01 – Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
02 – Right As The Rain
03 – Down With Love
04 – Who Will Buy
05 – When The Sun Comes Out
06 – Gotta Move
07 – My coloring book
08 – I Don’t Care Much
09 – Lover, Come Back To Me
10 – I Stayed Too Long At The Fair
11 – Like A Straw In The Wind
01 – B-A-B-Y
02 – Red Rooster
03 – Let Me Be Good To You
04 – I Got You Boy
05 – Medley
Baby What You Want Me to Do
For Your Love
06 – What Have You Got to Offer Me
07 – I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
08 – I Fall to Pieces
09 – You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me
10 – Fate
11 – Looking Back
01 – Our Day Will Come
02 – Stranger On The Shore
03 – Lonely People Do Foolish Things
04 – The End Of The World
05 – By The Way
06 – My Prayer
07 – I Don’t Know Why
08 – Heartaches
09 – Moonlight And Music
10 – The Masquerade Is Over
11 – Day Dreaming
12 – I’m Sorry
01 – Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
02 – ‘Bout Time
03 – The Ballad of Davy Crocket
04 – The Bare Necessities
05 – Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
06 – When You Wish Upon A Star
07 – Whistle While You Work
08 – Ten Feet Off The Ground
09 – Heigh-Ho
10 – Chim Chim Cher-ee
01 – Any Day Now
02 – Stop Thief
03 – I Take It to My Baby
04 – I Want To Be Your Baby
05 – Something Good (Is Going to Happen to You)
06 – When Tomorrow Comes
07 – I’ll Always Have Faith in You
08 – All I See Is You
09 – Unchanging Love
10 – Give Me Enough (To Keep Me Going)
11 – Lie To Keep Me From Crying
01 – Honeysuckle Rose
02 – Blue Turning Grey Over You
03 – I’m Crazy ‘Bout My Baby
04 – Squeeze Me
05 – Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now
06 – All That Meat and No Potatoes
07 – I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling
08 – Black And Blue
09 – Ain’t Misbehavin’
01 – The Dog
02 – Mashed Potatoes
03 – Ooh-Poo-Pah-Doo
04 – You Said
05 – Boom Boom
06 – It’s Aw’rite
07 – Walking the dog
08 – Ya Ya
09 – Land of 1,000 Dances
10 – Can Your Monkey Do The Dog
11 – Cause I Love You
12 – I Want to Be Loved
01 – Wish Someone Would Care
02 – I Need Your Love So Bad
03 – Without Love
04 – Please Send Me Someone To Love
05 – Another Woman’s Man
06 – Sufferin’ With The Blues
07 – Time Is On My Side
08 – While The City Sleeps
09 – Straight From The Heart
10 – I’ve Been There
11 – I Need You So
12 – Breakaway
AQUI:
Rolf Harris – The Best of Rolf Harris (LP World Record Club – S-4883, abril de 1971, Austrália).Género: Folk/Pop, Compilação.
“The Best of Rolf Harris“ é uma compilação lançada em 1971 pelo selo World Record Club , que reúne alguns dos maiores sucessos do australiano Rolf Harris, lançados entre 1962 e 1969.Rolf Harris, é um cantor, compositor, apresentador de TV e artista plástico, nascido em 30 de março de 1930, em Bassendean, Perth, Austrália. Foi para Londres em 1952 para estudar arte.Rolf iniciou a sua carreira na TV nos anos 50 e também ficou famoso no Reino Unido pelos seus desenhos e pinturas murais. Harris conseguiu o seu primeiro sucesso como cantor no início dos anos 60 com “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport”. Além de tocar instrumentos clássicos, Rolf começou a fazer uso de instrumentos de som dos aborígenes australianos e, em 1967, surgiu com um dos mais estranhos instrumentos musicais de todos os tempos, o estilofone. Rolf também teve outros sucessos, com canções como “Sun Arise”, “Bluer Than Blue” ou “Jake The Peg”.No final dos anos 70, o seu irmão Bruce Harris tornou-se o seu empresário e deu-lhe novo alento para a música.
Faixas/Tracklist:
A1 – Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport (Harris)A2 – Hurry Home (arr. Harris, Trad.)A3 – Big Dog (Harris)A4 – Bluer Than Blue (Blaikley, Mason, Howard)A5 – Carra Barra Wirra Canna (Cogan)A6 – The Court of King Caractacus (arr. Harris)B1 – Jake The Peg (Roosen, Harris)B2 – Fijian Girl (Harris)B3 – I Know a Man (Frith, McDermot)B4 – Nick Teen And Al K. Hall (Harris)B5 – I’ve Lost My Mummy (Harris)B6 – Sun Arise (Butler, Harris)B7 – If I Were a Rich Man (Bock, Harnick)
01 – One
02 – Nobody
03 – Heaven Is In Your Mind
04 – It’s For You
05 – Let Me Go
06 – Chest Fever
07 – Find Someone To Love
08 – That No One Ever Hurt This Bad
09 – Don’t Make Promises
10 – The Loner
11 – Try a little tenderness
The Grass Roots – Where Were You When I Needed You [1966]
Where Were You When I Needed You Review by Richie Unterberger.
Before the Grass Roots reached the peak of their pop/rock popularity, they were a much more folk-rock-oriented outfit. Indeed, this debut album is a matter of much confusion; apparently the original Grass Roots were pretty much a front for the songwriting team of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, who ended up performing on much of the album themselves. In any case, this is decent, though not top-of-the-line, early folk-rock, falling about halfway between the Byrds and more pop-oriented peers like the Turtles and the Mamas & the Papas. Highlights include the hit title track and other Sloan-Barri originals like “Lollipop Train,” “Look Out Girl,” “This Is What I Was Made For,” and “You Baby,” which was a hit for the Turtles.
Tracklist:
1. “Only When You’re Lonely” – 3:13
2. “Look Out Girl” – 2:18
3. “Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby” – 2:50
4. “I’ve Got No More to Say” – 2:50
5. “I Am a Rock” – 3:04
6. “Lollipop Train (You Never Had It So Good)” – 3:12
7. “Where Were You When I Needed You” (First Version, vocal by P.F. Sloan)- 3:03
8. “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice – 2:22
9. “Tell Me” – 3:27
10. “You Baby” – 2:23
11. “This Is What I Was Made For” – 2:24
12. “Mr. Jones (Ballad of a Thin Man)” – 2:56
13. “You’re a Lonely Girl” – 2:23
14. “Where Were You When I Needed You” (Second version, Single version, vocal by Willie Fulton) – 3:03
15. “(These Are) Bad Times” – 3:06
16. “Tip of My Tongue” – 2:34
17. “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” – 2:53
18. “Hitch Hike” – 2:41
19. “Eve of Destruction” – 3:36
20. “Where Were You When I Needed You” (Third version, sung by Rob Grill, from Let’s Live for Today)
The 4 Seasons – The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette (LP Philips – PHS 600-290, janeiro de 1969).Produção: Bob Gaudio.Género: Rock Psicadélico, Pop Rock.
“The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette” é um álbum pop psicadélico, lançado em janeiro de 1969 pela banda americana The Four Seasons ou The 4 Seasons. Com as influências musicais a mudarem no final dos anos 60, o grupo The Four Seasons juntou-se a Jake Holmes para criar um álbum conceitual que colocou o seu estilo pop tradicional na era psicadélica. Em vez das habituais canções de amor, o grupo abordou assuntos como a guerra e a tensão racial. É um álbum que lança um olhar satírico sobre a vida americana da época. A capa do álbum também é diferente do que é habitual, estilizada como um jornal e o interior semelhante a um jornal de oito páginas, incluindo banda desenhada (histórias em quadrinhos coloridos).
O primeiro single editado sete meses antes do lançamento do álbum (maio de 1968) foi “Saturday’s Father”. Chegou ao 103º lugar na Billboard Hot 100. Um segundo single com ambos os lados seleccionados do álbum, “Idaho” e “Somebody’s on Her Mind”, foi lançado em março de 1969. Os dois temas conseguiram atingir a tabela da Billboard Hot 100, nos números 95 e 98, respectivamente.Destacamos as faixas “Genuine Imitation Life”, “Mrs. Stately’s Garden” e “Saturday’s Father”.The Four Seasons é um grupo musical americano liderado pelo cantor Frankie Valli. Teve vários sucessos nas paradas musicais, antes, durante e após a Invasão Britânica. A formação original da banda foi induzida no Rock and Roll Hall of Fame em 1990 e no Vocal Group Hall of Fame em 1999. O grupo está em actividade desde 1960 até ao presente e tem vendas estimadas em mais de cem milhões de discos em todo o mundo.
Faixas/Tracklist:
A1 – American Crucifixion Resurrection (B. Gaudio, J. Holmes) 6:48A2 – Mrs. Stately’s Garden (B. Gaudio, J. Holmes) 3:12A3 – Look Up Look Over (J. Holmes , B. Gaudio) 4:42A4 – Somebody’s On Her Mind (B. Gaudio, J. Holmes) 2:44A5 – Saturday’s Father (J. Holmes, B. Gaudio) 3:10B1 – Wall Street Village Day (J. Holmes, B. Gaudio) 4:26B2 – Genuine Imitation Life (B. Gaudio, J. Holmes) 6:15B3 – Idaho (B. Gaudio, J. Holmes) 3:03B4 – Wonder What You’ll Be (J. Holmes, B. Gaudio) 3:25B5 – Soul of a Woman (C. Calello, B. Gaudio, J. Holmes) 7:05BONUS:C1 – Electric Stories (Mike Petrillo, Sandy Linzer) 2:46
NOTA: “The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette“ é um álbum de estúdio do grupo The Four Seasons, gravado em 1968 e lançado em janeiro de 1969.
Músicos/Musicians:
The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli (voz), Bob Gaudio (voz, teclados), Joe Long (voz, baixo), Tom “Tommy” DeVito (voz, guitarra)Músicos Adicionais/Additional Musicians:Joseph Labracio – baixoVincent Corrao – guitarraRobert Gaudio – pianoJoseph Cassiere (aka Joey Cass) – bateriaMúsicos de Apoio/ Support Musicians:Anthony DeAngelis, Richard Natoli – instrumentos de soproSalvatore Piccolo – trompeteJohn Holmes – percussão, pratosCharles Calello – Regência e arranjosBob Gaudio, Jake Holmes – Arranjos.
AQUI:
Tommy Roe – We Can Make Music (LP ABC Records – ABCS 714, 30 de outubro de 1970).Produção: Steve Barri.Género: Pop/Rock.
