Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman (Chinnichap) after their success with Sweet were looking for another band to write for and manage. That band was Mud (Les Gray, Ray Stiles, Rob Davis and Dave Mount).
Mud were signed To Mickie Most’s RAK label and their first Chinnichap penned single ‘Crazy’ was released in January 1973. Eventually reaching number 12 in the charts.
By October 1973 the Chinnichap sound was beginning to make a bigger impact on the charts and in teen magazines. Their third single ‘Dyna-mite’ was released at this time and was the first single of Mud’s that I bought. The following January saw the release of ‘Tiger Feet’ Mud’s most enduring and biggest hit. It spent four weeks at number 1 in February 1974, and became the biggest selling single of the year.
The B-side of ‘Tiger Feet’ was Mr. Bagatelle. Like the Sweet; Mud wrote most of their own B-sides of which this is a good example. It is an acoustic strum that rambles along quite nicely. But again it was a favourite of mine as a kid.
Rob Davis the guitarist in Mud and co-writer of this song eventually went on to bigger and better things. Writing "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" for Spiller in 2000; and "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" for Kylie Minogue in 2001.
In 1975 Mud’s relationship with Chinnichap was coming to an end, and the last Chinnichap song released by the band was ‘Moonshine Sally’. The song had actually been recorded some years earlier but for some reason was kept back until now. It reached number 10.
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