Home Thoughts is the second album by English singer-songwriter Clifford T. Ward released in 1973. The album reached number 40 in the UK Album Charts in November 1973, helped by the success of the single "Gaye", a top ten hit in July. The title of the album is taken from the poem "Home Thoughts from Abroad" by Robert Browning.
Background
Born in Stourport, Worcestershire, Clifford T. Ward was the fifth child of Kathleen and Frank Ward, a carpet factory worker whose grandparents had been Irish music-hall artistes. In 1962, he became the singer with Cliff Ward and the Cruisers, a proficient beat group that won the 1963 Midland Band of the Year contest in Birmingham. The band performed at American Army bases in France, and it was during this time abroad that Ward wrote "Home Thoughts from Abroad". Between 1966 and 1967, the group released several singles on CBS Records International as The Secrets and Simon's Secrets. The Ward-penned "Path Through The Forest" was recorded by psychedelic rock band The Factory in 1968, and is now considered a classic of the genre. In 1967, Ward enrolled at Worcester teacher training college to study English and divinity, after which he taught at North Bromsgrove High School teaching English and Drama. In 1970, Ward put together a demo tape and sent it to John Peel, who played it to Clive Selwood. This led to a record deal with Peel and Selwood's label Dandelion. Ward's debut albumSinger ∙ Songwriter was released on Dandelion in 1972, but it failed to garner any significant attention. Ward's second album was already half-finished when the label folded later that year. Selwood took it to Tony Stratton-Smith and secured Clifford T. Ward a deal with Charisma Records.
Release and reception
Home Thoughts was well received upon its release. Record Mirror called it "the sort of album that immediately becomes part of your life", commenting "some tracks have a jazz feel, others are folksy, and overall it's a collection of songs you want to hear over and over". In a retrospective review, Sharon Mawer of Allmusic felt the album represented "a breath of fresh air in the overproduced mid-70s.....here was a man who told simple stories, with beautiful melodies, played with the minimum of fuss". Mawer praised Ward's "love of poetry and words", and concluded "for all the beautiful songs on Home Thoughts, the standout track is the hit single "Gaye" with its instantly memorable singalong melody".