“We Can Make Music“ é o nono álbum do cantor americano Tommy Roe, lançado em outubro de 1970 através do selo ABC Records, que atingiu a posição nº 134, em 28 de novembro do mesmo ano, na tabela da Billboard 200 dos EUA. Do LP destacamos “Stir It Up and Serve It” e o rock “Firefly”.Thomas David “Tommy” Roe (nascido em 9 de maio de 1942) é um cantor e compositor americano que teve várias músicas no topo das paradas em vários países durante a década de 60, incluindo “Sheila”, “Dizzy” ou “Sweet Pea”. Roe gravou 13 álbuns de estúdio e 55 singles entre 1960 e 1987. Mais informação sobre este excelente cantor, já se encontra inserida neste blog.
Faixas/Tracklist:
A1 – We Can Make Music (Lou T. Josie) 2:50A2 – The Greatest Love (Joe South) 2:31A3 – Firefly (A. McCollum, T. Roe) 2:38A4 – Evergreen (J. Peel, R. Kerr) 2:55A5 – Traffic Jam (M. Davis, T. Roe) 2:44A6 – Pearl (F. Weller, T. Roe) 2:54B1 – Brush a Little Sunshine And Love (Stanley J. Gelber) 2:24B2 – King Of Fools (F. Weller, T. Roe) 2:39B3 – No Sad Songs (D. Walsh, H. Price) 2:16B4 – (They Long To Be) Close To You (B. Bacharach, H. David) 3:23B5 – Stir It Up And Serve It (F. Weller, T. Roe) 2:33B6 – Reprise: We Can Make Music (Lou T. Josie) 0:54BONUS:C1 – Jack And Jill (Weller, T. Roe)
Músicos Intervenientes/Personnel:
Voz – Tommy RoeThe Wrecking Crew (Vários Músicos de Sessão/Apoio): Butch Parker (piano), Dan Walsh (multi-instrumentalista), Emil Richards (vibrafone), Ginger Blake (cantora), Hal Blaine (bateria), Joe Osborn (baixo), Larry Knechtel (teclados e baixo), Max Bennett (baixo), Mike Deasy (guitarra), Richard Laws (guitarra), Robert Gillman (guitarra).Arranjos para metais e cordas: Sid Feller e Jimmie Haskell.
Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show’s sardonic, country-flavored pop/rock made them one of the most fondly remembered acts of AM pop radio’s heyday in the ’70s. Although the band had a reputation as a mouthpiece for humorist Shel Silverstein, who supplied several of their biggest hits (including “The Cover of Rolling Stone”), they didn’t rely exclusively on his material by any means. And, during their peak years, they were just as famed for their crazed stage antics, which ranged from surreal banter to impersonating their own opening acts.
The band was formed in Union City, New Jersey, in 1968, when a young singer/songwriter named Dennis Locorriere teamed up with Alabama-born country-rocker Ray Sawyer. Sawyer’s distinctive stage presence stemmed from his enormous cowboy hat and an eye patch that hid injuries from a serious car accident in 1967. Sharing the spotlight on guitar and lead vocals, the duo teamed up with Sawyer’s bandmates from a group called the Chocolate Papers: George Cummings (lead and steel guitars), Billy Francis (keyboards), and Popeye Phillips (drums). Phillips soon moved home to Alabama and was replaced by local drummer Jay David. Sawyer’s eye patch inspired the nickname Dr. Hook, after the Captain Hook character in Peter Pan; with the rest of the band christened the Medicine Show (a possible drug reference). They started out playing some of the roughest bars in the Union City area, concentrating mostly on country music out of sheer necessity. Anxious to find a more hospitable environment, the band recorded some demos, and in early 1970, their manager played the tapes for Ron Haffkine, who was working as musical director for the film Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? Haffkine had been looking for bands to perform the songs written for the soundtrack by Shel Silverstein, an ex-folkie, Playboy cartoonist, and children’s author who’d penned Johnny Cash’s hit “A Boy Named Sue.” He took an instant liking to Locorriere’s voice, and became the group’s manager and producer, signing them to record “Last Morning” for the film soundtrack and also landing a deal with CBS.Silverstein wrote all the songs for Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show’s self-titled debut album, which was released in 1971. The single “Sylvia’s Mother,” a subtle parody of teen-heartbreak weepers, flopped upon release, but with more promotional muscle, became the band’s first million-seller and hit the Top Five in the summer of 1972. That year, the band added a full-time bassist in Jance Garfat, as well as another lead guitarist, Rik Elswit. Their second album, Sloppy Seconds, was again written by Silverstein, and featured more risqué material, perhaps in response to the success of “Sylvia’s Mother.” “The Cover of Rolling Stone,” written specifically to get the band featured in the song’s namesake magazine, became another Top Ten smash in early 1973, and Rolling Stone soon granted the band’s wish. However, following it up proved difficult. Drummer David left the group in 1973, to be replaced by John Wolters; the title of their next album, Belly Up, was unfortunately prophetic, and the band filed for bankruptcy in 1974 (partly as a way to get out of their contract with CBS).Now known simply as Dr. Hook, they signed with Capitol in 1975, debuting with Bankrupt, which featured more group originals. A cover of Sam Cooke’s “Only Sixteen” returned them to the Top Ten in 1976 and revitalized their career; although Cummings left the band that year, further hits followed over the next few years in “A Little Bit More,” “Sharing the Night Together,” “When You’re in Love with a Woman,” and “Sexy Eyes.” 1979’s Pleasure & Pain became their first gold album, cementing the band’s transition into disco-tinged balladeers. However, Elswit had to leave the band for a year after developing cancer; he was replaced by Bob “Willard” Henke, who remained in the lineup after Elswit’s return. Ray Sawyer, however, did not; dissatisfied with their newly commercial direction, he departed in 1980, robbing Dr. Hook of, well, Dr. Hook. With Rod Smarr replacing Henke, the remainder of the band switched from Capitol to Casablanca, with very little success; after a few bill-paying tours, they finally gave up the ghost in 1985. Locorriere became a session and touring vocalist, backing Randy Travis in 1989, and in 1996 recorded the solo LP Running with Scissors. Sawyer toured under the Dr. Hook name, which he licensed from Locorriere, well into the 2010s.
Dr. Hook – Collection (2CD) 1977
This 40-song assortment will definitely appease those who want a hefty one-stop of Dr. Hook’s best material, but it also makes for a worthy summation of the band’s career. All but the last two of Dr. Hook’s Top 40 singles appear here, led by “Sylvia’s Mother,” “The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” and “Only Sixteen,” while excluding later efforts like “Girls Can Get It” and “Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk.” All of their second-bests are also present, including fan favorites such as “More Like the Movies,” “The Radio,” “Jungle to the Zoo,” and “On the Way to the Bottom.” Their absurd lean toward rock & roll throughout the ’70s is well-covered in songs like “I Got Stoned and I Missed It,” “Bad Eye Bill,” “You Make My Pants Want to Get Up And Dance,” “Walk Right In,” and “Wups,” while their mawkish brand of sugary-sweet love songs which they’re known for surfaces in tracks such as “I Gave Her Comfort,” “She’s Not There,” and “If Not You,” as well as in the hits “A Little Bit More” and “Sexy Eyes.” Since most of Dr. Hook’s albums brandished only a couple of hits each, Collection makes for one of the best routes to gather all of their essentials, but it may seem to be overabundant for those who just want the charted hits and nothing more.
CD 1
01. Dr. Hook – Sylvia’s Mother (3:45) 02. Dr. Hook – The Cover Of The Rolling Stone (2:51) 03. Dr. Hook – Better Love Next Time (3:01) 04. Dr. Hook – In Over My Head (3:41) 05. Dr. Hook – Sexy Eyes (3:33) 06. Dr. Hook – Oh! Jesse (2:55) 07. Dr. Hook – Years From You (3:16) 08. Dr. Hook – Sharing The Night Together (2:53) 09. Dr. Hook – Sweetest Of All (2:40) 10. Dr. Hook – Storms Never Last (3:22) 11. Dr. Hook – Walk Right In (2:59) 12. Dr. Hook – Love Monster (3:14) 13. Dr. Hook – I Don’t Want To Be Alone Tonight (3:28) 14. Dr. Hook – Knowing She’s There (3:30) 15. Dr. Hook – Clyde (4:44) 16. Dr. Hook – When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman (3:00) 17. Dr. Hook – Dooley Jones (3:49) 18. Dr. Hook – I Gave Her Comfort (3:18) 19. Dr. Hook – You Make My Pants Want To Get Up And Dance (2:27) 20. Dr. Hook – More Like The Movies (3:42)
CD 2
01. Dr. Hook – A Little Bit More (3:19) 02. Dr. Hook – The Radio (3:33) 03. Dr. Hook – Up On The Mountain (2:43) 04. Dr. Hook – Only Sixteen (2:48) 05. Dr. Hook – Jungle To The Zoo (3:25) 06. Dr. Hook – Bad Eye Bill (2:26) 07. Dr. Hook – What About You (2:57) 08. Dr. Hook – If Not You (3:22) 09. Dr. Hook – A Couple More Years (3:16) 10. Dr. Hook – Levitate (3:06) 11. Dr. Hook – Let Me Be Your Lover (2:58) 12. Dr. Hook – Mountain Mary (2:45) 13. Dr. Hook – I Got Stoned And Missed It (3:26) 14. Dr. Hook – Bubblin’ Up (2:09) 15. Dr. Hook – Wups (2:28) 16. Dr. Hook – The Millionaire (3:02) 17. Dr. Hook – Everybody’s Making It Big But Me (3:13) 18. Dr. Hook – Cooky And Lila (3:34) 19. Dr. Hook – Everybody Loves Me (2:45) 20. Dr. Hook – On The Way To The Bottom (2:55)
Jack Nitzsche – The Jack Nitzsche Story Volume 2; Hard Workin’ Man
Hard Workin Man: The Jack Nitzsche Story, Vol. 2 Review by Mark Deming.
