Zoot - Eleanor Rigby (1971)

(Lennon - McCartney)
 Australia
#3 Sydney #3 Melbourne #1 Brisbane #3 Adelaide #10 Perth

Wild version of The Beatles’ chamber pop hit.

Single by band formed in Adelaide in 1966, originally named Down The Line. John D’Arcy and Beeb Birtles (Gerard Bertelkamp), who had also been in a high school band together, were joined by Darryl Cotton and Ted Higgins. Their first single You Better Get Going Now (1968, #15 Adelaide) was a version of an unreleased Jackie Lomax song. Promoted with the slogan “Think Pink”, Zoot subsequently had a number of charting singles, but Eleanor Rigby would be their greatest hit.

By the time of Eleanor Rigby, Zoot was working out of Melbourne and had seen some line-up changes. Original members Beeb Birtles and Darryl Cotton remained, along with singer-guitarist Rick Springfield and drummer Rick Brewer.

Later, Beeb Birtles was prominent in Little River Band and other music projects, Darryl Cotton built a successful solo career on television, stage and record, and Rick Springfield became well-known as a solo artist and TV actor based in the US.

The full story is much longer, and is covered in detail at Milesago.

On 27 July 2012 Australian news media reported the passing of Darryl Cotton, aged 62, and carried numerous tributes.

Further reading: 1. Beeb Birtles: official site at BeebBirtles.com.  2. Darryl Cotton at Wikipedia.  3. Rick Springfield: official site at RickSpringfield.com.  4. Zoot at Wikipedia.