Somehow, this one slipped off the horizon, as far as re-issues reviewing, or it just seems so to me. It may be because of the CD’s “self-released” tag (and therefore a questionable distribution) but it sure can’t be because of it’s content, or at least the first half of it, made of classic Americanization of the British invasion, which is usually a good thing.
Some of you moptopped sixteez freaks will have already met with some of the tracks that have been compiled, most notably the Brummels/E-Typed twang of their debut sunny-side Save A Chance (included both in it’s 6’n’12-string versions). I’ll Be There is a Bobby Darin tune with the Castels “(pace)making” it into an essential Mersey ballad and We Better Slow Down shows off a similar Liverpudlian approach.
Children Who Dream and In A Letter To Me are a pair of “Ever-linked” harmonizers, adding a touch of West Coast-ish vibe, in accordance with the oncoming times, as a perfect crossover leading to the sunshiny popsike soundz of the final ‘67/’68 single Rocky Ridges and I’d Like To Know or the great Jimmy Webb-written Phoenix, following the same path, in a bit more rootsy way.
The second half of the CD, consisting of (at the time unreleased) mid’70s-to-contemporary rawk-outs and some more countrified Everliestyled numbers, may not be of interest to ‘60s purists, but it’s sure interesting as a part of an overview of another overlooked band.
One of the latter-daze tracks that will catch your attention though, is the cover of fellow Memphis ‘60s beasters, The Guilloteens, I Don’t Believe … another example that there was much more to it than Elvis’n’Stax even back than.
[Self-released 2002]
Be the first to comment