Tot Taylor And His Orchestra - The Choclolate Song (1981)

b/w - You Little Unidentified Flying Object
(As, Tot Taylor And The Group)

The A-side is typical Tot from this time but I'll direct you to the flip for a cool slice of powerpop.

OK. the thing about Mr Taylor is he's been around the block a few times (always making some wondeful music if sometimes a bit to theatrical for my taste) but my internet searches seem to have come up with some pretty sketchy stuff - so against my better judgement I'm going to try & recify this.
He was born in Cambridgeshire & his first (school) band A Special Moment was signed to Island Records (1975) [one unreleased 45 ‘Let’s Socialize’]. Then we move on to his next band Advertising (1976-'79 more info here). Mid 1979 see's him in "Tot & the Girls From Room 419" (see my earlier posts here & here for info). He's then picked up by GTO records (Tot Taylor And His Orchestra - 4, 45's of which this is the 3rd & an LP which was taken with him when the label drops him).
He then begins his own label (Compact Organization - probably most famous for Mari Wilson {also let go from GTO at the same time & for whom he wrote for under the pseudenym Teddy Johns }) & carries on recording under his own name as well as a stint with The Sound Barrier.
Several film and Theatre assignments followed including ‘Absolute Beginners’ (1986), and the National Theatre production of ‘Picasso’s Women’ (1992, soundtrack released 2001). He also compiled the soundtracks for Mike Leigh’s ‘Career Girls’ (1988), and Mike Newell’s ‘Dance with A Stranger’ (1986), as well as the Italian cult mafia movie ‘Shatterer’ (1986) & Shakespeare's ‘The Tempest’ (1996), & ‘Macbeth’ (1998).
Taylor stopped recording in 2004 to found an art space - Riflemaker - in the West End of London.

Members who have aided Tot (Voc, Keyboards) 1980 -86
Jimi Barber (Guitar, bass)
Johnny Asquith, Guss Goad (bass)
Paul Bultitude (drums)
Carke Mono, Mick Bass (piano)
Rex Dazzle, Edwin Twist, Dave Winthrop, John Wallace (Sax)
Theodore Dreck, Trent L'amour, Chris Smith (trumpet)
Freddie Triangle, Icelyn Terry, Gini Ball, Anne Stevenson, Noel Bradshaw (strings)
Thorpe Cheer (comb)
Sugar Ray (chimes)
Mario Stanza, David Nivea, Talcum O'Neal, Candy Floss (backing chorus)

Discography

TOT TAYLOR AND HIS ORCHESTRA 45's
Offbeat/Hotel Lux/The Man With The Gong - (GTO GT 281) 1980
The Girl with Everything/Main Title From The Paris Man/Love Theme From The Paris Man/Black & white interludes/My Modern Wife - (GTO GT 287) 1981
The Chocolate song/You Little Unidentified Flying Object - (GTO GT292) 1981
I Wanna Play the Drums Tonight/Girls Never Got Me Anywhere/An Appointment With You - (GTO GT301) 1981 Promo Only?

TOT TAYLOR AND HIS ORCHESTRA LP
Playtime (Easy Listeners) 1981, re-released (London Popular Arts) 1988

TOT TAYLOR 45's
Don't Spy On Me/Something For The Home - (Easy Listeners TOT1) 1981
I Wanna Play Drum Tonight/An Appointment With You - (Easy Listeners TOT2) 1982
Poptown/Richard Rodgers - (Easy Listeners TOT3) 1984
Australia/Inside Story - (London Popular Arts TOT4) 1986
Arise Sir Tot/Mr Strings/People Will Talk/The ballard Of Jackie & Ivy - (London Popular Arts TOT5) 1986 (12" only)
It's Good For You/I'll Miss The Lads - (London Popular Arts TOT6) 1987

TOT TAYLOR LP's
The Inside Story - (Easy Listeners) 1984, re-released (London Popular Arts) 1988
Box-Office Poison - (London Popular Arts) 1986
Jumble Soul - (London Popular Arts) 1986
Menswear - (London Popular Arts) 1987
My Blue Period - (London Popular Arts) 1987
Scrapbook - (London Popular Arts) 1988
Encyclopedia Totannica - (Wave) 1990
Treble Tousers - (Sony) 1995
Instumental LP's........
Music For The Left-Handed (with Mick Bass) - (Sony) 1996
Waterland - (Tweed) 1997
PopFolkJazz - (Tweed) 1998
The Early Travellers - (Tweed) 1999 (BBC2 series Early Travellers In North America. The story of the journeys undertaken by British writers to the new world. The series featured candid reactions to America from Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson and others.)

SOUND BARRIER 45's
Excerpts From the Suburbia Suite Mornington Cresent/Bank Holiday - (Compact Organization ACT 11) 1983
Fasten Your Seatbelts were Off to Suburbia/Car Scribbles- (Compact Organization ACTX 17) 1984 (12" only)

SOUND BARRIER LP
The Suburbia Suite - (Compact Organization PACT10) 1984

If I've missed anything (I'm Sure I Have) - leave a comment & I'll add it!!!!!!!

Sounds & scans below

http://www.mediafire.com/?s1gt8tt4fbavaag