First Class

Best remembered for the smash "Beach Baby," '70s pop group First Class was the studio creation of British singer/songwriter John Carter, who had previously enjoyed success with Ken Lewis under the guises of the Flowerpot Men, Carter-Lewis & the Southerners, and the Ivy League. For "Beach Baby" -- a slice of richly harmonic pop in the mold of classic Beach Boys -- Carter enlisted the services of singer Tony Burrows, the voice of other pre-fab hitmakers including the Edison Lighthouse ("Love Grows [Where My Rosemary Goes]"), White Plains ("My Baby Loves Lovin'"), the Brotherhood of Man ("United We Stand"), and the Pipkins ("Gimme Dat Ding"); upon its release in 1974, the single reached the Top Five on the U.S. pop charts and also scored in the U.K. A self-titled album and follow-up singles including "Dreams Are Ten a Penny" and "Funny How Love Can Be" tanked, however, and after releasing a second LP, The First Class SST, Carter dissolved the project in 1976. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi