Author: The Squire

It has taken me a little while to get around to this post, considering the inspiration for it came out mid 2024. Before I explain what this compilation is all about, I need to get a little thing off of my chest. There is a definite theme with some of my posts down the years in that I complain about record companies not servicing the needs of the punters/collectors when it comes to reissuing certain bands. One of these is Fleetwood Mac, especially the period before Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined. Even more so, the period between founder Peter Green leaving and Buckingham/Nicks’ arrival. There has been a few attempts at brining this era to greater attention but there has been a major lack of unreleased material. Either the band did not record very much or there is a reluctance to really open the archives. Do the powers at be not want to put the effort in thinking there will not be much of a return on the investment? 

What brought about my compilation was a collaboration between Rhino Records and Warner Brothers called ‘Best Of 1969-1974’. This essentially the era the band were signed to Reprise Records (a subsidiary of Warner Brothers), but not quite. The first LP of the Buckingham/Nicks era originally came out on Reprise before the label was deactivated and the majority of the roster moved to the parent company. The label wasn’t completely mothballed as their final studio album, 2003’s ‘Say You Will’ came out on Reprise. 

The problem I have with the ‘Best Of 1969-1974’ compilation is that there is little in the way of rarities to entice the Mac collector, such as myself. Singles that were released at the time are presented in, for the most part, as their album equivalents. These single versions have been released on a few compilations and box sets down the years, but it would have been nice to have had them on one place. It is also missing the lovely ‘Dragonfly’ which was good enough to include on the 1971 ‘Greatest Hits’ album, even though it failed to break the top 50 in the UK, and didn’t break into any chart anywhere else. 

I felt that this should be a more comprehensive collection of the Rerpsie years. This mean including the the singles that Mac released when Buckingham/Nicks joined the band. Once again, some of these have different mixes to the versions included on the parent LP, with ‘Over My Head’ being a different take altogether. This was enough material for a CD. However, I do like to think that if any of my compilations were to actually be released officially, there would be a vinyl version. There was too many songs for a single LP but not enough for a double so I took up side four of the LP for some rarities. If this was actually released, I would make it so that there was a limited edition 12” single which included of additional rarities. 

I have not included any singles from this era that were the same as the LP versions. A unique B-Sides that were included on the original singles are are included here.

Side A

1. Oh Well, Part 1
2. Oh Well, Part 2
3. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)
4. World In Harmony
5. Dragonfly

Side B

1. Purple Dancer
2. Jewel Eyed Judy (Single Version)
3. Station Man (Single Version)
4. Sands Of Time (Single Version)
5. Sentimental Lady (Single Version)

Side C

1. For Your Love (Mono Promo Edit)
2. Heroes Are Hard To Find (Single Version)
3. Over My Head (Single Version)
4. Blue Letter (Single Version)
5. Rhiannon (Single Version)
6. Say You Love Me (Single Version)

Side D

1. Stone (Future Games Outtake)
2. What A Shame (Unedited)
3. Trinity (Stereo Version)
4. Good Things (Come To Those Who Wait) (Mystery To Me Outtake)

12” Single

Side A

1. Trinity (Mono Version)
2. Sometimes (Alternative Version)

Side B 

1. Lay It All Down (Alternative Version)
2. Show Me A Smile (Alternative Version)

I used the same cover that was used for the ‘Best of 1969-1974’ collection, with the title amended and the Reprise Records label added. 

Described in retrospect as the missing link between the later Beatles and 10cc, Fickle Pickle were made up up four multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/producers whose one and only album failed to gain a release in their native UK. What they did manage to achieve during their short life time was a hit single in the Netherlands (where they also toured) as well as numerous unreleased tracks. 

The story beings in Willesden, North London where two independent producers/businessmen founded Morgan Studios and a spin-off label in the form of Morgan Blue Town. Behind the production desk in the early days of the studio was Geoff Gill who had been the drummer in the legendary band,The Smoke, best known these days for the classic single ‘My Friend Jack’. Also knocking around the studio was multi-instrumentalist, Will Malone. Gill knew a certain Cliff Wade, the former inviting the later down the studio set up. Last to join the party was Steven Howden who had been part of the Morgan stable of bands when he was a member of Red Dirt. 

With all the members of Fickle Pickle in place, but not yet as a band, the quartet would pool their resources as musicians on whatever sessions needed to be recorded. The first Fickle Pickle single was a cover of Paul McCartney’s ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’, the stand out track from his first solo album. The single didn’t sell and the musicians returned top their day jobs as producers and backing musicians. The Working together would eventually lead to the four musicians working together on songs that would eventually find their way onto vinyl under the Fickle Pickle name. This was due to the fact that the single of ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ became an unexpected hit in the Netherlands. Feeling it was time to take things a bit more seriously, an albums worth of material was recorded. 

The album would be released only in the Netherlands and was not a big hit. The album cover of the band seemingly behind a pig in a pig stye was not the strongest of selling points, but it did contain some very good music. The band did try with another single in an attempt to break in the UK market, and recorded a version of Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’. The McLean version was rushed released in response and the Fickle Pickle version disappeared without a trace, but what if it hadn’t. What if the band had had a genuine hit in the UK and needed to rush release another album in response. 

Well, this is what it could have sounded like. As was shown with the box set from 2018, the band had a wealth of material languishing in the archives. In fact, the notes from the set says that there were more songs that what was presented on there but they have been lost or misplaced down the years. As can be seen, there was enough material for not only another album, but three more singles and b-sides. Being as this would have been the early 70s, there was still a tendency not to include singles on the album. There are wo versions of ‘Time To Go’, but there is a different vocalist on each and they differ in length quite considerably. 

All the members of Fickle Pickle went on to success in the music business, but their time as Fickle Pickle was all but forgotten until their material was given a new lease of life due to labels looking to exploit their archives and if their are other gems like this to come, I cannot wait. 

Side A

1. Time To Go (Will Malone Vocal)
2. Ring Me
3. Do You Remember My Name
4. Holiday Farm
5. Jesus Cristo
6. Old Feet, New Socks
7. Goodnight

Side B

1. Like An Good Man Should
2. Sweet Wilfred – A Rodent Of Note
3. I Need You
4. Buena Vista
5. Tell Me
6. Through The Days
7. Everyday

Singles

1. Playing With Magic
2. Brining It All Back Home

1. Time To Go (Cliff Wade Vocal)
2. Keep On Doing What You Do To Me

1. Ride Ride Ride
2. Guy Fawkes

There was such a limited choice of images I could use for the band that I thought I would just create my own. The title is from one of the songs on the album and the sleeve is adapted from a 1970s advert for Wigwam Socks and Covers All Stars shoes. 

Last month, I put together a compilation of artists from the USA who had had some success in the mid 1950’s up until the arrival of The Beatles. These artists continued to produce music through to the late 60 and early 70s but with limited success. I wondered if it was possible to put together another compilation looking at UK artists from a similar period who also produced music after their heyday. Well, I could but unlike the previous collection, this is a single album with fourteen songs. 

Side 1

1. Cowman, Milk Your Cow – Adam Faith
2. Listen To The Rover Roll Along – Wee Willie Harris
3. Movin’ In – Heinz
4. A Prelude Top Old Age – Marty Wilde
5. Send For That Girl – Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
6. Silly Boy Blue – Billy Fury
7. If The Rain Got To Fall – Tommy Steele

Side 2

1. Give Me Muddy Water – Joe Brown
2. Take Down A Note Miss Smith – Helen Shapiro
3. My Lady – Jet Harris
4. Riversong – John Leyton
5. Dear Old Mrs. Bell – The Shadows
6. I’m All I Need – Antony Newley
7. Who Knows Where The Time Goes – Lonnie Donegan

As all of these artists come from the British Isles, all of the chart information is based on how successful these artists were on the UK charts.

Cowman, Milk Your Cow – Adam Faith (Single A-Side 1967)

Adam Faith was born Terence Nelhams Wright and was spotted by TV producer Jack Good whilst playing at the legendary 2i’s Coffee Bar. After a quick name change, it would take three singles before he had a hit with ‘What Do You Want?’ hitting number one in 1959. Between then and 1964, Faith lodged twenty consecutive hits in the UK charts. He even managed to score one top 40 hit in the US riding on the coat tails of The Beatles. However, by 1964, his days as a major hit maker were gone. he still continued to make records including this one which was written by Robin and Barry Gibb from The Bee Gees. The line up for this single included the legendary Peter Green on guitar. Faith would later go on to appear in a number of acting roles as well as working as Leo Sayer’s manager. 

Listen To The River Roll Along – Wee Willie Harris (Single A-Side 1966)

Like Faith, Wee Willie Harris (born Charles William Harris) was spotted by Jack Good playing the 2i’s Coffee Bar as the resident piano player. His first single was unusual for this time it that it was self composed. Know for his energetic performances that earned him the label “Britain’s Wild Man of Rock ’n’ Roll”. None of his records were hits in the UK charts but he continued to record off and on in the mid 70s before making a more substantial recoding come back in the 2000s. He was mentioned Ian Dury’s song, ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful – Part 3’. 

Movin’ In – Heinz (Single A-Side 1966)

Heinz was born Heinz Burt in Germany during World War 2 but after his father was killed during the conflict, his mother decided to resettle in Britain. Heinz was a member of The Tornados, one of the first bands UK bands to have a hit in the USA. The Tornadoes were managed by legendary producer, Joe Meek and Meek wanted to push Heinz as a solo artist. Even though he had a couple of minor hits, he did hit the top five with ‘Just Like Eddie’ with a backing band including future stars Ritchie Blackmore, Chas Hodges and Mick Underwood. ‘Movie In’ was the last single Heinz released in the 1960’s and his career suffered after the death of Joe Meek in 1967. 

A Prelude Top Old Age – Marty Wilde (B-Side to the single ‘No Trams To Lime Street’ 1970)

Reginald Smith would become Marty Wilder once he became a part of the stable of artists that were under the management of Larry Parnes. He released a number of hit singles between 1957 and 1962 but like so many other on this list, his career suffered with the rise of The Beatles. However, Wilde did not rest on his hit making past and continued to release singles on a regular basis into the mid 1970s. He was also making a name for himself as a song writer, writing songs for the likes of Status Quo, Lulu and the Causals before writing numerous hits for his daughter, Kim, in the 80s. 

Send For That Girl – Johnny Kidd & The Pirates (Single A-Side 1966)

Frederick Heath, better known to the world as Johnny Kidd was backed by the band The Pirates on arguably the greatest British rock ’n’ roll record of all time. That song was the Kidd penned, ‘Shakin’ All Over’. He did have a number of other hits but none reached the heights of ‘Shakin’. Kidd would die in a car crash in 1966, with the single    ‘Send For That Girl’ being released posthumously. 

Silly Boy Blue – Billy Fury (Single A-Side 1968)

Ronald Wycherley was the original Liverpool rocker, long before The Beatles came to prominence. He had gone to meet with impresario Larry Parnes to try and interest him in some songs he had written in the hope that Marty Wilde would record them. Legend has it that Parnes was so impressed by the songs that he thrust Wycherley on stage, rechristening him Billy Fury. Fury started to have hits in 1959 and managed to survive the rise of Merseybeat until 1966 but health issues meant he had gone into semi-retirement by the 1970s. These health issues would lead to his untimely death in 1983. This song was written by a then little known David Bowie.  

If The Rain Got To Fall – Tommy Steele (B-Side to the single ‘Half A Sixpence’ 1968)

Thomas Hicks had served in the Merchant Navy before forming the band, The Cavemen. Whilst performing at the 2i’s Coffee Bar, he was seen by publicity man John Kennedy who along with Larry Parnes, managed to secure a record deal with Decca. Now known as Tommy Steele, he released one of the first British rock ’n’ roll singles with ‘Rock With The Cavemen’. Steel would continue to have hits until the early 60s but unlike others on this list, his hits had dried up before The Beatles rose to prominence. However, Steele continued to find success by becoming a an actor, writer and a sculptor.   

Give Me Muddy Water – Joe Brown (B-Side to the single ‘Come Up & See Me Sometime’ 1970)

Joe Brown, which unlike many other on this list as he used his real name. He had worked as a fireman on the railways before he was spotted by Jack Good and given a job on his TV show, ‘Boy Meets Girls’. Brown was also part of Larry Parnes stable of stars but would not change his name to ‘Elmer Twitch’. He had a number of hits in the pre Beatles era but once they came on the scene, the hits dried up. Brown, like Steele was able to diversify and started to appear in musicals and children’s TV shows. He would marry Vernon Girl Victoria Haseman and is the father of Sam Brown who would have her own chart run in the late 80s as well as singing backing vocals for artists such as Pink Floyd. 

Take Down A Note Miss Smith – Helen Shapiro (Single A-Side 1970)

Helen Shapiro has been singling in bands since she was ten years old, including one that featured the future Marc Bolan on guitar. She is known for the deep timbre in her voice which was unusual, especially for a girl of fourteen. That was how old she was when she released her first single. She would have two number one singles and would take The Beatles on tour with her as her backing band but by the time that band had become popular, her time as a hit making wax coming to an end. She continued to release new music but these days she is more famous as a jazz singer having performed with trumpet player Humphrey Lyttleton for many years. 

My Lady – Jet Harris (Single A-Side 1967)

Terence ‘Jet’ Harris was an early member The Shadows, Cliff Richard’s backing band. Harris left the band after he started drinking heavily and falling into depression after finding out that Richard was having an affair with his wife, even though they were separated at the time. Harris would release a number of singles including a number one hit single called ‘Diamonds’. However, as with so many of the other artists on this list, the rise of The Beatles would see his sound being seen as old fashioned. Harris would give Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones their first breaks in the music business but a car crash in late 1963 derailed his career which never fully recovered. 

Riversong – John Leyton (B-Side to the single ‘Dancing In The Graveyard’ 1973)

John Leyton was already an established actor when he persuaded his manager, Robert Stigwood to allow him to audition for producer Joe Meek. Leyton released a version of ‘Tell Laura I Love Her’ but it was withdrawn from sale by his label after they decided to push the version by Ricky Valance instead. He would have a couple of major hits with ‘Johnny Remember Me’ and ‘Wild Wind’ but like so many others on this list, by the time The Beatle showed up, his sound was seen to be out of date. Leyton did have his acting career to fall back on and appeared in such classic films such as ‘The Great Escape’ and ‘Von Ryan’s Express’. He did continue to release the odd single including this one from 1963. 

Dear Old Mrs. Bell – The Shadows (Single A-Side 1968)

Formed as the backing band for Cliff Richard, The Shadows were able to form a success career under their own name. Their albums, EP’s and singles would all reach the higher echelons of the charts and unlike most of the people on this list, they were able to continue having hits even after The Beatles. By the late 60s, the hits were not a big, even though they did produce a number of songs that included vocals. The Shadows continued to be a live draw and album band until their finally called it a day in 2020. 

I’m All I Need – Antony Newley (Single A-Side 1969)

Antony Newley had a varied career. Child actor, adult actor, songwriter and famously he was also married to Joan Collins. His heyday as a hit maker was in the late 50s and 60s but that did not stop him from releasing new music. He would famously write the score for the film, ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ and his vocal style would be a major influence on a young David Bowie. 