Ace Records’ follow-up to their superb 2005 collection The Jack Nitzsche Story: Hearing Is Believing 1962-1979 doesn’t quite live up to that disc’s high standards, but this sampling of 26 tracks in which Nitzsche had a hand — as producer, arranger, conductor or songwriter — is still a powerful testament to the singular talents of one of rock’s most remarkable behind-the-scenes figures. On Hard Workin Man: The Jack Nitzsche Story, Vol. 2, Tony Rounce and Mick Patrick have attempted to give some picture of how broad the man’s musical palate could be, and what’s most surprising is that as these songs sway from the hard-edged blues of “Hard Workin’ Man” (with Captain Beefheart wailing over a band anchored by Ry Cooder), the snarling garage punk of the Gas Company’s “Blow Your Mind,” the lush neo-psych grandeur of “Porpoise Song” by the Monkees, and the beautifully crafted studio pop of Bobby Vee’s “Like Someone in Love.” A common thread manifests itself throughout — Nitzsche had the ability to bring something unexpected whenever he took an act into the studio, and each time he came up with something that fit the song (and the artist) like a charm. He also had a real vision of how to cast the players for a session — most folks would never have dreamed of putting John Lee Hooker, Miles Davis and Taj Mahal on the same number, but Nitzsche’s score for the Dennis Hopper picture featured all three, and Hooker’s gutbucket boogie proves to be an ideal foil for Davis’ spare but soulful trumpet figures on ” “Bank Robbery,” featured here. And while, as on the first disc, a number of Nitzsche’s best known projects are missing (most notably his work with the Rolling Stones and Neil Young), the ace obscurities show just how consistently strong the man’s vision could be — the Everly Brothers’ cover of “Mr. Soul,” Tammy Grimes’ take on a rare Randy Newman number “Nobody Needs Your Love More Than I Do,” and Merry Clayton’s remake of “It’s in His Kiss” may not have been hits, but they leave an indelible impression once you’ve heard them. Nitzsche released only a small handful of records under his own name, but Hard Workin Man: The Jack Nitzsche Story, Vol. 2 confirms he was as vital and creative an artist as anyone he worked with, and this is remarkable listening.
Tracklist:
1. Nitzsche, Jack / Captain Beefheart – Hard Workin’ Man
2. Nitzsche, Jack – Surf finger
3. Robins, The – Just Like That
4. Laine, Frankie – I’m gonna be strong
5. Verros, Karen – You Just Gotta Know My Mind
6. O’Connor, Emile – Some Of Your Lovin’
7. Grimes, Tammy – Nobody Needs Your Love (More Than I Do)
8. Clayton, Merry – It’s in his kiss
9. Donner, Ral – Don’t put your heart in his hands
10. Righteous Brothers, The – Just once in my life
11. Yuro, Timi – Teardrops ’till Dawn
12. Vee, Bobby – Like Someone In Love
13. Satisfactions, The – Baby I’m so glad it’s raining
14. Gas Co, The – Blow your mind
15. Loren, Donna – Woman in love (with you)
16. Yanovsky, Zalman – As Long As You’re Here
17. Rickett, Nooney – A Man Needs Love
18. Everly Brothers, The – Mr. Soul
19. Turtles, The – You know what I mean
20. Monkees, The – Porpoise Song
21. Crazy Horse – I don’t want to talk about it
22. Nitzsche, Jack – I’m The Loneliest Fool
23. Tubes, The – Don’t touch me there
24. Hooker, John Lee / Davis, Miles & Mahal, Taj – Bank robbery
25. Neville Brothers, The – Break Away
26. CC Adcock – Stealin’ all day
An underrated British quartet made up of John Rogan (bass), Russ Ballard (lead guitar), Peter Thorpe (rhythm guitar), and Bob Henrit (drums), the Roulettes featured future Argent alumnus Russ Ballard on lead guitar. They were originally formed as a backing band for vocalist Adam Faith, who enjoyed a massively successful light rock & roll career in the early ’60s in England. Beginning in 1963 with the start of the rock & roll explosion coming out of Liverpool, the group was somewhat reorganized, and their and Faith’s work together became much more assertive; the result was Faith’s last big hit, “The First Time,” in August of 1963.The group began recording on their own for EMI in late 1963 and revealed themselves as an above-average group, fully competitive on a musical level with acts like the Searchers and the Hollies. Their records, though fewer in number, display many of the same virtues found on the better-known work of the Beatles and the Searchers, including soaring harmonies behind strong lead vocals, crisp guitar playing, and a good ear for memorable hooks. Ballard and Henrit also appeared on “Concrete and Clay,” a major hit for the acoustic rock outfit Unit Four Plus Two, but the Roulettes’ own records stubbornly failed to make the charts. By 1965, they’d split with Adam Faith, but the concentration on their own careers didn’t change the inexplicably lackluster performance of their records.The group soldiered on through 1967 without any chart success, playing shows on the European continent, where any good British rock band could still earn a decent living. Finally, Ballard and Henrit joined Unit Four Plus Two, while Thorpe and Rogan left the music business. Following the breakup of Unit Four Plus Two in 1968, Ballard and Henrit hooked up with Rod Argent and Chris White, late of the Zombies, and formed Argent, a quartet that, for a brief time in the early 1970s, enjoyed some of the chart success that had eluded the Roulettes throughout their history.(AllMusic)
Track Listings :
1. Bad Time – The Roulettes, Andrews 2. What You Gonna Do? – The Roulettes, Ballard 3. Settle Down – The Roulettes, Settle, Mike 4. Taste of Honey – The Roulettes, Scott, Bobby 5. Find Out the Truth – The Roulettes, Thorpe 6. I’ll Remember Tonight – The Roulettes, Andrews, Chris [Wri 7. You Don’t Love Me – The Roulettes, Andrews, Chris [Wri 8. Stubborn Kind of Fellow – The Roulettes, Gaye, Marvin 9. I Hope He Breaks Your Heart – The Roulettes, Sedaka, Neil 10. I Can’t Think of Anyone Else – The Roulettes, Thorpe 11. Shake – The Roulettes, Cooke, Sam 12. Soon You’ll Be Leaving Me – The Roulettes, Andrews 13. Me Body – The Roulettes, Ballard 14. This Little Girl – The Roulettes, Holland [2] 15. Can You Go? – The Roulettes, Andrews 16. Tell Tale Tit – The Roulettes, Adams 17. The Long Cigarette – The Roulettes, Parker [1] 18. Junk – The Roulettes, Roulettes [1] 19. Jackpot – The Roulettes, Roulettes [1] 20. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – The Roulettes, Roulettes [1] 21. Tracks of My Tears – The Roulettes, Robinson, Smokey 22. I Can’t Stop – The Roulettes, Lindsey, Steve.
She Flies Like A Bird – The Anthology. A solitary hit single with ‘I Can’t Let Maggie Go’ in 1968 was poor reward for one of Britain’s most brilliant pop bands of all time. As this remarkable retrospective proves, Honeybus boasted some of the finest writers & vocalists of the era, whose haunting songs have grown richer & more affecting with age. This is the most comprehensive collection of their work ever assembled, which includes several unreleased tracks. 51 tracks.
Their best known lineup consisted of Pete Dello (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Ray Cane (vocals, bass, keyboards), Colin Hare (rhythm guitar, vocals), and Pete Kircher (drums, vocals), with Dello and Cane writing most of their songs.
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The Early Years 1962-1967 Review by Matt Collar.
The Early Years 1962-1967 compiles tracks singer/songwriter David Gates wrote, arranged, and produced for other artists prior to his own time in the spotlight as the lead singer of the ’70s soft rock band Bread. Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a band director and a piano teacher for parents, Gates got an early start in the record industry, releasing several singles in the late ’50s. By the ’60s, Gates was living in Los Angeles and finding work writing and producing for a variety of labels. Sticking to songs Gates composed during this period, this anthology brings together tracks Gates wrote for a mix of girl groups, pop singers, rockabilly artists, and soul singers. Included are such songs as the Murmaids’ 1963 hit “Popsicles and Icicles,” Dorsey Burnette’s 1963 recording “Pebbles,” Shelley Fabares’ campy 1964 song “Football Season’s Over,” and many others. Also featured are tracks for such artists as the Girlfriends, Frankie Fanelli, Dorothy Berry, and actors Michael Landon and Ann-Margret. While the focus here is primarily on songs Gates wrote for other artists, we do get Gates’ own demo version of his song “You’ll Be Needin’ Me,” written for the Lettermen in 1966. Also notable is Jody Miller’s 1965 take on “Never Let Him Go,” which Gates later revisited for his 1975 solo album as “Never Let Her Go.” These are catchy songs in a variety of styles that should appeal to longtime Bread fans interested in Gates’ career, as well as anyone with an abiding love of ’60s pop music.
Tracklist:
1. The Murmaids – Popsicles & Icicles
2. Ann-Margret – Hey, little star
3. Michael Landon – Without You
4. Gloria Melbourne – Don’t Let Him
5. Dorothy Berry – Cryin’ On My Pillow
6. Dorsey Burnette – Pebbles
7. Shelley Fabares – Football Seasons Over
8. Gwen Stacey – Ain’t Gonna Cry No More
9. The Girlfriends – My one and only, Jimmy boy
10. Pat Powdrill – Luckiest Girl In Town
11. Frankie Fanelli – Tears, Rain
12. Margaret Mandolph – If You Ever Need Me
13. The Crickets – Playboy
14. Connie Stevens – Lost In Wonderland
15. Dorothy Berry – You Better Watch Out
16. Johnny Burnette – The Fool Of The Year
17. Gwen Stacey – Lonely Girl
18. Margaret Mandolph – Silly Little Girl
19. Gail Ganley – I Think I’m Gonna Cry
20. Jerry Modine – Are You Putting Me On
21. Merry Clayton – Nothing Left To Do But Cry
22. Suzy Wallis – Tell Him
23. Dotty & Kathy – The Prince Of My Dreams
24. Carl Edwards – The Brighter Side
25. Gwen Stacey – Give Thanks To A Friend
26. Jody Miller – Never Let Him Go
27. The Girlfriends – For my sake
28. The Fencemen – Swingin’ Gates
29. Johnny Crawford – No One Really Loves A Clown
30. Dorothy Berry – Standin’ On The Corner
31. Jody Miller – How Do You Say Goodbye
32. The Lettermen – You’ll Be Needin’ Me
33. David Gates – You’ll Be Needin’ Me (Original Demo)
The Anita Kerr Singers – We Dig Anita (@320)
• Anita Kerr was one of the architects of the Nashville Sound, the production phenomenon which re-invented the country music in the late ’50s and early 1960s. Her extraordinary musical versatility, the wit and economy of her arrangements (sometimes written under great time pressure) and the clean, modernising verve of her singers were essential factors in this historic musical development.
• The Kerr Singers, the all-male chorus, the Jordanaires and musicians of the calibre of guitarists Hank Garland, Grady Martin, Ray Edenton, Harold Bradley and Velma Smith; saxophonist Boots Randolph, bass players Bob Moore and Junior Husky; drummer Buddy Harman and pianist Floyd Cramer constituted the production “A” team; the select group of musicians who – sometimes augmented by the guitar of Chet Atkins – sculpted these records. They did so under the auspices of three Nashville producers; Atkins at RCA, Owen Bradley at Decca and British-born Don Law at Columbia.
