We open up this new series with a tribute to a band who, no doubt, remains for much in the recognition of what was to be called the Brit Soul back in the mid 80’s paving the way for a whole bunch of people such as Soul II Soul, D-Influence and the Young Disciples amongst others. A band whose repertoire brings us back to the souvenir of classics such as ‘Hanging On A String’, ‘Slow Down’, ‘Watching You’, ‘Life’ (which would be remixed by Timmy Regisford’ or ‘Mr Batchelor’, having Loose Ends being remembered for being the first UK black group to be signed on the newly formed Virgin label in 1981 as well as the first of the likes to score major hits in America.

I remember the very first time I met Carl McIntosh. I was attending a DMC DJ World Championships nite in London by the beginning of the 90’s, sitting at a table alongside Jazzie B and Maxi Priest. I couldn’t tell you about the pleasure I felt meeting such a talented and sensitive guy who, at some time, reminded me of the late Marvin Gaye, vocally speaking. We would stay in regular contact since that day, meeting later on in Paris for the promotion of the Loose Ends Tighten Up Volume 1 album featuring former Soul II Soul frontist Caron Wheeler and Maxi Priest to name but a few…

I’ve never forgotten that night when we was said that Marvin’d been gunned by his dad. I was home, listening to the radio and I felt litteraly shocked, he said to me. Could it be the reason why I have those tones in my singing ? This I couldn’t really say but Marvin’s death has no doubt deeply affected me.

The Loose Ends era Pt.1 would last for more than 5 years, with usual ups and downs, til the moment it was obvious that the 3 founders members had no space anymore together, for the same reasons as what would happen to many British acts along the years when being signed with US labels and pushed to respond to the supposed expectations of the local crowd, as opposed to sticking to the style which made them famous. And that’s exctly what happened when female orinal member Jane Eugene (the other one being Steve Nichol) was tempted to sound more American. We came to a point where there was not anymore room for the three of us under the same banner, he explained. I mean, the fact of being simultaneously signed on an American label (MCA) had progressively made us lose who we were. At least, I could feel it myself, thus bringing Loose Ends to have a 2 years and a half silence period between the recording of The Real Chuckeeboo album in 1988 and the one of the Look How Long having Carl as the sole survivor of the original line up. There was no musical conflicts between us, he explained. Jane simply wanted to do an American type of thing with the help of people such as Jam & Lewis or L.A. & Babyface. Meanwhile I had the feeling that we’d become a little bit too confident, thinking that we were flying the flag for UK. I tended to make the comparizon with upcoming British acts in the same vein as us such as Soul II Soul and Blacksmith, but when I mentioned their names to my pals they ended up being like : Say What ? who are they ? We wanna work with L.A. & Face ! The divorce was then consumed, with Carl expressing the desire to re-stick to the Brit street expectations. There’s to me nothing like being caught by kids in my surroundings telling me : Yaow Carl, I gotta got out and buy your record ! It’s far more important than being fronted to an American record company exec. telling you the name of the next thing to come… I don’t want to become predictable while sticking to a reputedly safe sound. It’s the best way to stop innovate.

In America, you would find too many people saying ‘yes’, your record being a crap or not. Most of the time, you would find people over there who don’t know anything about music whereas in England no one’s gonna tell you that your record’s doin’ it when it doesn’t. They would even take a certain pride telling you that your work is a sh.. if they feel like it and I think it’s the best attitude to make you more competitive. I mean, when we as Loose Ends where thinking as a whole – but also when we was hungry – we was the kind of band that couldn’t fail. History would then confirm Carl’s sayings a few years later, seing most of the British acts signed with American labels such as Soul II Soul, Mica Paris, D-Influence and Omar caught in the same kind of situation.

Back to The Real Chuckeeboo which would end up being the very last album recorded by the threesome in 1986, Carl says : It sucked because of the working conditions which have been ours at the time, flying back and forth when we recorded it and I’m not even talking about promotion havin’us going from a place to another on a 7-5 interview process for 2 weeks then go back to the studio to record the next single. We ended up being litteraly swallowed by a system. I mean, as far as I’m concerned, I ended up entering the ‘real world’ when buying a house and collecting bills as opposed to the previous period having me living what was to me a more appropriate lifestyle, I suppose. So when Loose Ends broke up, it made me realize how much music was important to me and how much I wanted to keep on doing it.

Carl proved to be right reloading Loose Ends on his own + friends (Linda Carriere, Sunay Suleyman + Christine and Trisha Lewin) with the release of the Look How Long album including the flamboyant ‘Don’t Be A Fool’ as if nothing had happened inbetween, although with different people. I guess this is one of the particularisms of the British system as opposed to its US counterpart. I mean, when a hot tune hits the streets in UK, it does its own promotion whereas it’s all about promotion or nothing  in America. An album soon to be followed by Loose Ends Tighten Up Volume 1 in 1991 with the inclusion of the memorable ‘Hanging On A String’ as retouched by Frankie Knuckles.

Has the Loose Ends story gone to a definitive end ? You never know ! As a matter of fact, Carl has always left an opened door to his former partners, being recruited alongside Jane Eugene on Pete Rock’s ‘Take Your Time’ on Loud/RCA in 1999 and doing many remix work and collaborations on his own for people such as D’Angelo, Angie Stone and Omar, before working on an album with former Sunchilde singer Quazey B and another one – Territory for the Japanese market - with Pharoah Saunders and one time Loose Ends vocalist Laurnea with add’l production work by Ali Shaheed of A Tribe Called Quest. The lucky Southport Weekender attendees having the luck to see him on stage last November.

Quite hard to say if Loose Ends, whatever their formation may be, are to have a new life one day or another but if there’s a thing we can take for granted, it’s the fact that their vibe remains alive on the memories of all of those to who soul music has a meaning. MFSB

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