Who Knows Where The Time Goes – Lonnie Donegan (Single A-Side 1970)

Anthony ‘Lonnie’ Donegan is arguably one of the most influential British artists of all time. Starting off in trad jazz, Donegan was at the forefront of the skiffle movement which led to a number of British musicians taking up the guitar and forming bands. He was the first British singer to have two US top ten hits but like so many others, his fall in chart places coincided with the rise of The Beatles, ironically, one of the bands he helped to inspire. 

The cover is adapted from a 1965 poster by James Rosenquist called F-111

I also thought being an LP, this should have a gatefold sleeve.

The inspiration for this project came from two songs that I had just happened to listen to that dealt with a similar subject. That it, the tale of a fading musician. The first, ‘Mr. Richland’s Favourite Song’ by Harry Nilsson. It tells the tale of a once popular singer who would once play to hoards of adoring fans but then they grew up, found others things to occupy their time and so the singer ended up singing his songs in a bar when he has so few fans that he now knows them all by name. The second is ‘The King of Rock ’N’ Roll’ by Prefab Sprout which involves the singer of a one hit wonder who ends up singing the same song over and over again because no one wants to hear anything else that they did. 

That got me thinking. What happened to some of those early musical pioneers after The Beatles turned up and blew most of the old guard away. Did they disappear into a Las Vegas hinterland or did they continue to produce music, even if the sales were not a match to what they had been? Here are number of artists who fit that category on a double album that I felt would have been released by the kings of the compilation album, K-Tel.

Side 1

1. Moon Talk – Tommy Roe
2. Mary Jane – The Everly Brothers
3. Be My Friend – Del Shannon
4. Fire & Brimstone – Link Wray
5. Purple Haze – Dion
6. Edge Of Reality – Elvis Presley

Side 2

1. Born To Be A Rolling Stone – Gene Vincent
2. Somebody Saw You – Little Richard
3. Lady Madonna – Fats Domino
4. Come Back When You Grow Up – Bobby Vee
5. Bathroom Wall – The Tokens
6. Something’s On Her Mind – Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Side 3

1. Marshmallow Skies – Rick Nelson
2. For A While – Frank Sinatra
3. I’ve Got A Feeling – Bo Diddley
4. Hushabye Mountain – Julie London
5. Questions – Bobby Darin
6. July, You’re A Woman – Pat Boone

Side 4

1. I Love Her, I Love Her – Chuck Berry
2. Southbound Jerico Parkway – Roy Orbison
3. Goodbye Victoria – Chubby Checker

As all of these artists come from across the pond, all of the chart information is based on how successful these artists were on the US charts. 

Moon Talk – Tommy Roe (From the LP ‘It’s Now A Winter’s Day’ 1967)

Tommy Roe hit big with the single ‘Sheila’ in 1962. Over the next couple of years he had some more hits, but by the time 1964 came around, his singles were just about breaking the top 40, if they charted at all. He made a come back in 1966 with two singles ‘Sweet Pea’ and ‘Hooray for Hazel’, both of which made the top ten and were produced by Curt Boettcher. By the time 1967 came along, Roe was continuing to release good music but the record buying public were not buying enough of them to make the charts. ‘Moon Talk’ is the second song on the rather fine LP, ‘It’s Now A Winter’s Day’. Roe would make another come back with the mega hit ‘Dizzy’, which was released in 1969.  

Mary Jane – The Everly Brothers (From the LP ‘The Everly Brothers Sing’ 1967)

The late 50s and early 60s was a golden age for chart hits by the Everly Brothers. These included ‘Bye Bye Love’, ‘Wake Up Little Susie’ and ‘Cathy’s Clown’. It was just before the rise of The Beatles that their chart fortunes waned. This did not mean they stopped making good music and they even tried to bolster sales by recording the album ‘Two Yanks in England’ where the majority of songs were written by members of The Hollies. They continued to follow contemporary trends, such as the song ‘Mary Jane’ with its obvious drug connotations. Even though they would need to wait until they reunited in the mid 80s, after a bitter split 10 years earlier, for a return to the charts, their ‘Roots’ LP could be said to be one of the earliest examples of country rock. 

Be My Friend – Del Shannon (From the LP ‘The Further Adventures Of Charles Westover’ 1968)

Del Shannon burst onto the scene in a big way with the massive hit single, ‘Runaway’. Even though he continued to release successful singles , by 1966 his 7”s were struggling to break the top 100. This did not mean he had been forgotten by the industry. In 1967, he recorded ‘Home & Away’ for ex Rolling Stones produce, Andrew Loog Oldham. It was meant to be the British answer to ‘Pet Sounds’, but only a number of singles were released at the time. He followed this up with ‘The Further Adventures of Charles Westover’ which meant with good reviews but minimal sales. After this, Shannon would turn his hand to production and founding a publishing company to administer the songs he had written. At the time of his self inflicted death, Shannon had seen a rise in his popularity due to ‘Runaway’ being used as the theme for the TV Show, Crime Story. He was also recording an album with Jeff Lynne and was rumoured to be the replacement for Roy Orbison in the Travelling Wilbury’s.  