• Anita Kerr and her singers worked for them all; three or four sessions a day, seven days a week; grabbing coffee and a hasty sandwich where they could, often while rehearsing the next set of parts in the breaks between sessions.
• Fiddles were out and strings were in. The new formula caught on and Nashville soon began rolling out big national and international hits; Jim Reeves’ ‘He’ll Have to Go’, ‘Only The Lonely’ by Roy Orbison, Skeeter Davis’ melancholic ‘The End of the World’, ‘Three Bells’ by The Browns, and Brenda Lee’s I’m Sorry which topped the pop charts, which although not actually marketed as a country record came to be recognised as an early, but passionate example of the Nashville Sound.
• In addition to contributing to all of these hits, Kerr was there at the start of Bobby Bare’s career and at the renaissance of veteran country singer Eddy Arnold. Hear how her embellishments cushion Patsy Cline and complement Roger Miller’s playfulness. With Skeeter Davis’ ‘End of the World’, she became the first woman to produce an album in Nashville.
Tracklist:
1. COME SOFTLY TO ME – Chet Atkins
Roy Orbison
2. PRETTY ONE
3. ONLY THE LONELY (KNOW THE WAY I FEEL)
4. HERE COMES THAT SONG AGAIN
5. LANA
Patsy Cline
6. JUST OUT OF REACH (OF MY TWO EMPTY ARMS)
7. CRY NOT FOR ME
Jim Reeves
8. HE’LL HAVE TO GO
9. MARGIE
10. LINDA
11. MARIA ELENA
Brenda Lee
12. I’M SORRY
13. I WANT TO BE WANTED
14. HERE COMES THAT FEELING AGAIN
Johnny Cash
15. THE REBEL JOHNNY YUMA
16. REMEMBER THE ALAMO
17. BALLAD OF BOOT HILL
18. LORENA
19. SLOWLY – Ann-Margret
Roger Miller
20. IN THE SUMMERTIME (YOU DON’T WANT MY LOVE)
21. WHENTWO WORLDS COLLIDE
22. FAIR SWISS MAIDEN
Don Gibson
23. CUTE LITTLE GIRLS
24. THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR
25. FIREBALL MAIL
The Browns
26. THREE BELLS (LES TRIOS CLOCHES)
27. BLUE CHRISTMAS
Eddy Arnold
28. WHAT A FOOL I WAS
29. DON’T ROB ANOTHER MAN’S CASTLE
30. SHAME ON ME – Bobby Bare
31. A LITTLE BITTY TEAR – Burl Ives
32. SAN ANTONIO ROSE – Floyd Cramer
33. THE END OF THE WORLD – Skeeter Davis
The Mindbenders – A Groovy Kind of Love; The Complete LP’s & Singles 1966-1968
A Groovy Kind of Love: The Complete LP’s & Singles 1966-1968 Review by Steve Leggett.
The Mindbenders in their post-Wayne Fontana configuration were a hot little British pub trio specializing in a kind of jazzy rock similar in a lot of ways to the Zombies or Traffic, and they amount to one of the great lost groups of the 1960s. Although they had two strong songwriters in Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman (together they would go on to form one half of 10cc), the Mindbenders were also one hell of a cover band, and their recorded legacy is surprisingly diverse because of it. This two-disc, 37-track set, which collects the two LPs, six EPs, and ten singles the group released between 1966 and 1968, is a revelation in that regard — it includes imaginatively done garage soul covers of “Shotgun,” “Mystery Train,” and “The Seventh Son” alongside the pipe dream psychedelia of “Yellow Brick Road” and the hazy sunshine pop of “A Groovy Kind of Love,” and as a flip side, the lustful B-movie feel of “Schoolgirl,” which appears here in two versions, of which the original single version is best. It’s an impressively wide palette, and the Mindbenders were clearly more — way more — than just Wayne Fontana’s backup band for a time — they’re a wonderful buried treasure, and this delightful collection does a great job of showing why.
Tracklist:
CD 1:
1. A Groovy Kind Of Love (2:02)
2. Love Is Good (1:50)
3. Can’t Live With You, Can’t Live Without You (2:36)
4. One Fine Day (2:50)
5. The Way You Do The Things You Do (2:53)
6. Just A Little Bit (2:22)
7. The Seventh Son (3:18)
8. Tricky Dicky (2:15)
9. Little Nightingale (4:01)
10. Don’t Cry No More (3:01)
11. You Don’t Know About Love (2:58)
12. Rockin’ Jaybee (3:18)
13. All Night Worker (2:21)
14. Ashes To Ashes (2:30)
15. I Want Her, She Wants Me (2:24)
16. The Morning After (2:18)
CD 2:
1. We’ll Talk About It Tomorrow (2:18)
2. Far Across Town (2:29)
3. To Be Or Not To Be (1:59)
4. Honey And Wine (2:29)
5. Schoolgirl (Lp version) (2:23)
6. A Little Piece Of Leather (3:03)
7. Shotgun (3:08)
8. Mystery Train (3:04)
9. Homework (2:55)
10. Airport People (3:11)
11. Cool Jerk (3:13)
12. Off And Running (2:00)
13. It’s Getting Harder All The Time (2:13)
14. The Letter (2:03)
15. My New Day And Age (3:12)
16. Schoolgirl (single version) (2:06)
17. Coming Back (2:53)
18. Blessed Are The Lonely (3:01)
19. Yellow Brick Road (3:02)
20. Uncle Joe The Ice Cream Man (2:22)
21. The Man Who Loved Trees (2:33)
Faixas/Tracklist:
A1 – Everybody’s Talkin’ (Neil) 2:47A2 – What Are You Selling Today (Barkan, Adams) 3:15A3 – Take Another Look (Barkan, Adams) 2:38A4 – My Cherie Amour (Cosby, Wonder, Moy) 2:52A5 – We’re On Our Way (Barkan, Adams) 2:53A6 – Hey Jude (Lennon, McCartney) 4:17B1 – Goodbye To Gentle Dreams (Mark Barkan, Ritchie Adams) 3:39B2 – Every Day’s a New Day (Barkan, Adams) 2:45B3 – A Time For Us (Snyder, Kusik, Rota) 3:15B4 – Speak Your Mind (Barkan, Adams) 3:15B5 – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Our Love (Barkan, Adams) 2:45B6 – I Spent My Last Dream On You (Barkan, Adams) 3:12
Tracklist:
1. Changin’ my mind
2. It’s All In The Game
3. I Keep Wanting You
4. Me About You
5. Nobody’s home to go home to
6. Nicole
7. Didn’t Want To Have To Do It
8. The Weight
9. Effervescent Blue
10. Laurel Canyon
11. Holly Would
12. Trust me
13. What Is This
14. Put A Little Love In Your Heart
15. Always together
16. Love Will Find A Way
17. I let go completely
18. Keep in mind
19. Do you know how Christmas trees are grown?
20. Christmas
21. Brighton Hill
22. You can come to me
23. You keep me hangin’ on / Hurt so bad
24. What was your day like
25. It’s so nice
26. Mediterranean sky
27. Bird On The Wire
Faixas/Tracklist:
A1 – Reckless Love Affair (Rolley Baird) 2:40A2 – The Box It Came In (Vic McAlpin) 2:23A3 – Look Out Heart (L. D. Allen) 2:15A4 – Because It’s You (Bobby George, Vern Stoval) 2:22A5 – What Have We Done (Wanda Jackson, Wendell Goodman) 2:23A6 – This Gun Don’t Care (Larry Lee) 2:40B1 – Tears Will Be The Chaser For Your Wine (Dale Davis, LeRoy Coates) 2:21B2 – I Wonder If She Knows (Yvonne Devaney) 2:50B3 – Long As I Have You (Curtis Wayne) 2:19B4 – Let Me Talk To You (Dan Dill, Don Davis) 2:07B5 – My Baby’s Gone (Hazel Houser) 3:06B6 – You Can’t Make a Heel Toe The Mark (Don Reno, Ray Pennington) 2:09
AQUI: Tremeloes – Master (LP CBS – S 64242, novembro de 1970).Produção: Alan Blakley, L. Hawkes, Mike Smith.Género: Pop/Rock, Beat. The Tremeloes é uma banda de rock/beat britânica, formada em 1958 em Dagenham, Essex/UK, por Brian Poole (vocalista), Ricky West (guitarra), Alan Blakely (teclados), Alan Howard (baixo) e Dave Munden (bateria). Apesar de ter passado por diversas alterações à sua formação inicial, a banda continua a apresentar-se ocasionalmente. Estão em actividade desde 1958 até ao presente.Em 1970, The Tremeloes lançaram o seu oitavo álbum “Master“, o último pelo selo CBS, considerado por alguns, um dos seus melhores discos. Ao contrário do que aconteceu com os álbuns anteriores, todas as músicas são assinadas por dois dos seus integrantes, o guitarrista Alan Blaikey e o baixista Len Hawkes, e com elas apostaram decididamente nos novos tempos musicais, endurecendo o seu som com um hard rock melódico. Assim, a banda flui para “Boola Boola”, um prolongado instrumental de guitarra ao estilo de Jimi Hendrix ou “Baby”, faixa inspirada em Elvis Presley, passando pelos Badfinger (sem o talento de Pete Ham e Tom Evans). Faixas/Tracklist: A1 – Wait For Me (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)A2 – Long Road (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)A3 – Now’s The Time (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)A4 – Try Mem (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)A5 – But Then I (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)A6 – Before I Sleep (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)B1 – Boola Boola (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)B2 – I Swear (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)B3 – Baby (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)B4 – By The Way (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)B5 – Willow Tree (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)B6 – Me And My Life (A. Blakley, L. Hawkes)BONUS:C1 – Hello World (Tony Hazzard) |
Year by Year: 1966 still showcase the wide variety of sounds and genres available on the label that year.
Pop , of course, played a big part in the London slate for 1966 with this compilation including tracks from The Vogues (“Five O’Clock World”), The Association (“Cherish”), The Critters (“Mr. Dieingly Sad”) and the Phil Spector stable (The Righteous Brothers’ “The White Cliffs of Dover,” The Ronettes’ “I Can Hear Music,” Ike and Tina Turner’s “River Deep – Mountain High”). In the case of “River Deep,” it was London American’s biggest-selling single of the year and a U.K. No. 1 that famously couldn’t get higher than No. 88 in its native U.S., dejecting Spector and hastening his retreat (for a while, at least) from production.
