The Equals racial mix was reflected
in their music which although not an obvious Carribean style
owed a lot to West Indian rhythms. Like many of the Merseybeat
groups that preceded them the Equals were initially more popular
on the continent than they were at home. Their biggest hit 'Baby
Come Back' which had been written by the talented Eddy Grant,
became a big seller in Germany before it was a hit in the UK.
The north London group had first come
together during 1965 and had 'Baby Come Back' (PT135), their
second release, issued during 1967. However the first pressing
of this disc was largely ignored and they had to wait until their
fourth single, 'I Get So Excited' (PT180), scraped into the bottom
of the chart before they could say they had a hit. However, 'I
Get So Excited' was sufficient to get them noticed and 'Baby
Come Back' at last received the airplay it deserved.
The group enjoyed a string of chart
entries until 1971 when Eddy Grant decided to make changes to
his musical career. It took Eddy until 1979 to get his first
hit on his own, but his chart successes did not then cease until
the mid-1980s. Sadly, the Equals never recovered from the loss
of Grant and folded a few months later. |