Fire & Brimstone – Link Wray (From the ‘Link Wray’ 1971)

Link Wray was almost thirty by the time he released his first record, having already served in the Korea War and been hospitalised for a year suffering from tuberculosis. His first hit was ‘Rumble’, once described by Bob Dylan was “the best instrumental ever”. Wray didn’t trouble the charts too often after this but continued to release new music until the late 90’s. 

Purple Haze – Dion (From the LP ‘Dion’ 1968)

Dion started releasing records in 1957 and form 1958, he was backed by The Belmonts. Going solo in 1960, his become more successful releasing classics such as ‘Runaround Sue’ and ‘Ruby Baby’. Like so many others, Dion’s star wained in 1964 after the arrival of Beatlemania. He continued to release some excellent music, and even reunited with The Belmonts. In 1968, he got himself clean from heroin and was asked by his record company to record the song ‘Abraham, Martin and John’. The single reached number 4 in the US charts, but this would be the last time one of his records broke the top 50. The follow up, a folkie version of Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’ was a brave move, but did not translate into sales. 

Edge Of Reality – Elvis Presley (B-Side of the single ‘If I Can Dream’ 1968)

Elvis may not have had the same collapse in sales after the arrival of The Beatles that other artists on this compilation suffered, but by the late 60s, his record sales were nowhere near as high as they had been. He was mostly releasing soundtracks to his films and even though there was some gold contained within the grooves, there was also a lot of dross. Presley did not buy into the whole psychedelic scene and ‘Edge Of Reality’ was the most psych thing he ever recorded. The ‘TV Special’ from 1968 brought about the end of the movies, but it would ultimately lead to the Vegas years.  

Born To Be A Rolling Stone – Gene Vincent (From the LP ‘Gene Vincent’ 1967)

Gene Vincent, like Link Wray, had served in the armed forces in the Korean War but his naval career came to an end due to a leg injury that caused him pain for the remainder of his life. Turning to music, Vincent formed the backing band The Blue Caps and released ‘Be-Bop-a-Lula’ which became a top ten hit. By 1958, the hits dried up and after some tax problems, Vincent moved to Europe. He was still having hits in the UK in the early 60s and was in the car accident that killed Eddie Cochrane. This accident further damaged Vincents leg. He continued to record and tour but years of hard living had taken a toll on his body. He died in 1971, aged just 36. 

Somebody Saw You – Little Richard (From the LP ‘The Rill Thing’ 1970)

Little Richard released his first record in 1951 but it would take another four years and the release of ‘Tutti Frutti’ for him to break into the charts. From there he released numerous classic singles with some being more successful than others. However, Richard had a religious conversation in the late 50s and stopped making secular music for a while. This lead to a drop in record sales and even though Richard returned to secular music, his record sales were never the same even though he was still producing some excellent music. 

Lady Madonna – Fats Domino (From the LP ‘Fats Is Back’ 1968)

Though his first record was released in 1949, it would take another six years until Fats Domino was able to break into the US Hot 100. That was with ‘Ain’t That A Shame’ and he would rack up a number of hits including ‘Blueberry Hill’ and ‘Walking to New Orleans’ before his hit making days wained into the early 1960s. He continued to release records throughout the decade including ‘Lady Madonna’, which had been written by Paul McCartney and was itself inspired in part by the works of Fats Domino. 

Come Back When You Grow Up – Bobby Vee & The Strangers (From the LP ‘Come Back When You Grow Up’ 1967)

Bobby Vee began his musical career in 1959 filling in for the recently decreased Buddy Holly. His performances lead to him releasing his first single, ‘Susie Baby’ which was notable in that was recorded in the Holly style. By 1960, his singles were breaking into the top 10 and in 1961, ‘Take Good Care Of Mt Baby’ reached the top spot. By mid 1963, the singles were just about making it into the top 100. This continued to be the case until the release of this song which made number 3 in 1967. Now, this compilation is meant to include songs after the hits had dried up but this is a bonafide hit. I decided to include it anyway as I thought it was a perfect title for the compilation. 

Bathroom Wall – The Tokens (B-Side of the single ‘Animal’ 1968)

The Tokens released their first record in 1956, with Neil Sedaka as one of the original members. Sedaka left in 1958 and the band took until 1961 to release another single. This was arguably their year as two of their singles broke the top 20. The first was ‘Tonight I Fell in Love’, but the second was ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ which reached number 1. The group spent the remainder of the 60s and the majority of the 70s releasing more records, but they failed to troubled the top 40. Like many of the other artists on this compilation, it didn’t mean they were recording poor material. It’s just a shame no one was paying too much attention at the time. 

Something’s On Her Mind – Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (From the LP ‘The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette’ 1969)

Frankie Valli started his recording career as a solo artist in 1953 and with an early version of The Four Seasons three years later. Between 1962 and 1964, the group achieved four number one hit singles as well as a number of top ten hits. However, they seemed to have suffered like so many from the arrival of The Beatles. They still had some hits and did return to the top 20 on a number of occasions between 1966 and 1967, but the end of the decade, the big hits dried up. The band continued to make some good records though and in 1969, the band changed their sound producing ‘The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette’ LP. The album changed the subject of the songs from those about love to war and racial tension. It’s a great album, but at the time, it was pretty much ignored. The Four Seasons would stage a bit of a comeback in 1975 when their singles ‘Who Loves You’ and ‘December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)’ were both top 3 hits and Valli would also appear in the film ‘Grease’ in 1978.  