1. Five O’Clock World – The Vogues (HLU 10014)
2. Love’s Made a Fool of You – The Bobby Fuller Four (HLU 10041)
3. Cast Your Fate to the Wind – Shelby Flint (HLT 10068)
4. Open the Door to Your Heart – Darrell Banks (HL 10070)
5. Come On In – The Butterfield Blues Band (HLZ 10100)
6. Don’t Touch Me – Jeannie Seely (HLU 10052)
7. Crazy Like a Fox – Link Cromwell (HLB 10040)
8. The Pain Gets a Little Deeper – Darrow Fletcher (HLU 10024)
9. I’ll Keep It with Mine – Judy Collins (HLZ 10029)
10. The Rains Came – The Sir Douglas Quintet (HLU 10019)
11. She Blew a Good Thing – The American Poets (HLC 10037)
12. Mister Bang Bang Man – Little Hank (HLU 10090)
13. Bird-Doggin’ – Gene Vincent (HLH 10079)
14. Teenager’s Prayer – Joe Simon (HLU 10057)
15. Hand Jive – The Strangeloves (HLZ 10063)
16. The White Cliffs of Dover – The Righteous Brothers (HL 10086)
17. Cherish – The Association (HLT 10074)
18. You Left the Water Running – Barbara Lynn (HLU 10094)
19. United – The Intruders (HL 10069)
20. Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife While the Bubbles Bounce About Above the Water – Shirley Ellis (HLR 10021)
21. Party People – Ray Stevens (HLU 10016)
22. I Can Hear Music – The Ronettes (HLU 10087)
23. You Burn Me Up and Down – We the People (HLH 10089)
24. Dieingly Sad – The Critters (HLR 10071)
25. 7 and 7 Is – Love (HLZ 10073)
26. I’m a Nut – Leroy Pullins (HLR 10056)
27. To Make a Big Man Cry – Roy Head (HLZ 10097)
28. River Deep – Mountain High – Ike and Tina Turner (HLU 10046)
Tracklist:
CD1:
1. Dear John
2. I done what they told me to
3. Breakaway
4. Good news
5. Wimoweh mambo
6. The black hills of Dakota
7. Row row row
8. The green leaves of summer
9. Silver dollar
10. Allentown jail
11. Lonesome traveller
12. Dear hearts and gentle people
13. They took John away
14. Eso es el amor
15. Two brothers
16. Tzena, tzena, tzena
17. Bambino
18. Goodnight Irene
19. Far away places
20. Silver threads and golden needles
21. Aunt Rhody
22. Swahili papa
23. Gotta travel on
CD2:
1. Island of dreams
2. The Johnson boys
3. Settle down
4. There’s a big wheel
5. Greenback dollar
6. Midnight special
7. Wabash cannonball
8. Alone with you
9. Cottonfields
10. Foggy mountain top
11. Little by little
12. Maggie
13. Darling Allalee
14. Mountain boy
15. My baby’s gone
16. Waf woof
17. Say I won’t be there
18. Little boat
19. Come on home
20. Pit a pat
21. If I was down and out
22. Maracabamba
23. No sad songs for me
24. Where have all the flowers gone
Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 Review by Mark Deming.
If one had to point to a single initial salvo that launched the garage rock revival movement in the 1970s and ‘80s, it would have to be the release of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 in 1972. Elektra Records had approached rock critic Lenny Kaye (not yet the guitarist with the Patti Smith Group) with the notion of compiling an album of great, overlooked rock tunes, but what Kaye came up with was something significantly different — an overview of the great, wild era when American bands, goaded by the British Invasion, began honing in on a tougher and more eclectic rock & roll sound, and kids were reawakened to the possibilities of two guitars, bass, and drums. Coming up with a simple definition of this period and its sound proved daunting — the word “garage” appears nowhere in the liner notes to Nuggets, and his notion of “the first psychedelic era” quickly fell by the wayside — but the frequent bursts of fuzztone, Farfisa organ, and vocal sneering in the 27 tunes Kaye selected codified a musical approach that flourished in the mid-’60s, and at a time when rock was becoming more self-consciously serious and arty, the primal power and sheer sense of fun audible in this music seemed like a minor revelation that became a clarion call to musicians, fans, and music scribes around the world. Nuggets proved to be of seismic importance in the years after its release, but just as importantly, it’s a blast to listen to; Kaye’s sequencing gives the album the joyous flow of a great afternoon of AM radio, and the album blends hits both big (“Pushin’ Too Hard” by the Seeds, “Psychotic Reaction” by Count Five) and small (“You’re Gonna Miss Me” by the 13th Floor Elevators, “Hey Joe” by the Leaves) with high-quality obscurities (“Don’t Look Back” by the Remains, “It’s A-Happening” by the Magic Mushrooms) and early efforts by future stars (Leslie West in the Vagrants, Todd Rundgren in Nazz, Ted Nugent in the Amboy Dukes). And while many of the garage compilations that would follow would focus relentlessly on the obscure and the noisy, Kaye’s set not only demonstrates that some of this stuff actually made the charts, but that there was as much great pop as snotty proto-punk pouring out of America’s rec rooms back in the day. And Kaye’s liner notes were nearly as important as the music in defining the importance of this music and its era. Very few “oldies” compilations have had an influence approaching that of Nuggets, and even fewer are as rewarding to listen to; if you care about rock music in the ’60s, you need to own this album. [In 1998, Nuggets would be expanded into a superb four-disc box set, but the original two-LP set remains available as a standalone CD release.]
Tracklist CD1:
CD2:
CD3:
CD4:
1. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow – The Shirelles
2. The The Loco-Motion – Little Eva
3. Up On The Roof – The Drifters
4. I’d Never Find Another You – Billy Fury
5. Why’d You Wanna Make Me Cry – Connie Stevens
6. Walkin’ With My Angel – Bobby Vee
7. Point Of No Return – Gene McDaniels
8. I’ve Got Bonnie – Ronnie Lane
9. Happy Tears – Paul Anka
10. A Very Special Boy – Carole King
11. Tell Daddy – Ben E. King
12. When My Little Girl Is Smiling – Jimmy Justice
13. Takin’ That Long Walk Home – Dorothy Jones
14. In My Baby’s Eyes – Bobby Vee
15. Billy’s Ridin’ – Ernie Sheldon
16. Down Home – Little Eva
17. Am I The Guy – Tony Orlando
18. Dear Buddy – Barbara Lyons
19. Queen Of The Beach – Carole King
20. Dear Mr. Dj (Play It Again) – Tina Robin
Disc 2
1. Halfway To Paradise – Billy Fury
2. Happy Times (Are Here To Stay) – Tony Orlando
3. Stranger In My Arms – The Cookies
4. Good Buddies – The Crawford Brothers
5. All The World Loves A Lover – Bertell Dache
6. I Didn’t Have Any Summer Romance – Carole King
7. Her Royal Majesty – James Darren
8. No One Ever Tells You – The Crystals
9. What A Sweet Thing That Was – The Shirelles
10. The Light In Your Window – Kenny Karen
11. He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss) – The Crystals
12. Nobody’s Perfect – Carole King
13. He Knows I Love Him Too Much – The Paris Sisters
14. Every Breath I Take – Gene Pitney
15. (I Won’t) Go Away Little Boy – Jennie Smith
16. I Couldn’t Say No – Connie Stevens
17. Follow That Girl – Vinnie Monte
18. How Many Tears – Bobby Vee
19. Short Mort – Carole King
20. Another Night With The Boys – The Drifters
Disc 3
1. It Might As Well Rain Until September – Carole King
2. Take Good Care Of My Baby – Bobby Vee
3. I Was Only Kidding – Ann-Margret
4. Talkin’ About You – Tony Orlando
5. Heaven Is Being With You – Jackie DeShannon
6. You Gotta Have Chicks – Bertell Dache
7. My Golden Chance – Bobby Vee
8. Don’t Ever Change – The Crickets
9. Keep Your Love Locked (Deep In Your Heart) – Paul Petersen
10. Some Kind Of Wonderful – The Drifters
11. Carole – Billy Scott
12. Sharing You – Bobby Vee
13. Where Do I Go? – Little Eva
14. Go Away Little Girl – Steve Lawrence
15. School Bells Are Ringing – Carole King
16. Chains – The Cookies
17. Just Another Fool – Curtis Lee
18. I Can’t Say Goodbye – Bobby Vee
19. Keep Your Hands Off My Baby – Little Eva
20. Yes, I Will Love You Tomorrow – Jon E. Holiday
Nuggets, Vol. 2: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire & Beyond Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine.
Nuggets, Lenny Kaye’s original 1972 compilation of garage and psych, loomed large in the record collectors consciousness, canonizing a portion of rock that was originally laughed off while setting the standard for reissues. Rhino’s 1998 box set of the same name expanded the scope of that record, replicating most of the original while gloriously spilling forth over three additional discs — and, in doing so, it spurred a minor revolution, becoming one of the most talked-about reissues of the last half of the ’90s. Rhino knew there was an audience thirsting for a sequel, and they gave them one in 2001, but they didn’t take the easy way out. Instead of offering another round of American garage rockers, they decided to take the road less traveled, compiling four discs of hidden treasures from non-American garage and psych bands. Most of these cuts are from British bands, but there are also selections from a pre-fame Guess Who, the New Zealand act the Smoke, the Brazilian psychedelia of Os Mutantes, the exceptional Merseybeat stylings of Uruguay’s Los Shakers, and the extraordinary Peruvian combo We All Together, among other non-Brit acts. It’s a brilliant, even necessary, move, since most of these bands and songs have been only heard only by the most dedicated collectors — the kind that are willing to risk money based on just hearing a band mentioned, not to hear the group themselves. Let’s face it — apart from the Status Quo’s “Pictures of Matchstick Men,” the Small Faces’ “Here Comes the Nice,” and the Pretty Things’ “Rosalyn,” the most familiar song here is the opener, the Creation’s “Making Time,” simply because it provided the indelible soundtrack to Max Fischer’s yearbook in Rushmore. That’s four songs out of 109 — a ratio that should simply entice most die-hard rockers and record collectors, especially since the familiar names (the Move, Them, the Easybeats, the Troggs) are represented by songs that aren’t heard all that often. So, the big question is, does Nuggets, Vol. 2 deliver and is it worth spending the money for 100-plus songs you’ve never heard before? Well, if you’re even slightly interested in this, the answer is yes. That doesn’t mean this isn’t without its faults — like any garage rock, if it’s listened to in once concentrated burst, it becomes a little samey, which is also a by-product of its biggest flaw, namely how the compilers favor songs that sound like American garage and downplaying the delirious, precious frutiness of British psych. Still, that’s a minor complaint, because the simple fact of the matter is this — there’s no better way to fall in love with this music, not just because it does its job so well, it just simply doesn’t have any peers. Furthermore, a lot of this stuff is pretty hard to come by (personally, I spent about 150 dollars on a complete Idle Race collection, and it’s much better to get their two best songs here). Also, much of the bands here are best heard in this context, since they have a song, maybe three, that were stunners — and all of these stunners in one place is stunning.
