Loose Ends "Don't Be A Fool"

Album: Look How Long (MCA; 1990)
Songwriters: Trevor Jacobs, Phillip Linton, Carl McIntosh, Kenny Nicholas and Sunay Suleyman
R&B Peak Position: #10

"Don't be a fool/ Don't throw your life away/ Don't be a fool/ Don't waste your life away"

Loose Ends, the London-formed trio of keyboardist Steve Nichol, guitarist Carl McIntosh and singer Jane Eugene, reigned on both side of the Atlantic in the mid-to-late-'80's with their unique brand of British-soul. After becoming the first UK band to top the American R&B charts with the 1985 single "Hangin' On A String (Contemplating)", the group continued to churn out chart-climbers like "Stay A Little While, Child", "Slow Down", "You Can't Stop The Rain" and "Watching You", while also having a hand in cuts from Phyllis Hyman, Cheryl Lynn and Five Star.

Things weren't running as smoothly behind-the-music though, as by the turn of the decade, the group had splintered apart, succumbing to continuous in-fighting and the individual members' desires to venture in different musical directions. When Loose Ends returned with 1990's Look How Far, the line-up had significantly changed: only McIntosh remained, flanked by new vocalists Linda Carriere and Sunay Suleyman.

The internal changes might have turned off some longtime appreciators, but it didn't immediately hinder their success as Look How Far arrived out the gate strongly with first single "Don't Be A Fool". Immersed in a sublime dance groove offset by the relentless energy of it's tumbling drums, the track's lyrics were slathered in a comforting inspirational script ("Don't give up the fight/ Take one day at a time/ You've just got to have hope"), the memorable line "Puff the Magic Dragon got you locked into it's highs and lows" positioning it as an aid to those battling drug addiction.

"Don't Be A Fool" landed as Loose Ends' fourth Top 10 R&B achievement in America, and it would end up their last. But the brand would be kept alive over the years through remix and greatest hits collections, rivaling live gigs (given by either McIntosh's 2.0 formation or later pairings of McIntosh/ Eugene or Nichol/ Eugene), as well as several covers and samples of their work by the likes of Mariah Carey ("My All (Remix)") and Shaquille O'Neal ("You Can't Stop The Reign") (In 1998, Pete Rock was able to get both Eugene and McIntosh to contribute new vocals to his single, "Take Your Time").



DL: "Don't Be A Fool" (YFH)