Pop Archives

Toby Jugg - (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice (1970)

(Lucio Battisti - Jack Fishman)
Australia Australia
#41 Sydney

The band's name is often spelt Toby Jug, even on the record's label, but the correct spelling seems to be Toby Jugg, perhaps after Dennis Wheatley's 1948 novel The Haunting of Toby Jugg.

Single on du Monde by Sydney band whose personnel included Garth Porter, later of Sherbet, who continues to write and produce in country music, notably with Lee Kernaghan and the Outback Spectacular show. Dennis Laughlin, the original vocalist in Sherbet, was also in Toby Jugg

Suggestion and additional details from Terry Stacey.


Amen Corner - (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice (1969)

(Lucio Battisti - Jack Fishman)
UK UK
Original English language version
#1 UK* #21 Brisbane #18 Adelaide #5 NZ

Single on Immediate label. *Reissued in UK 1976, peaked at #34.

Amen Corner were a seven-piece band from Cardiff whose line-up included vocalist Andy Fairweather-Low and a brass section. They had six charting records in the UK 1967-69, including Bend Me Shape Me (#3 UK, 1968), also a hit in the USA by American Breed. They later morphed into Fairweather, without the brass.


Ragazza 77 [ambra Borelli] - Il Paradiso Della Vita (1968)

(Lucio Battisti - Giulio Rapetti [as 'Mogol'])
Italy Italy
Original version

Lyricist Giulio Rapetti [Mogol] also had a hand in the Italian originals of I (Who Have Nothing) (Ben E. King, Normie Rowe) and Help Yourself (Tom Jones).

The title means paradise of life: perhaps what English speakers might call heaven on earth?

Reference: Song history at The Originals.


Patti Pravo - Il Paradiso (1969)

(Lucio Battisti - Giulio Rapetti [as 'Mogol'])
Italy Italy

Italian pop singer, aka Patty Pravo, born 

Nicoletta Strambelli in Venice 1948. See entry at Wikipedia.it.


Samantha - Vakantiedromen (1969)

(Lucio Battisti - Giulio Rapetti - Mary Boduin)
Belgium Belgium

Dutch-language version (Holiday Dreams) by Flemish pop star, born Christiane Bervoets, 1948. Her big hit was Eviva Espana (1971). See the Samantha page at Belgian Pop & Rock Archives.

Thanks to Joop Jansen.


The Dave Clark Five - (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice (1969)

(Lucio Battisti - Jack Fishman)
USA USA

Single on Epic. This seems to have been a US-only release by this chart-topping 60s British Invasion band: see Glad All Over.

References: 1. The DC5 Wikipedia entry has a credible and comprehensive discography. 2. Discography at the Dave Clark Five USA Page.

Version alert from Terry Stacey.