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The Original Caste
Mr. Monday / Highway - 7"
Bell - 1970
Michael Panontin
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By rights the Original Caste ought to have been a household name around the world for their topical 1969 single, 'One Tin Soldier'. That record, about two warring peoples fighting over a rumoured treasure that turns out to be just a message saying 'Peace on Earth', did well enough up in Canuckistan (#6 RPM) but only managed a disappointing #34 showing south of the border. What's worse, director Tom Laughlin ended up choosing a re-recorded version of the song by an American group called Coven for his popular 1971 action film Billy Jack.
But up here in Canuckistan, the Calgary group, which Bruce Innes had originally formed in 1966 as the North Country Singers, was probably better known for their follow-up single, 'Mr. Monday'. Both songs flowed from the pens of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, an LA-based songwriting duo whose resume would soon boast such hits as Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds' 'Don't Pull Your Love', the Four Tops' 'Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)', the Grass Roots' 'Two Divided by Love' and Tavares' 'It Only Takes a Minute'.
"We signed with Bell and at that time I met Dennis and Brian and they were immensely talented," Innes would later explain to Australian broadcaster John Broughton. "They were into lots of instruments, much more orchestrated than I necessarily would have thought of doing."
That Lambert-Potter touch was undeniable, especially on 'Mr. Monday'. But unlike its clearly topical predecessor, 'Mr. Monday' is a much more ambiguous song that pits some hefty brass arrangements and a buoyant chorus against a storyline about Monday morning blues and a sombre piano interlude reminiscent of Pink Floyd's 'Remember a Day'.
It was a huge smash in Canada.
'Mr. Monday' charted right across the country, taking the top spot in Kingston (ON) as well as placing 2nd in Medicine Hat (AB) and 3rd in the larger markets of Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto. Oddly, despite its overall #4 showing on RPM's national list, the record barely managed to bubble under in the States (only reaching #119). Even stranger was the fact that the Original Caste were 'big in Japan' almost before that was even a thing, something that left a clearly flummoxed Innis scratching his head.
"That's one of the great mysteries of my life," he recalled. "We had huge hits over there. I remember singing at the Budokan Hall, for 28,000 people at the first Sony Music Festival and honest to god they couldn't understand a word we said. We had a very famous Japanese disc jockey and he would come out and explain the first three songs and we'd sing three songs and he'd come and explain three more. We went over there several times and it was always pleasant but we were very puzzled by the whole thing."
Cratediggers may wish to note that 'Mr. Monday' was issued with full-colour picture sleeves in Japan and Germany (the latter shown above).
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