Tracklist CD1:
CD2:
CD3:
CD4:
1.1 Yesterday Has Gone – Little Anthony ; The Imperials
1.2 Can’t Stop Running Away – Timi Yuro
1.3 Baby Are You Puttin’ Me On – The Royalettes
1.4 You Don’t Need A Heart – Teddy Randazzo
1.5 Think Before You Act – Tony Orlando
1.6 You Better Go – Derek Martin
1.7 I’m On The Outside (Looking In) – Little Anthony ; The Imperials
1.8 It’s Gonna Take A Miracle – The Royalettes
1.9 Rain In My Heart – Frank Sinatra
1.10 We’re On Our Way – The Vogues
1.11 Buttercup Days – The Kane Triplets
1.12 Let Me Dream – Georgia Gibbs
1.13 Let Me Know When It’s Over – Esther Phillips
1.14 Lonely Girl – Annabelle Fox
1.15 Better Off Without You – Ritchie Adams
1.16 I’m Lost Without You – Billy Fury
1.17 Or Not At All – Jimmy Rice
1.18 Good For A Lifetime – Al Hibbler
1.19 Goin’ Out Of My Head – Dionne Warwick
1.20 Better Use Your Head – Mel Tormé
1.21 I Watched You Slowly Slip Away – Howard Guyton
1.22 Think Twice Before You Walk Away – Porgy ; The Monarchs
1.23 Hurt So Bad – The Delfonics
1.24 Love At First Sight – The Stylistics
1.25 A Million To One – The Manhattans
David Gates – First 1973
First, David Gates “first” album away from Bread, begins with that distinctive voice and sound his band made famous when he was at the controls. On the initial track of this 1973 release, “Sailing Around the World,” he sings “wish that I could start again.” The problem here is that Bread had a groove, and a quick comparison is in order: Despite David Bowie’s fame after splitting from the Spiders From Mars, rock & roll fans never felt the same way about that artist. So, too, with this soft rock maestro, and regardless of the on-key and in-control aspect of First, it’s hard to get a handle on many of these nine original songs. It’s a stellar cast behind the identifiable pop figure — Jim Horn, Jim Gordon, Larry Carlton, Russ Kunkel, Mike Botts, and so on and so forth — all providing a sterling foundation, but there is no knockout punch like “The Guitar Man,” “Make It With You,” or even his ’60s hit for the Murmaids, “Popsicles, Icicles.” Now an acoustic version of that gem would have brought this set to life post haste. “Sunday Rider” is restrained rock, not as defined as the Top 30 “Let Your Love Go” from 1971, the hardest of Bread’s dozen hit records. “Soap” is pretty lackluster, though “Suite: Clouds, Rain” adds a nice dimension to the end of side one, nearly nine minutes of lovely, soft music that became identified with the artist. Side two has some interesting moments. “Ann” opens up with something close to the “Sweet Surrender” riff and is a soft folk number much like “Aubrey” from The Guitarman album, little touches of “Arrivederci Roma” flavor the instrumentation and melody. “Do You Believe He’s Comin'” brings back the semi-heavy guitar of “Guitar Man,” meaning Gates has no qualms about taking his bag of Bread tricks to his solo effort. A lyric about “the meek inheriting the earth” and the use of capital “h” on “He” make it clear this is a folk/gospel/Jesus song. “Sight & Sound” kicks in with that same “Sweet Surrender” riff used two songs ago…”the sweetest sight,” “the sweetest night,” “the sweetest sound,” “the sweetest silence”…the man has definitely surrendered to the word “sweet,” and it does get a bit redundant. “Lorilee” is the ninth and final track, continuing his tradition of writings songs with women’s names, the second on First. “Lorilee” begins with a stunningly beautiful instrumental, sounding like Santana performing Marty Balin’s 1981 hit “Hearts” over Carole King’s “It’s Too Late” riff. Nice, very nice. There’s actually no need for vocals; “Lorilee” is a strong track just on the merits of the instrumentation, which begs the final question: Is it surprising that the best number on First is the song that sounds like Bread the least? This was the time for David Gates to break out a couple of cover songs to introduce himself as an interpreter, and the album suffers for lack of outside material.
Tracklist:
1. David Gates – Sail Around the World
2. David Gates – Sunday Rider
3. David Gates – Soap (I Use The)
4. David Gates – Suite: Clouds, Rain
5. David Gates – Help Is on the Way
6. David Gates – Ann
7. David Gates – Do You Believe He’s Comin’
8. David Gates – Sight and Sound
9. David Gates – Lorilee
Jackie Trent – Where Are You Now. The Pye Anthology [Castle]
Artist Biography by Richie Unterberger.
A British singer/songwriter of the ’60s whose voice was far better suited for reaching the back row of Broadway auditoriums than soul or rock, Jackie Trent (born Yvonne Burgess in 1940; she changed her name to Jackie Trent at the age of 14) nonetheless operated on the fringe of the U.K. pop scene in the manner of other femme belters like Cilla Black, though her efforts were usually even more middle of the road. Her one big triumph was her number one British single in mid-1965, “Where Are You Now (My Love)”; that would be her only Top 20 entry. If she can often sound like Petula Clark crossed with Shirley Bassey, there’s a good reason for that; she shared Clark’s producer, Tony Hatch, who would become her songwriting partner and husband. Trent and Hatch, in fact, penned several of Clark’s hits, though (with the exception of “Where Are You Now”) the composers weren’t nearly as successful when applying their songwriting/production talents to Jackie’s discs. Trent recorded quite prolifically for Pye in the ’60s (including some duets with husband Tony), but it’s as a songwriter that she’ll primarily be remembered.
Tracklist:
CD1:
1-1 Melancholy Me
1-2 If You Love Me (Really Love Me)
1-3 Autumn Leaves
1-4 I Heard Somebody Say
1-5 Don’t Stand In My Way
1-6 Where Are You Now (My Love)
1-7 When Summertime Is Over
1-8 It’s All In The Way You Look At Life
1-9 Time After Time
1-10 Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
1-11 I’m A Fool To Want You
1-12 Faces
1-13 You Baby
1-14 Send Her Away
1-15 Love Is Me, Love Is You
1-16 This Time
1-17 If You Ever Leave Me
1-18 There Goes My Love, There Goes My Life
1-19 Open Your Heart
1-20 Either Way I Lose
1-21 Take Me Away
1-22 Baby Are You Puttin’ Me On
1-23 Make It Easy On Yourself
1-24 Humming Bird
1-25 I’ll Be With You
1-26 Your Love Is Everywhere
1-27 It’s Not Easy Loving You
1-28 That’s You
CD2:
2-1 With Every Little Tear
2-2 Don’t Send Me Away
2-3 You’re Gonna Hear From Me
2-4 Here’s That Rainy Day
2-5 Hollywood
2-6 I’ll Be There
2-7 Close To You
2-8 Goin’ Back
2-9 Remember Me
2-10 If You Go Away
2-11 Such A Small Love
2-12 Look At The Rain
2-13 I’ll Be Near You
2-14 We Need You
2-15 Corner Of The Sky
2-16 Come Home My Love
2-17 Send In The Clowns
2-18 Can’t Give It Up No More
2-19 Everybody Rejoice
2-20 Didn’t I Say I Love You
2-21 My Love
2-22 Just A Little Piece Of You
01 Bad Water – Doris Duke
02 Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes
03 Yesterday Died – Jimmy Holiday
04 Put A Little Love In Your Heart – Dorothy Morrison
05 You Don’t Understand Him Like I Do – Jeannie Seely
06 It’s Just Terrible – The Kalin Twins
07 I’ve Got My Tears To Remind Me – Dave Berry
08 My Baby Likes Western Guys – Brenda Lee
09 Don’t Put Your Heart In His Hand – Kiki Dee
10 He Did It – The Ronettes
11 Depend On Yourself – Joe & Eddie
12 With You In Mind – Marianne Faithfull
13 Burn On Love – The Righteous Brothers
14 I’m Breaking The Law – Gerri Diamond
15 Each Time – The Searchers
16 The Greener Side – Tammy Grimes
17 Colour Blue – Peter & Gordon
18 The Other Side Of Town – P.J. Proby
19 Till You Say You’ll Be Mine – Olivia Newton-John
20 I Shook The World – Bob B Soxx & The Blue Jeans
21 My Group And Me – Raga & The Talas
22 You Have No Choice – Delaney Bramlett
23 I Wanted It All – Rita Coolidge
24 Boat To Sail – The Carpenters
25 Nobody Made Me – Randy Edelman
26 Love Forever Stay (Demo) – Jackie DeShannon
