show and for his role in presenting the popular TV show The Crystal Maze...
(best known as the creator of cult stage musical The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
) and his then wife, Kimi Wong O'Brien. Although the duo only recorded six songs (of which two were never even released), they have since acquired something of a cult reputation in the light of O'Brien's subsequent success as a performer and songwriter.
Background
In 1971, Richard O'Brien and his girlfriend Kimi Wong were struggling actors, performing in the English touring production of the stage musical HairHair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
. During this time they befriended fellow cast member John Sinclair and, through him, John's childhood friend Andrew (Andy) Leighton, a budding record engineer. When Sinclair left Hair after a knee injury and, he and Leighton attempted to establish their own recording studio, and then co-founded a music publishing company, Druidcrest Music. By this time, Richard O'Brien had left the cast of Hair to join the original London production of Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
, although he soon left when the management disagreed over his interpretation of Herod. He and Kimi were married on December 4, 1971. After the birth of their son the following April, Kimi re-joined the cast of Hair (playing the featured role of Chrissie) while O'Brien stayed home and looked after their son while working on the script that would eventually become The Rocky Horror Show. During that time, John Sinclair and Andy Leighton were frequent visitors to O'Brien's flat and, after initially signing him to their publishing company, subsequently made him a full partner in it. The three men duly adopted the pseudonym of Andrew O'Bonzo to describe themselves, and launched a music production company, Rich Teaboy Productions.
Merry Christmas Baby/Eddie
At a time when it was still common for pop performers to approach record companies to obtain a one-off contract to release a single on their label, Andrew O'Bonzo struck up a deal with Epic RecordsEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
(a division of CBS Records) for Richard O'Brien and his wife Kimi to release two songs that he had written. Produced under the auspices of Rich Teaboy Productions, the songs were arranged by London musician Robin Sylvester
Robin Sylvester
Robin Sylvester is a London born musician, living in San Francisco, who is best known for his ongoing work with RatDog. Although primarily a bass player, he plays several instruments, including the guitar and keyboards, and has done extensive arranging....
, later to become a prominent session guitarist and (since 2003) bass player for Ratdog
Ratdog
RatDog , is an American rock band. The group began as a side project for Grateful Dead rhythm guitarist Bob Weir and bassist Rob Wasserman. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in December 1995, following the death of Jerry Garcia on August 9, 1995, RatDog became Bob Weir's primary band...
. The single, released on December 7, 1973, comprised an original Christmas song, "Merry Christmas Baby" (sung by Kimi, with some harmonies and a spoken interlude by O'Brien) and, on the B side, Kimi's rendition of "Eddie" (aka "Eddie's Teddy"), one of the songs written for The Rocky Horror Show. The latter song, released the same year as the show's original London cast album, can rightly be considered as the first of innumerable cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of songs from the cult show.
Along with general release, copies of the debut single were also sold from the foyer of the King's Road Theatre in Chelsea, where The Rocky Horror Show was being performed at the time, and were later given away to crew members when work was completed on the show's 1975 film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
. According to Kimi Wong, the single sold about 12,000 copies and not only got onto the BBC radio playlist but also scored a complimentary review from John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, a leading DJ of the day. In an effort to generate further Christmas airplay,the single was re-issued around the same time the following year, on November 22, 1974.
I was in Love with Danny/Pseud's Corner
During 1974, Rich Teaboy Productions secured a second one-off single deal from Epic Records. This time, the A-side was an original O'Brien composition with the lengthy title of "I was in love with Danny (but the crowd was in love with Dean)". Essentially a new take on the traditional teenage tragedy songTeenage tragedy song
The "teenage tragedy song", also known as death rock, "tear jerker" or a "splatter platter", is a style of ballad that was most popular between the late 1950s and early 1960s...