Marshmallow Skies – Rick Nelson (From the LP ‘Another Side Of Rick’ 1967)

Ricky Nelson started off as a radio and TV actor in the series, ‘The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet’ which also starred his older brother and parents. He also started a recording career and achieved numerous top ten singles in the late 50s and 60s, but like so many others on this compilation, his star had started to fade by the time The Beatles showed up. To move away from his teen heart throb image, he shortened his name to Rick an released ‘Bright Lights & Country Music’, one of the first albums that could be considered country rock. He would also embrace psychedelic music on his ‘Another Side of Rick’ album, but this experiment did not yield any success in the charts. He did make a minor come back in the early 70s with his song ‘Garden Party’ written in response to Nelson being booed whilst playing the 1971 Rock ’n’ Roll Spectacular Volume VII concert. He was annoyed as he thought he was being booed by the audience for playing his more contemporary music and not just his early hits. 

For A While – Frank Sinatra (From the LP ‘Watertown’ 1970)

Frank Sinatra first committed his vocals on disc back in 1939 alongside the Harry James Orchestra and released his final recordings in 1994. With a career that long, there was bound to be so periods where Sinatra was not as popular as others. One of these periods was the late 1960s and early 1970s. His albums sold in solid, if not spectacular numbers during this period but after the ‘Something Stupid’ duet with daughter Nancy, which reached number 1, his single sales rarely broke the top 40. It was during this time that he released ‘Watertown’, a concept album written by Bob Gaudio of The Four Seasons and his co-writer Jake Holmes. The story concerned a man raising his sons after his wife left him for the big city. The LP met with poor sales and mixed reviews, but since then, it has been re-evaluated and is now considered one of his finer works. 

I’ve Got A Feeling – Bo Diddley (From the LP ‘The Black Gladiator’ 1970)

Bo Diddley distinct style of playing his guitar, utilising African rhythms and a charging beat that became his signature. He influenced genres such as rock ’n’ roll, rock and hip hop as well as artists such as Buddy Holly, The Beatles and The Clash. His record sales did not match his influence though with only one top 40 single hit and one LP in the top 200 Billboard charts. ‘The Black Gladiator’ has been compared with ‘Electric Mud’ (by Muddy Waters) as an old blues man turning the electricity up, but it mostly sounds like any other Bo Diddley album. 

Hushabye Mountain – Julie London (From the LP ‘Yummy, Yummy, Yummy’ 1969)

Julie London combined an acting and music career in a career that spanned over 30 years. Her music career started with a bang when her recording of standard ‘Cry Me A River’ broke into the top ten single chart. This was her only single to break the top 100 and even though her albums were initially successful, by 1958, she was no longer recording music that charted. ‘Yummy, Yummy, Yummy’ was her last album. Released in 1969, the album contained a number of songs by up and coming songwriters such as Laura Nyro and Margo Guryan as well as more established artists such as The Beatles. 

Questions – Bobby Darin (From the LP ‘Born Walden Robert Cassotto’ 1968)

Bobby Darin started to release singles in 1956 but it would take until he put out ‘Splish Splash’ two years later that he would break into the charts. He would release multiple singles between 1958 and 1963 with some being more successful than others, but he would then become another victim of the arrival of The Beatles onto the scene. Between 1964 and his last single in 1973, only one would break into the top 30. His albums faired little better which is a shame as the two he put out on his own Direction label have a number an excellent songs dealing with subjects such as the environment, the Vietnam War and the death of Robert Kennedy. Darin had suffered from poor health throughout his life and any chance of making a comeback were stopped by his untimely death at the age of 37.   

July, You’re A Woman – Pat Boone (From the LP ‘Departure’ 1969)

Pat Boone was a very successful recording artist in the mid to late 50s, covering many songs by black artists such Fats Domino, Little Richard and Ivory Joe Hunter. He would have considerably more success with those songs than the original artists. These days, the originals are the ones people tend to listen to but this should not take away from Boone’s success, even if his covers were insipid compared to the originals. Like so many others, by the time The Beatles showed up, his days as a major chart artist had passed. He continued to record and by the 1970s, he was pretty much recording gospel music. He did release a rather bizarre album in 1997 called, ‘In A Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy’ which included covering heavy metal songs in a big band style. 

I Love Her, I Love Her – Chuck Berry (From the LP ‘From St Louie To Frisco’ 1968)

Even though he was nearly 30 years old when he released his first solo records, Chuck Berry is arguably one of the architects of rock ’n’ roll music. He released numerous classic records but by 1961, his career stalled after he was arrested and sent to prison for allegedly having sexual relations with an under age girl. By the time he started releasing records again, the British Invasion had occurred and though he was an influence to many of these groups, he records sales dropped after a strong start with ‘No Particular Place To Go’ and ‘You Never Can Tell’. He would continue to draw large crowds when he was touring but his record sales dropped off until he released ‘My Ding-A-Ling’, a novelty song with very suggestive lyrics. For an artist as influential as this, it is a shame that ‘My Ding-A-Ling’ was his only number 1 hit single. 

