Banned song a million seller for Peter and Gordon

When the saucy song Lady Godiva was branded "obscene" by the Coventry mayor and banned in the West Midlands in 1966, little did Peter and Gordon – who recorded the single – realize it would become their fourth million-seller.

Lady Godiva followed in the footsteps of A World Without Love, Nobody I Know and True Love Ways as the songs that brought the British singing duo a total of four Gold Disc awards.

The million-sellers are among 20 to 22 songs that Peter and Gordon will sing in the kick-off world reunion tour at the Araneta Coliseum on Dec. 1 and at the Hard Rock Café in Glorietta Makati on Dec. 3.

The pair is making a comeback after a 37-year hiatus and will perform here for the first time since rocking Manila in 1966.

Promoter Steve O’Neal convinced Peter and Gordon to reunite for a tour after they got together to sing five songs at a benefit show for paralyzed Dave Clark Five vocalist Mike Smith in New York City last August.

Peter and Gordon sang A World Without Love, Lady Godiva, Woman, True Love Ways and the Dave Clark Five hit Because to prolonged applause in the Mike Smith benefit organized by David Letterman and his sidekick Paul Shaffer. Others in the show were the Zombies, former Wings guitarist Denny Laine and Billy J. Kramer.

"Vocally, they both nailed it," said Pat Clarke who witnessed the show. "Peter knocked out the house when he brought out his Buddy Holly-style glasses. The crowd loved them. We could have listened to them all night long."

Two of Peter and Gordon’s million-sellers were composed by the Beatles’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney. A World Without Love went to No. 1 in England and nine other countries in 1964. Nobody I Know reached No. 10 in the UK and No. 12 in the US. Lennon and McCartney also wrote another Peter and Gordon hit I Don’t Want To See You Again and McCartney, whose one-time girlfriend was Peter’s sister Jane, penned Woman under a pseudonym Bernard Webb.

O’Neal, a DZRJ disc jockey, is considered the prime exponent of bringing "retro" or "revival" shows to the country. Among the artists he has brought in are the Searchers, the Cascades, Gary Lewis and The Playboys and Pat Upton of Spiral Staircase.

"The music of the ’60s and ’70s is enjoying a surge of interest even among the new generation," said O’Neal. "What better way to enjoy the music than to hear it from the original artists themselves."

Peter and Gordon recently turned down a $40,000 offer to perform in the US because they preferred to start their world reunion tour in Manila. The pair has been rehearsing feverishly to guarantee a sensational show here and will sing popular ditties like Because, All My Trials, 500 Miles, Crying In The Rain and Let It Be Me.

Tickets for the Araneta Coliseum concert are now available at Ticketnet (tel. no. 951-5555) and all SM outlets. Reservations for the Hard Rock Café dinner show may be called in at 893-4661 to 64.