 Various Artists – The In Crowd – UK Mod R&B-Beat 1964-1967The In Crowd: UK Mod R&B Beat,1964-1967 [RPM] Review by Richie Unterberger.There’s a decent amount of good stuff on this anthology, but it does represent the second to third rung of artists and tracks in this immensely exciting genre. It’s something to investigate only after you’ve digested the Who, the Small Faces, Creation, and the Pretty Things, especially as there are no tracks by any of those groups on this 26-track anthology. And the songs by the biggest names are rather peripheral to their core discographies: The Yardbirds’ “Stroll On” is the reworking of “The Train Kept A-Rollin'” that they did for the Blow-Up film, while the Spencer Davis Group’s “Keep on Running” is a live radio version, not the original hit single. Getting past these considerations, almost everything here is fair to excellent British R&B-mod, including cuts by some of the better second-division acts on the scene (Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll, the Artwoods, John’s Children, the Untamed, the Eyes, Graham Bond) and early recordings by some future superstars like Rod Stewart, Steve Howe (as part of the In Crowd), and David Bowie (as part of the Manish Boys). The Action’s blue-eyed soul masterpiece “I’ll Keep Holding On,” Gary Farr & the T-Bones’ R&B cover of Mongo Santamaria’s “Get the Money,” and Les Fleur Des Lys’ “Mud in Your Eye,” in fact, are great cuts, and John’s Children’s “The Love I Thought I’d Found” (also known as “Smashed Blocked”) is mod on the verge of dissolving into psychedelia. “It’s Alright,” by the Rocking Vickers, is an oddity in that it’s basically Pete Townshend’s “The Kids Are Alright” with different lyrics and song structure (though Townshend still gets the songwriting credit). This is really more of a first purchase for listeners just beginning to investigate obscure mod music than one for the specialists, though, since many people interested in these sounds in the first place will already have many or most of the songs on other reissues. There’s an extraordinary bonus, however: An enhanced CD track has a three-minute video clip from a 1964 documentary focusing on the Four + 1 (with future members of the psychedelic band Tomorrow), including a snippet of a live performance of Bo Diddley’s “Nursery Rhyme. “Tracklist:01.Blow Up – In Crowd (The)02.Stroll On – Yardbirds (The)03.Shake – Rod Stwart04.That’s How Strong My Love Is – In Crowd (The)05.Hey Hey Hey Hey – Chris Farlowe06.Keep On Running (live session) – Spencer Davis Group (The)07.Finger Poppin’ – In Crowd (The)08.Don’t Lie To Me09.I Take What I Want10.Get The Money – Gary Farr11.I’ll Keep On Holding On – Action (The) (’60s)12.My Baby Is Gone – Untamed (The)13.Take My Tip – Mannish Boys14.Man With Money, A – A Wild Uncertainty15.Its Alright – Rockin Vickers (The)16.I’m Rowed Out – Eyes (The)17.Mud In Your Eye – Fleur De Lys (Les)18.Love I Thought I’d Found, The – Johns Children19.You’re On Your Own – In Crowd (The)20.Can I Get A Witness – Steampacket21.Time Is On My Side22.It’s For You – Red Devils (The)23.Tiger – Brian Auger24.Don’t Do It No More – Julie Driscoll25.Big Boss Man (live) – Graham Bond Organisation26.Slow Down (live session) – Episode Six COMMENTS |
Disc 1:
1. The Monkees – Theme from The Monkees
2. The Monkees – I Wanna Be Free
3. The Monkees – Let’s Dance On
4. The Monkees – Last Train to Clarksville
5. The Monkees – Take a Giant Step
6. The Monkees – All the King’s Horses
7. The Monkees – Saturday’s Child
8. The Monkees – Papa Gene’s Blues
9. The Monkees – I Wanna Be Free
10. The Monkees – Sweet Young Thing
11. The Monkees – Gonna Buy Me a Dog
12. The Monkees – I Don’t Think You Know Me
13. The Monkees – I’m a Believer
14. The Monkees – (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone
15. The Monkees – She
16. The Monkees – Mary, Mary
17. The Monkees – Your Auntie Grizelda
18. The Monkees – Of You
19. The Monkees – Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)
20. The Monkees – Kind of Girl
21. The Monkees – Sometime in the Morning
22. The Monkees – When Loves Comes Knockin’ (At Your Door)
23. The Monkees – Do Not Ask for Love
24. The Monkees – Valleri
25. The Monkees – I’ll Be Back Upon My Feet
Disc 2:
1. The Monkees – Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
2. The Monkees – She Hangs Out
3. The Monkees – Girl I Knew Somewhere
4. The Monkees – All of Your Toys
5. The Monkees – Love to Love
6. The Monkees – You Told Me
7. The Monkees – I’ll Spend My Life with You
8. The Monkees – Forget That Girl
9. The Monkees – You Just May Be the One
10. The Monkees – Shades of Gray
11. The Monkees – For Pete’s Sake
12. The Monkees – Sunny Girlfriend
13. The Monkees – No Time
14. The Monkees – Randy Scouse Git
15. The Monkees – Pleasant Valley Sunday
16. The Monkees – Words
17. The Monkees – Daydream Believer
18. The Monkees – Goin’ Down
19. The Monkees – Salesman
20. The Monkees – Door into Summer
21. The Monkees – Cuddly Toy
22. The Monkees – Love Is Only Sleeping
23. The Monkees – What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round?
24. The Monkees – Daily Nightly
25. The Monkees – Star Collector
Disc 3:
1. The Monkees – Valleri
2. The Monkees – Tapioca Tundra
3. The Monkees – Dream World
4. The Monkees – Auntie’s Municipal Court
5. The Monkees – P.O. Box 9847
6. The Monkees – Zor and Zam
7. The Monkees – Carlisle Wheeling
8. The Monkees – Tear the Top Right off My Head
9. The Monkees – Girl I Left Behind Me
10. The Monkees – Nine Times Blue
11. The Monkees – Come on In
12. The Monkees – D.W. Washburn
13. The Monkees – It’s Nice to Be with You
14. The Monkees – St. Matthew
15. The Monkees – Porpoise Song (Theme from Head)
16. The Monkees – As We Go Along
17. The Monkees – Ditty Diego-War Chant
18. The Monkees – Circle Sky
19. The Monkees – Can You Dig It
20. The Monkees – Daddy’s Song
21. The Monkees – Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again
Disc 4:
1. The Monkees – Tear Drop City
2. The Monkees – Man Without a Dream
3. The Monkees – Through the Looking Glass
4. The Monkees – I Won’t Be the Same Without Her
5. The Monkees – You and I
6. The Monkees – While I Cry
7. The Monkees – Shorty Blackwell
8. The Monkees – If I Ever Get to Saginaw Again
9. The Monkees – Smile
10. The Monkees – Listen to the Band
11. The Monkees – Someday Man
12. The Monkees – Some of Shelly’s Blues
13. The Monkees – Mommy and Daddy
14. The Monkees – Good Clean Fun
15. The Monkees – Looking for the Good Times
16. The Monkees – Steam Engine
17. The Monkees – I Never Thought It Perculiar
18. The Monkees – Midnight Train
19. The Monkees – Oh My My
20. The Monkees – I Love You Better
21. The Monkees – Do You Feel It Too?
22. The Monkees – Do It in the Name of Love
23. The Monkees – That Was Then, This Is Now
24. The Monkees – Heart and Soul
25. The Monkees – MGBGT
26. The Monkees – Every Step of the Way
27. The Monkees – Oh, What a Night
28. The Monkees – You and I
1.1 Stop, Look and Listen – the Chiffons
1.2 Let Me Get Close to You – Beverly Warren
1.3 I’m Afraid They’re All Talking About Me -Dawn
1.4 Shy Guy – the Charmers
1.5 My Block – the Four Pennies
1.6 Hanky Panky – the Summits
1.7 If I Knew Then (What I Know Now) – the Chiffons
1.8 Sandy – Dawn
1.9 Heading for a Heartbreak – the Cheese Cakes
1.10 Love Me Like You’re Gonna Lose Me – the Chiffons
1.11 He’s Just a Playboy – Bernadette Carroll
1.12 Don’t Lean on Me – Corinna Cord
1.13 Keep the Boy Happy – the Chiffons
1.14 He’s My Dream Boy – Marie Antoinette
1.15 He’s An Angel – the Summits
1.16 How Can I Be Sure (That It’s Love) – Gloria Dennis
1.17 Sweet Talk – the Charmers
1.18 I Still Love You – Les Girls
1.19 Your Big Mistake – the Del-Rons
1.20 He’s Mine – Linda ; the Lindettes
1.21 Whenever a Teenager Cries – the Jeans
1.22 Nothing Went Right – Lorrie Darnell
1.23 Circus Girl – Bernadette Carroll
1.24 Your Life Is Gone – Reparata
Susan Maughan – Bobby’s Girl (LP Wing Records – WL 1105, 1967).
Tracklist:
A1 – Bobby’s Girl (Klein, Hoffman)A2 – She’s New to You (Owen, Silver)A3 – I’ve Got to Learn To Forget (A. Fielding)A4 – I’m a Lonely One Too (Maughan)A5 – Call On Me (Franz, Hawker)A6 – Kiss Me Sailor (Rehak, Rambeau)B1 – Make Him Mine (Barratt)B2 – Little Things Mean a Lot (Stutz, Lindeman)B3 – That Other Place (Clint Ballard Jr.)B4 – You Can Never Get Away From Me (Greenfield, Keller)B5 – Don’t Be Afraid (Paul, Brown)B6 – When She Walks Away (Morgan)BONUS:C1 – Norman (John D. Loudermilk)
Various Artists – Colour My World, The Songs Of Tony Hatch
Colour My World: Songs of Tony Hatch Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine.
For a time, Tony Hatch defined British pop — not the underground, not the vanguard, but the savvy, swinging sound of the go-go ’60s in the U.K., a splashy sound that could appeal to both the young and the old. His greatest muse was Petula Clark, and her hits “Downtown,” “Colour My World,” and “A Sign of the Times” epitomize Hatch’s gifts: propulsive rhythms that don’t rock too hard dressed in the fanciest, frilliest studio trickery and delivered by a polite, charismatic singer who never seemed dangerous. Ace’s 2014 compilation Colour My World: The Songs of Tony Hatch celebrates his heyday, offering 23 cuts from the ’60s plus two ’70s instrumentals from the Tony Hatch Orchestra. As comprehensive as this is, it doesn’t have every noteworthy artist Hatch produced — his singles with David Bowie, commercial duds all, are absent — but most of the hits are here, including four hits from Clark, several from Jackie Trent (who was also Hatch’s wife), the Searchers’ “Sugar and Spice,” Chris Montez’s “Call Me,” and the Vogues’ “You’re the One.” Occasionally, Colour My World illustrates how Hatch could play it straight, stripping away the stylish rock & roll accouterments to wander down the middle of the road with Jack Jones, Matt Monro, and Bobby Rydell, but having these cuts interspersed with the livelier, teen-oriented hits helps this compilation feel like a robust portrait of mainstream pop: it’s possible to hear what the mainstream sounded like, and also to hear how Hatch expanded that definition with his rhythms and rich orchestrations. (Also, in this context, it’s plain to see how Scott Walker, represented here by “Joanna,” came closer to MOR than rock at the start of his solo career.)