Southbound Jerico Parkway – Roy Orbison (B-Side of the single ‘My Friend’ 1969)

Roy Orbison saw conferrable chart action in the late 1950s and 1960s and even though it looked like he would ride out the British Invasion with his single ‘Pretty Woman’ which was a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic. However, he suffered along with many other artists with diminishing record sales. He would contuse to make some great music including this rather interesting B-Side to his 1969 ‘My Friend’ single. Orbison would have a dramatic career resurgence in the late 1980s with this solo work and as a member of the super group The Travelling Wilbury’s. He was not able to enjoy he resurgence for long as he died of a heart attack at the end of 1988. 

Goodbye Victoria – Chubby Checker (From the LP ’Checkered!’ 1971)

Chubby Checker started to release music in 1959 but it was a year later that his signature song, ‘The Twist’ came out. This was the start of a run of massive hits but he was yet another artist to struggle after the British Invasion. ‘Chequered!’ came out in 1971 and was a stylistic change for Checker, embracing psychedelic sounds three years after that genre had passed its prime. The album was not a success but like so many other on this compilation, he produced some great music that was all but ignored by the record buying public. 

The artwork for this compilation was adapted from a piece of work I found on Behance, but I did not make a note of the artist. 

As this was also planned to be a double LP, I produced a gatefold sleeve.

Not long after posting our annual Christmas podcast, I found out that friend of The Squire (and personal friend too boot), Darryl Bullock had passed away.  I had got to know to know Darryl through our shared love of what can be best described as ‘outsider’ music, or at worst, just terrible tunes. Over time, we bonded over our shared love of The Beatles as well as Laurel & Hardy.

It has taken me some time to come to terms that he is not there on the other end of the phone to share a new ‘bad’ record I have come across, or to check my information on a piece of music or band that I have been writing about is correct. 

I wanted to mark his passing and do something to remember him by, so I have compiled a rarities set from arguably his favourite band, The Beatles. This is a companion piece to the original UK ‘Rarities’ LP that initially came as part of the ‘The Beatles Collection’ box set in 1978. 

It amazes me still that a band such as The Beatles would still have enough material knocking around that was officially rereleased that could still be considered to be rare. With the numerous re-issue programmes they have put out since the mid 90s, you would have through that they would have been rereleased but it would seem not. A good starting point was the B-Sides to the 90s singles, ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’ that came out as part of the ‘Anthology’ programme. I did not want to include any of these B-sides if they had been subsequently released e.g. the live version of ‘Baby’s In Black’ from the ‘Real Love’ single came out later on the 2016 version of ‘Live At The Hollywood Bowl’ album. 

I also included two additional songs as a bonus single (as it were) as I thought this would come out as an LP, so I would have to work with the time constraints that format gave me. I also did not want to include any songs on the rarities discs I compiled back in July of 2020 (https://www.thesquirepresents.co.uk/the-beatles-the-long-winding-road/).

I am sure that Darryl would seen this and gone “you could have included such and such, or this would have been a better choice”. My thoughts go out to all those who knew Darryl. I miss him greatly.

Side 1

1. I Saw Her Standing There
2. Devil In Her Heart
3. All My Loving
4. This Boy
5. I Feel Fine
6. And I Love Her
7. Eight Days A Week

Side 2

1. Help!
2. Yellow Submarine
3. Here, There & Everywhere
4. I Am The Walrus
5. Free As A Bird
6. Real Love

Bonus Single

1. Christmas Time (Is Here Again)
2. Movie Medley

I Saw Her Standing There (Take 9) – Taken from ‘Free As A Bird’ CD

The count from this version was used on Take 1, which was released on the ‘Please Please Me’ album. 

Devil In Her Heart – Taken from ‘Baby It’s You’ 7”/CD

To promote the release of the ‘Live At The BBC’ album in 1994, an EP came out over six months earlier. What was a nice touch was that each of the four songs featured a lead vocal from one of the individual Beatles. At the time. only the title track would come out on the parent album. ‘Boys’ and ‘I’ll Follow The Sun’ would eventually see the light on 2013’s, ‘On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2”, but ‘Devil In Your Heart’ is still unique to the original EP release.

All My Loving (Hi-Hat Intro) – Taken from Please Please Me (West German Version)

A slightly longer mix of the song featuring a hi-hat introduction.

This Boy(Takes 12 & 13) – Taken from ‘Free As A Bird’ CD

Two incomplete takes that both break down in laughter. 

I Feel Fine (Whispered Intro) – Taken from 1962-1966 (1973 Version) 

Virtually identical to the true stereo mix of the song which has the whispered words ‘low enough’ spoken at the beginning of the track.

And I Love Her (Stereo Extended End) – Taken from Something New (West German Version)

This extended mix of this song repeats the riff from the end of the song six times instead of the usual four.

Eight Days A Week – Taken from +1

This 2015 remix does not have the fade in that the store common version has. 

Help!

