"Rainbow/C'est La Vie" by McGUINNESS FLINT – December 1973 and September 1974 UK Third and Fourth Studio Albums with Two Bonus Tracks On Bronze Records featuring Tom McGuinness, Hughie Flint, Dixie Dean, Lou Stonebridge and Jim Evans with Guests Tony Ashton, Big Jim Sullivan and John Weider (13 March 2026 UK Beat Goes On (BGO) Compilation – 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD with Two Bonus 45-Single Non-LP B-Side Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

Musical Content: ***

Presentation *****

Audio ****

"….Siren Sadie…"

The British Folk-Country-Rock five-piece McGUINNESS FLINT popped out four albums under that moniker between 1970 and 1974 on Capitol and Bronze Records and a fifth called "Lo & Behold" on DJM Records in 1972 credited after the surnames of four original band members – COULSON, DEAN, McGUINNESS & FLINT. Always a part of that British Ronnie Lane and Slim Chance via Sutherland Brothers & Quiver kind of Seventies Country-Rock/Folk-Rock vibe and sound – McF had occasionally good melodies, and like Lindisfarne, an ornery sense of humour too. But in truth, neither album rises above 4 or 5 stars on a scale of 10 – so are perhaps unfairly ignored in the overall scheme of singer-songwriter top-heavy bands.

By way of backdrop - their first two albums were "McGuinness Flint" from December 1970 on Capitol EA-ST 22625 and its follow-up "Happy Birthday, Ruthy Baby" from July 1971 on Capitol EA-ST 22794. Charged by a winning debut 45-single in "When I'm Dead And Gone" that preceded the December LP in October 1970 on Capitol CL 15662 (it went all the way up to No. 2 in the UK and even hit No. 47 in the USA charts) – their self-titled debut album broke the top ten – peaking at a healthy No.9.

The stand-alone UK 45-single "Malt And Barley Blues" from April 1971 on Capitol CL 15682 by McGuinness Flint was another catchy winner too – making No. 5 in the UK – but because their second platter "Happy Birthday, Ruthy Baby" did not sport that song – it sank the LP and effectively the commercial future of the band. Ace songwriters Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle jumped ship in 1972 to form and continue with GALLAGHER & LYLE (signed to A&M Records) who finally struck chart gold in 1976 (after four LPs) with the massive "Breakaway" album.

With a splintering of the original group and signing to DJM Records (home of Elton John, Hookfoot and Phillip Goodhand-Tait) – a third platter came out called "Lo & Behold" - a June 1972 UK LP credited to Coulson, Dean, McGuinness, Flint on DJM Records DJLPS 424 - but sadly it went largely unnoticed. 

So - and rounding up - what we have here is what followed - two rarely mentioned Seventies albums of British/American Country-Rock on Bronze Records as McGuinness Flint - "Rainbow" from December 1973 and their final studio offering "C'est La Vie" from September 1974. Tom McGuinness, Hughie Flint and Dixie Dean had supplemented their latest five-piece line-up with two like-minded newcomers - Lou Stonebridge on Vocals, Guitars and Keyboards and Jim Evans on Guitar. Neither album charted, and have been horribly difficult to find on CD anywhere outside of expensive Ltd Edition Japanese imports and suspect Korean issues. That is until today Friday the 13th of March 2026 - and Beat Goes On Records of the UK (BGO) have finally fulfilled our McFlinty cravings. Here are the multi-coloured details…

UK released Friday, 13 March 2026 (delayed since January) - "Rainbow/C'est La Vie" by McGUINNESS FLINT on Beat Goes On Records BGOCD1566 (Barcode 5017261215666) offers 2LPs Plus Two Bonus Tracks Remastered onto 1CD and plays out as follows (82:35 minutes):

1. Ride On My Rainbow (Dean/McGann) [Side 1]
2. If You Love Me (Flint)
3. High Again (McGuinness)
4. Berry Blue Tuesday (Dean/Evans)
5. Rocking Chair (Stonebridge)
6. Take It Down (Dean) [Side 2]
7. Dear Folks At Home (Stonebridge)
8. Bye Bye Baby (McGuinness)
9. Just One Woman (Dean)
10. This Song (Evans)
Tracks 1 to 10 are their fourth album overall "Rainbow" (third as McGuinness Flint) – released December 1973 in the UK on Bronze Records ILPS 9244 (no US issue). Produced by TONY ASHTON (of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke) – it did not chart. Songwriter credit McGann is Michael McGann of The Levee Breakers

11. Catfish (McGuinness) [Side 1]
12. C'est La Vie (McGuinness)
13. Ride That Horse (McGuinness)
14. (I Don't Like Your) Country Music (Dean/McGann)
15. Please Give Me (Dean)
16. Fast Eddie (McGuinness) [Side 2]
17. Siren Sadie (Dean)
18. Union Hall (Stonebridge)
19. Rabbitt Isle (Stonebridge)
Tracks 11 to 19 are their fifth album overall "C'est La Vie" (fourth and final as McGuinness Flint) – released September 1974 in the UK on Bronze Records ILPS 9302 (no US issue). Produced by BIG JIM SULLIVAN – it did not chart. Songwriter credit McGann is Michael McGann of The Levee Breakers. Extra players on "(I Don't Like Your) Country Music" include Keith Nelson (of Country Cream) on Banjo, Big Jim Sullivan on Mandolin with John Weider (of Family and Gulliver) on Violin

