Buy Good Ol' Fashioned Christmas here (Amazon UK)
Read my review of Good Ol' Fashioned Christmas here (myfestivepop)
Read my 5th anniversary retrospective of Good Ol' Fashioned Love here
It's hard to believe that The Overtones have been filling our lives with joyful music and heart-tugging emotions for over five years. They shimmied onto the music scene with Good Ol' Fashioned Love back in 2010 and have gone from strength to strength since. Four truly engaging albums, multiple rousing tours, charity work, additional non-album tracks, knit-offs, dapper fashion icons and stars of salaciously delicious photoshoots (who can forget them getting their kits off for Attitude magazine or getting a bit tied up Christmas by OK magazine?) - they've kept their ever growing fan base satisfied at every turn. Their fifth album, Good Ol' Fashioned Christmas is released today (see review over at myfestivepop - link above) and caps off a sparkling year that has seen the lads give us some Sweet Soul Music, another triumphant tour and even write a track for Strictly star and former tour buddy Peter Andre (see review here)! You've got to admire their work ethic - it's almost as inspiring as their music and, if replicated across British businesses would probably save the economy in one fell blow. So I'm much appreciative of the fact that I've got ten minutes with my original Toner crush, Mark Franks - squeezed in between their radiant QVC performance and more prep for their upcoming tour.
Despite being up at the crack of dawn to prepare for selling their festive album on QVC (something Mariah did in the states for her 2nd seasonal set), Mark is full of energy and contagious enthusiasm for a Good Ol' Fashioned Christmas. His rather engaging Mancunian accent eases my nerves and it's soon like I'm chatting to an old mate over Egg Nog lattes. He tells me that the QVC slot was great fun and an excellent way to ramp up the campaign for letting people know about the new album. I ask him how releasing Good Ol' Fashioned Christmas compares to releasing Good Ol' Fashioned Love back in 2010...
"It's interesting" says Mark. "Each album we release feels like starting over again. You put so much creative energy into it that it becomes a labour of love. Each time there's the anticipation of wondering whether people will enjoy it and then getting feedback on the songs from the fans is always really gratifying. With the first album, we just had to hope people liked what we did - and obviously the reception to the albums has made us more confident in how we approach each new piece of work. And once the album's out there's always the tour to look forward to - and we've been really lucky that each year we've been able to sing these songs to people across the country. In terms of our input into the album, I think we have just as much input nowadays as we did back with Good Ol' Fashioned Love. At first the debut wasn't going to have any original songs written by us on there. When we were looking at the tracklisting, we said that we had a couple of songs we had written ourselves and really pushed for the label to listen to them. Luckily they really liked them and we've been able to replicate that with each album we release - a mix of the classic songs and originals".
I think that is one of the most unique aspects of each The Overtones album. They manage to craft something that sits so seamlessly alongside indelible standards that you have to check the CD liner notes to check that tracks like Whoops Now, Giving Me Soul and their new title track are not obscure classics from back in the day. "It's a real challenge with each album," agrees Mark, "the last album was probably our most soulful vibe to date so we really tried to match that with the three songs that we wrote. There has to be a flow to the album. With this new one, we felt that you can really go to town on a Christmas song. Our single, This Christmas, really demonstrates that - we have sleigh bells and key changes, and it gives it a really party atmosphere that I think people are going to love. No matter what people's musical tastes are, everyone loves a good Christmas singalong and we've really tried to do that on this album. We wanted to write some originals because it's been a long time since the last new song really resonated with the public - I think it was probably Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You. So we'd love it if people felt that way about any of the songs on the album, but the new songs, definitely."
I agree that it's been a while since the last joyful classic has wormed it's way into our hearts (although after the interview, I do ponder how Leona Lewis' One More Sleep will fare in joining the seasonal standards - it's a corker of a pop song). I tell Mark that I've been listening to the album all week and really do love it from start to finish (again, be sure to read my review - link at top of page)! It's lovely that he seems genuinely chuffed that I feel that way about it. We talk a little bit about how Christmas albums seem to have a life of their own - how they get pulled out year after year to remind people of the memories they have soundtracked. Mark tells me that he likes to think they could do a Deluxe Edition at some point with some new songs added to it to keep A Good Ol' Fashioned Christmas going. I'm probably too wildly enthusiastic about this idea and wonder who I have to pitch Baby It's Cold Outside to (as a duet with someone like Sam Bailey of course. Think of the possibilities!)
Talk inevitably turns to the upcoming tour - and it's the lads first full on festive party. I ask for a sneaky peek at the set list but Mark ain't having it! "It's actually a challenge in deciding what NOT to sing - we've built up such a catalogue of classic songs that we really have to be quite brutal in narrowing it down." I suggest that it's only going to get harder when they do the picking for tours accompanying their sixth, seventh and eighth albums (and so on) - and Mark agrees. "That's very kind of you to say that we will continue with that success. We want to do those albums and the struggle of choosing songs will get harder. With this tour though, obviously the focus was on the Christmas songs. We want every night to be like a party night - Christmas jumpers and festive hats. What could be better than singing all these classic Christmas songs with a bunch of people each night who sing them right back and just want to have a great time. I'm really looking forward to it!" Me too, I tell Mark - and tell him that I'll be at the Birmingham show on the 11th December, the same night as the Kylie concert in London! "You sacrificed a Kylie Christmas for The Overtones?" he asks "I'm flattered. What do you think of the album?" We then get into a bit of a conversation about how great the Kylie Christmas album is (he loves it), what a genius Steve Anderson is (he loves him) and how talented Karen Poole is (he adores her). I mention that I'm old enough to remember that Karen Poole was from Alisha's Attic and he laughs. "We're both in the same boat there, my friend"...
And sadly the interview has to draw to a close. Partly because I'm out of time and partly because I fear I'll propose if I'm left to my own devices with his charming self much longer! He informs me that the lads have Christmas off after the tour finishes at the O2. They may spend a few days in London, but mostly they'll be travelling home to spend it with family and friends. They've blooming earned the break, that's for sure. Be sure to buy their Christmas album - and check out this link to scour for those remaining tour tickets :D
(Now if the fellas want a Christmas shopping guide for the Bullring, I'll be only too happy to oblige :D)
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