Taken from the US soundtrack album for the film, ‘Help!’, this includes an instrumental introduction that is based on the James Bond theme. 

Yellow Submarine – Taken from ‘Real Love’ CD

This includes a Ringo spoken word introduction with marching sound effects. The other sound effects were mixed higher in this version.

Here, There & Everywhere– Taken from ‘Real Love’ CD

A combination of take 7 (with a mono mix of the basic track with a McCartney guide vocal) with harmony vocals from take 13 superimposed added at the end. 

I Am The Walrus – (US Mono Single Version)

This includes an extra bar of music before the lyrics, “yellow matter custard”. 

Free As A Bird (2015 Remix) – Taken from +1

This remix cleans up John Lennon’s vocal with better technology for completing the task than was available in 1994 when the original version was prepared. Other changes were to push McCartney’s lead vocal more prominently in the second verse and a different version of Harrison’ lyric from ‘life’ to ‘love’ as well as Lennon saying ‘turned out nice again’ which was switched to play the correct way around. It was played backwards on the 1994 recording. 

Real Love (2015 Remix) – Taken from +1

This remix cleans up John Lennon’s vocal with better technology for completing the task than was available in 1995 when the original version was prepared. The harmonium and harpsichord are more prominent in this mix as well some additional lead guitar phrases and drum fills. 

Christmas Time (Is Here Again) (Edit) – Taken from ‘Free As A Bird’ 7”/CD

A unique edit of this track that originally appeared on a fan club flexi disc in 1967. After the song fades out, it includes some of the speech taken from 1966 Christmas disc and then a poem from the 1967 recording. 

Movie Medley

It was a bit of a thing back in the late 70s and 80s to cut and paste several songs together with a similar drum beat in the background. This originally came out in conjunction with a compilation of Beatle songs taken from song of their films called ‘Reel Music’. This was initially only a US released as Parlophone UK thought it was “tacky”. However, import copies were selling in good numbers so they eventually relented and it would be a reasonable hit on both sides of the Atlantic. It seems that Apple Records have tried to forget this ever existed, as it did not appear on 2019s ‘The Singles Collection’. However, it did appear in the 1982 equivalent.  

The cover is based upon the original Beatles ‘Rarities’ compilation (UK version) from 1978. My skills are not good enough to replicate sleeve exactly I’m afraid. This is as close as I could get.  

The Beach Boys had gone from being an act that performed songs about cars and surfing to producing the pop masterpiece of ‘Pet Sounds’ in the space of four years. Musicians and song writers moved quickly in the 1960’s. Just look how much Dylan and The Beatles changed their sounds in the same time. Anyway, with the collapse of the ’Smile’ project, (which I looked at in a previous post https://www.thesquirepresents.co.uk/the-beach-boys-smile-redux/), the band recorded the lo-fi album ‘Smiley Smile’, a record which showed that Brian Wilson’s control over the recording process was diminishing. 

The band had also dropped out of performing at the Monterey Pop Festival where the great and the good of the counterculture turned up to herald in a new age of music, something that with the failure of the ‘Smile’ album to appear meant that The Beach Boys were seen as out of step with the times. In response, the band booked the Honolulu International Centre Arena to perform a couple of concerts that that would lead to a live album and concert film. 

Things did not go smoothly. Bruce Johnson refused to go, saying that the whole situation had got too weird. To make up the numbers as it were, Brian Wilson was persuaded to go. Wilson had not performed live for nearly three years and said that he would come along if he could bring his Baldwin organ. This meant that he would not be covering bass duties as he had before which meant that Carl Wilson or Al Jardine would need to take on that responsibility. The band were also under rehearsed and this can be clearly heard on the recordings. To counteract this, the band tried overdubbing to rescue the recordings but these proved unsatisfactory. They then went to recording studio in San Fransisco to produce a ‘live’ record where the audience noise would be edited in later. These recordings were also abandoned as the band felt that it was ready to record what would become their ‘Wild Honey’ album. 

These recordings would remain in The Beach Boys vault until the early 80s when some of them started to see the light of day. Finally in 2017, both of the shows were released and it from these that this what if has been compiled. I have looked to include the best version of each song which was not an easy task as these performances are very poor. Most come from the second night but where they do not, I have marked them with an asterisk. 

It is clear to see why this was not released by just hearing it. The band not only sound underrehearsed but disinterested in what they are doing. Maybe they were too stoned? It also shows how ill equipped they were to perform the complex songs that Brian had been producing in the studio over the last couple of years in a live setting. This is by far the weakest what if album I have posted on the site. The Beach Boys would produce better live albums than this in future. 

Side 1

1. Hawthorne Boulevard
2. Hawaii
3. Help Me Rhonda
4. You’re So Good To Me
5. California Girls
6. Wouldn’t It Be Nice
7. Gettin’ Hungry*
8. Surfer Girl
9. Surfin’

Side 2

1. Sloop John B
2. The Letter
3. God Only Knows
4. Good Vibrations
5. Heroes & Villains
6. Barbara Ann*

The front cover was taken from https://idesignalbumcovers.tumblr.com

All performances from the 26th August 1967 Performance except where noted.

*25th August 1967 Performance