, the song was performed as a duet and told the story of two competing race car drivers, one of whom was killed during the race. The B-side was "Pseud's Corner", named after a weekly column in the satirical magazine Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
, which featured a solo vocal by O'Brien and some complex word play
Word play
Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...
in its dark and obscure lyrics. This time around, the songs were arranged by O'Brien's friend Richard Hartley
Richard Hartley
Richard Hartley is a British composer.His work is extensive and varied, including musical arrangement for theatre and many scores for television and film. In the 1970s he began a long association with Richard O'Brien. Hartley was originally part of the four-piece band for the Rocky Horror Show. ...
, former keyboardist for The Tornados
The Tornados
The Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. Number One "Telstar" , the first U.S...
, who had also served as arranger and musical director for the original stage production of The Rocky Horror Show. The new single was released on February 21, 1975, but generated little attention or airplay.
Liebesträume/There's A Light
Rich Teaboy Productions subsequently recorded another two songs by Kimi & Ritz for possible release; however, this time CBS Records did not take up the option. The proposed A-side was an updated version of the "LiebesträumeLiebesträume
Liebesträume , is a set of three solo piano works by Franz Liszt, published in 1850. Liszt called each of the three pieces Liebesträume, but often they are referred to incorrectly in the singular as Liebestraum...
" by Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, with new lyrics by O'Brien. The B-side was to be another selection from The Rocky Horror Show score – a version of "There's a Light" (aka "Over at the Frankenstein Place
Over at the Frankenstein Place
"Over at the Frankenstein Place" is the third song in the cult musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The 1975 cult film includes the song being sung outside Dr. Frank N. Furter's castle in the rain. It is performed by Susan Sarandon , Barry Bostwick and Richard O'Brien...
"), albeit re-arranged for a string section and a vocal chorus that included Kimi Wong, Richard O'Brien, Belinda Sinclair
Belinda Sinclair
Belinda Sinclair is a British actress widely known for several recurring television roles.She was born in London, trained as an actor with the Arts Educational Schools, London and had early success on the stage...
and perhaps even John Sinclair and Andy Leighton themselves.
Legacy
During this period, Rich Teaboy Productions oversaw the recording and release of one-off singles credited to other artists including Truth & Beauty (1974), Dicky Hart and the Palpitations (1975) and Belinda SinclairBelinda Sinclair
Belinda Sinclair is a British actress widely known for several recurring television roles.She was born in London, trained as an actor with the Arts Educational Schools, London and had early success on the stage...
(with The Richard O'Brien Crusade) (1979). Although O'Brien himself was involved in these projects in various capacities (as a writer, co-writer and/or vocalist), he and his wife never again recorded under the name Kimi & Ritz. Kimi Wong appeared in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and in O'Brien's follow-up stage musical, T Zee (1976) before the couple divorced in 1979.
Since 1975, the three Kimi & Ritz singles have never been commercially re-issued in any format, although they were later included on a limited edition bootleg CD entitled Dark Refrains (1996), which consisted of rare Rocky Horror-related audio tracks. Both the original 7-inch vinyl releases, and the bootleg CD (of which only 35 copies were pressed) remain extremely rare and sought-after collector's items, particularly amongst fans of The Rocky Horror Show. In more recent years, the tracks (except for the still-unreleased "Liebesträume" and "There's a Light" recordings) have circulated as internet downloads from various websites.
Discography
- "Merry Christmas Baby" (R. O'Brien) b/w "Eddie" (R. O'Brien) – Epic S EPC 1971/EPC 1971 (1973)
- "Merry Christmas Baby (D J version)" (R. O'Brien) b/w "Eddie" (R. O'Brien) – Epic EPC 1971 (1974 re-issue)
- "I was in love with Danny (but the crowd was in love with Dean" (R. O'Brien) b/w "Pseud's Corner" (R. O'Brien) – Epic S EPC3018 (1975)
- "Liebesträume" (F. Liszt/R. O'Brien) b/w "There's a Light (R. O'Brien) - unreleased