Tracklist:
1. Petula Clark – Colour My World (2:49)
2. The Montanas – A Step In The Right Direction (3:13)
3. The Vogues – You’re The One (2:22)
4. Chris Montez – Call Me (2:38)
5. The Breakaways – That’s How It Goes (2:27)
6. Petula Clark – A Sign Of The Times (3:01)
7. Tony Hatch & The Satin Brass/Tony Hatch – Sounds Of The 70s (3:55)
8. Sarah Vaughan – I Know A Place (2:22)
9. The Remains – Heart (2:38)
10. The Montanas – You’ve Got To Be Loved (2:51)
11. Connie Francis – Love Is Me, Love Is You (2:25)
12. Petula Clark – Who Am I (2:27)
13. The Sands Of Time – Love Found A Way To My Heart (2:45)
14. Jackie Trent – Where Are You Now (2:46)
15. Jack Jones – If You Ever Leave Me (2:37)
16. Scott Walker – Joanna (3:49)
17. Julie Grant – Lonely Without You (2:18)
18. Petula Clark – Downtown (3:05)
19. Jackie Trent – 7.10 From Suburbia (2:42)
20. Tony Hatch Sound – Man Alive (2:02)
21. Matt Monro – I Love The Little Things (2:40)
22. Garry Mills – Look For A Star (2:04)
23. Bobby Rydell – Forget Him (2:07)
24. The Searchers – Sugar And Spice (2:15)
25. The Tony Hatch Orchestra – Sportsnight (2:50)
  This collection celebrates a notable chart event of January 1962, namely when Chubby Checkers record The Twist topped the US pop charts for the second time, signalling the approaching peak of the worldwide Twist dance craze he had first made No.1 well over a year earlier, in September 1960, since which time the dance had started to catch on all round the world. This collection comprises just about all the records in the Billboard Hot 100 of that week (one record is unavailable for copyright reasons) and it provides a fascinating and evocative snapshot of the music scene at what was already a dynamic and transitional time, with The Beatles first UK hit only nine months away. It includes seven Twist hits which underline the popularity of the dance. Its a window onto a vibrant and exciting musical environment, and includes a number of unfamiliar names and recordings of which even pop enthusiasts may not be too aware, and which will be welcome additions to their collections. Just imagine … It was 60 years ago. And as if yesterday … One Two Three Four.. |
Towards the end of the 1950s when television and rock and roll were in their infancy the BBC launched what was to be it’s first attempt at a rock and roll programme. It was noisy. It was brash. It was chaotic. The high brow press hated it but the young people took it to their hearts. Six-Five Special was born! Almost a year later ‘Oh Boy!’ was launched on ITV by the same producer who created Six-Five Special, Jack Good. Unlike it’s predecessor it was an all out blast of streamlined rock and roll akin to a rocket launch!
This fantastic CD has a whopping 39 tracks that cover both the Six-Five Special and ‘Oh Boy!’ albums in their entirety! Featuring big names Don Lang, Jim Dale and an artist who went on to be one of the UK biggest rock n roll stars Cliff Richard.
If you are after some real corkers then check out Jim Dales ‘Party Time’ and Don Lang’s ‘Ramshackle Daddy’ which rock by like an avalanche! Quite simply if you were around for these shows you will already know how good they were and if you missed them then now is your chance to grab hold of this sizzling hot rock platter and tear up the rug in your front room!
01. Don Lang & His Frantic Five – Six-Five Special (02:36)02. John Barry Seven – Let’s Have A Wonderful Time (01:54)03. Terry Wayne – Boppin’ The Blues (02:29)04. Jim Dale – Crazy Dream (01:58)05. The King Brothers – Cold, Cold Shower (02:01)06. Laurie London – Up Above My Head I Hear Music In The Air (02:06)07. John Barry Seven – Rock-A-Billy Boogie (01:46)08. Don Lang & His Frantic Five – Ramshackle Daddy (02:29)09. The King Brothers – Party Time (02:53)10. Terry Wayne – Teenage Boogie (02:08)11. John Barry Seven – Every Which Way (02:30)12. Jim Dale – Just Born (To Be Your Baby) (01:53)13. Don Lang & His Frantic Five – You Started Something (01:59)14. Laurie London – Up Above My Head I Hear Music In The Air (02:06)15. Jimmy Jackson – Six-Five Jive (03:13)16. Cliff Richard – T.V. Hop (00:55)17. Two Vernon Girls – Little Jonah (00:42)18. Cliff Richard – Rockin’ Robin (01:08)19. John Barry Seven – When The Saints Go Marching In (01:44)20. Vince Eager – Buzz, Buzz, Buzz (02:02)21. Neville Taylor – Good Good (01:26)22. Cliff Richard – High School Confidential (01:54)23. Ther Vernon Girls – Bad Motorcycle (01:49)24. Cuddly Dudley – Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey (01:43)25. The Dallas Boys – Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart (02:23)26. Peter Elliot – Your Hand, Your Heart, Your Love (02:54)27. Cliff Richard – Early In The Morning (01:50)28. Cliff Richard – King Creole (00:49)29. Two Vernon Girls – There’s Never Been A Night (00:40)30. Neville Taylor – Le Roy (00:58)31. John Barry Seven – Pancho (01:54)32. Vince Eager – Blue Ribbon Baby (01:37)33. Neville Taylor – Little Miss Ruby (01:46)34. Cliff Richard – I’ll Try (02:00)35. The Vernon Girls – Don’t Look Now, But (01:55)36. Cuddly Dudley – Let’s Rock While The Rockin’s Good (01:41)37. The Dallas Boys – Joshua (01:29)38. Peter Elliot – The End (02:05)39. Cliff Richard – Somebody Touched Me (02:01)
extra tracks 1-6
1. Ernie Maresca – The Good Life 2:35
2. Carlo Mastrangelo – Brenda the Great Pretender 2:39
3. Dean & Jean – Please Don’t Tell Me Now 2:12
4. The Demilles – Cry and Be on My Way 2:04
5. Carlo Mastrangelo – Stranger in My Arms 2:32
6. The Four Graduates – Candy Queen 2:25
7. The Harps – Marie 2:06
8. The Four Coins – I’ll Never Love Again 2:17
9. The Chiffons – Up on the Bridge 2:58
10. The Chiffons – Open Your Eyes (I Will Be There) 2:11
11. Dion & The Belmonts – No One Knows 2:35
12. Dion & The Belmonts – A Lover’s Prayer 2:17
13. Bernadette Carroll – Try Your Luck 2:22
14. Jimmy Clanton – Tell Me 2:35
15. Ernie Maresca – The Spirit of Woodstock 2:24
16. The Brooklyn Boys [60s] – The Normal Ones 2:18
17. Dean & Jean – Seven Day Wonder 2:25
18. Hoagy Lands – Happy Go Lucky 2:40
19. The Traces – What Am I to Do 2:52
20. Jimmy Curtiss and The Regents – Let’s Dance Close 2:21
21. The Five Discs – Rock and Roll Revival 2:22
22. The Teardrops – Hey Gingerbread 2:10
23. Frank Lyndon – The Hat 3:12
24. Artie Chicago [aka Ernie Maresca] – Please Don’t Play Me A7 2:50
25. Ernie Maresca – My Son 2:08
26. Ernie Maresca – What Is a Marine 2:28
If remembered at all today, it is probably thanks to their silly astronaut costumes, but in the ’60s the Spotnicks were one of the most successful instrumental rock groups, alongside the Shadows and the Ventures. Their very specific sound had more in common with the Shadows, being clean and intentionally gentle. It originated from their first primitive demo recordings, but the record company liked it and, being plastic and twangy, it was promoted as a space sound. That sound was already outdated in the late ’60s, but that didn’t stop the group from having big successes throughout the decade. In the ’70s the sound was definitely antiquated, but like the Ventures, the Spotnicks found reliable audiences in Japan and Germany, as well as cult and nostalgia followings around the world. The Spotnicks have sold over 20 million albums, making them among the most successful Swedish groups ever, surpassed perhaps only by ABBA and Roxette. By the late ’90s, they had released 39 studio albums, recorded roughly 700 songs, and had more than 100 members in the different iterations of the band.
The Spotnicks were formed in Göteborg, Sweden, in 1957, by guitarist and undisputed bandleader Bo Winberg. The other members were guitarist and singer Bob Lander, drummer Ove Johansson, and bassist Björn Thelin, several of whom had already played together in local rock & roll bands like the Blue Caps, Rock Teddy, and the Rebels. The first year they performed under the name the Frazers, but soon changed it to the Spotnicks. In 1961 they were signed by Karusell and released their first singles containing mostly instrumental covers of famous songs. The selection of songs was as varied as the performances were homogenous, including titles like “Hava Nagila” and “Johnny Guitar.” Later the same year, the Spotnicks toured Germany, France, and Spain, and in 1962 they released their debut album, The Spotnicks in London, recorded on their first trip to England. Featured on this tour were the space suits that the band would wear on-stage until 1969.
“Hava Nagila” became a hit in England in 1963; the same year Johansson left to be replaced by Derek Skinner. The rest of the ’60s led to increasing success in Europe, the U.S., and Japan, and the band even managed to compete with itself on the Japanese charts when the Spotnicks’ song “Karelia” took the first position from the Feenades’ “Ajomies.” The song was the same, just recorded under different titles. The Feenades were a Finland-based side project of the Spotnicks, built upon Winberg and Peter Winsnes, who had joined the Spotnicks in 1965. Winberg also released less-successful recordings under the name the Shy Ones. Compared to the following decades, the ’60s were a relatively stable period for the Spotnicks in terms of the group’s lineup. Some new members were recruited, though, like drummer Jimmy Nicol, bassist Magnus Hellsberg, and drummer Tommy Tausis, who had earlier played with Tages
In 1969 the Spotnicks disbanded, but Winberg continued to record using the name until the group reunited in 1972 upon the request of a Japanese record company. The same year, “If You Could Read My Mind,” from the album Something Like Country, became a big hit in Germany. The Spotnicks retained their popularity there for a long time, even as it faded elsewhere. Their Japanese audience proved more faithful, though and accordingly the Spotnicks devoted most of their touring in the ’70s to these two countries. After the release of 1972’s Something Like Country (the Spotnicks’ best album according to many fans), they had practically stopped being a band, consisting mainly of Winberg and various session musicians.
While the Spotnicks had started out playing a light version rock & roll, they turned more toward easy listening, and even exotica, in the ’70s, not by changing their own sound but by stubbornly keeping it while trends changed. By the ’80s, they had essentially become a curiosity at home, but kept up their popularity in Germany and Japan. During the ’90s, Winberg still toured using the name the Spotnicks, but to little attention. And even in their hometown of Göteborg, the Spotnicks were mainly forgotten, except for an occasional article in the local paper reminding readers of some guys with silly helmets who were once international stars. Bo Winberg died on January 3, 2020, at the age of 80.
01 – The look of love
02 – Give Me Time
03 – They Long To Be Close To You
04 – If You Go Away
05 – Sunny
06 – Come Back To Me
07 – What’s It Gonna Be
08 – Welcome Home
09 – Small Town Girl
10 – Take Me For A Little While
11 – Chained To A Memory
NEW Yesterdays Sounds Today 