BONUS TRACKS
20. Virgin Mary (McGuinness) – Non-LP B-side of "Ride On My Rainbow", November 1973 UK 45-Single on Bronze BRO 8
21. Poppadaddy (McGuinness) - Non-LP B-side of "C'est La Vie", July 1974 UK 45-Single on Bronze BRO 12

McGUINNESS FLINT for both albums was:
Tom McGuinness – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Banjo and Mandolin (Dobro on LP2)
Hughie Flint – Drums and Vocals
Dixie Dean – Vocals, Bass, Horns and Harmonica
Lou Stonebridge – Vocals, Keyboards, Guitars and Harmonica (Accordion on LP2)
Jim Evans – Vocals, Guitar and Pedal Steel Guitar (Fiddle on LP2)

As ever the outer card-slipcase lends the single-CD compilation a classy look and feel – the 16-page booklet featuring new liner notes from JOHN O'REGAN (dated October 2025, I believe the CD was due Jan 2026 but was delayed to 13 March 2026). The original Vinyl LP for "Rainbow" was afforded a gatefold sleeve while "C'est La Vie" was a single sleeve album but with an elaborate inner sleeve – neither is reproduced here. Instead, you get a solid 13-pages of text – band history and beyond (with net references too). And as you can see, the full playing time at 82:35 minutes is not exactly scrimping it either – a very tasty touch being those two Non-LP B-sides – "Virgin Mary" and "Poppadaddy" first appearing in March 2006 on rare Air-Mail Archive Records Japanese CD reissues for the "Rainbow" and "C'est La Vie" albums as a Bonus Track on each. Fans will appreciate them being given an official British release here. 

The new Digital Remasters have no details (ANDREW THOMPSON probably) or venues listed – but the sound quality is lovely, nonetheless. As this is all The Band/Cochise/Brinsley Schwarz/Mungo Jerry Folk-Rock meets Country-Rock meets Pub-Rock territory – the largely acoustic instruments and layered Vocals/Keyboards come over clear and full. The slide steel-string and strummed acoustic guitar and brass jabs on The Kinks-singalong-sounding "Just One Woman" are great – so too the Area Code 615-type Harmonica soling on "This Song".
I wish I could say these albums represent nuggets you need in your living room – and in places they are – but too often the weak-assed non-distinctive vocals and ordinariness of the writing makes it all feel decidedly second-tier. Highlights on the debut are the opening cut "Ride On My Rainbow" which Bronze paired with the non-LP "Virgin Mary" in November 1973, a month before the LP appeared for Christmas. 

While the "Rainbow" LP from 1973 tried to hide its Country-Rock leanings – their final record "C'est La Vie" from September 1974 leans into it big time. The "C'est La Vie" LP opens like a Duster Bennett LP on Blue Horizon Records – all Harmonica, slide steel guitar and more than a nod at the Ozark Mountain Daredevils slipping and sliding right on back to you babe ("Catfish"). The pub-crawling sing-along title track is a happy enough ditty (and an obvious single which Bronze put out in July 1974) but the mistreat you/cheat you anti-drug-dealer "Ride That Horse" is plodding - while the fey-funny yee-haw "(I Don't Like Your) Country Music" is a bizarre slag-off of a genre they espouse throughout the album. Far better is the big Bluesy crawl of "Please Give Me" – a pleader for love with great Production values. 

Back to mock-Boogie with "Fast Eddie" where our boys take on the law – great Production – but the tune feels like its trying too hard. Dixie Dean now provides one of the better moments – vocals and guitars swirling and boardwalk-smooching in "Siren Sadie". Things try to go Funky-Rock with the chugga-chugga of "Union Hall" – local girls dancing and boys trying to romance them to a backdrop of a fiddle band. The seven-minutes-plus of the "C'est La Vie" LP closer is called "Rabbitt Isle" – a Stonebridge song that creeps in like the band tried mushrooms and went a little Prog Rock. It settles into a Crazy Horse groove with layered guitars and keyboards – but again feels out-of-place and like it's from a lesser world. 

Ex John Mayall and Manfred Mann chappy Tom McGuinness penned the two Non-LP B-sides tagged on at the end as Bonuses – and after the poor finish to the "C'est La Vie" LP - "Virgin Mary" comes to restore the faith. The Mandolin-strummer "Poppadaddy" is almost back to the first LP and better for it. With a guitar for his wife, "Poppadaddy" sings the Blues so good. 

With the best will in the world, you could not call either of these McGuinness Flint albums necessities – too many dullards and those dead-from-the-waist-up vocals do not help much either. But for fans of the band and this kind of precursor to the Pub Rock sound (1973 to 1975), this is a fantastic reissue of material punters feared would languish on the expensive-imports file forever. Well presented, staked and sounding spiffing. And BGO are to be thanked for that...