Winston’s Fumbs Personnel:
Jimmy Winston-Lead Vocals & Guitar
Alex Paris-Bass Guitar
Tony Kaye-Keyboards
Ray Stock-Drums

Rumor has it that original Small Faces keyboardist Jimmy Winston was booted out of that group because he was too tall (in comparison to the other 3 pint-size Small Faces) and that his prescence made press photos look awkward. That may very well be true, as in the mid 60’s having the right look was sometimes more important than the music, look what happened to The Rolling Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart. Whatever the reason for Winston leaving the Small Faces, he wasted no time starting his own group Jimmy Winston & The Reflections who issued the “Sorry She’s Mine” b/w “It’s Not What You Do, But The Way That You Do It” 45 for Decca in 1966. However when that 45 failed to set the world on fire, Winston decided a name change was in order and his next group effort was dubbed the more exotic Winston’s Fumbs. Remember this was 1967 in the UK where dozens of other unsuccessful Tamla/Motown flavored groups changed names overnight when the psychedelic craze hit. 

With Winston’s Fumbs Jimmy Winston switched to guitar leaving the keyboard slot open for future Yes organist Tony Kaye (who really shines on both sides of this 45.) Oddly enough it was the B‑side “Snow White” which was compiled onto the second volume of UK psychedelic compilation “Chocolate Soup For Diabetics.” “Snow White” is a somewhat odd number that starts kinda slow, then ignites in the mid section into a blazing dose of psychedelic soul. However it is the A‑side “Real Crazy Apartment” that is the key track here. A friend of mine in Sweden played me this thing and it just tore my face off. This number comes at you from the opening bars and never lets up. Jimmy Winston plays an effects laden guitar against Tony Kaye’s dynamic Hammond organ and unleashes a vocal that sounds almost exactly like Steve Marriott during the song’s raveup. It’s a song about a typical “Swinging London” crash-pad and this song has teeth like razor blades.“Real Crazy Apartment” is easily as potent as anything his former group The Small Faces ever cooked up. This single has become a major pull for UK mod/soul collectors. I believe it has been compiled a couple of times and there are bootlegs of the 45 floating around, try to hear this record if you can!