This is the first (and only time) I am posting a compilation that I have not compiled myself. For me, this was a shop bought tape released on the legendary K-Tel Record label and I was given before I made it to school age. I played this tape so much, it wore out. It was also chewed up by numerous tape players but on each occasion I managed to salvage it and play it again. By the end, it sounded as though the tape had been recorded through mud but I still loved it. At this point, I had acquired my first proper stereo system and looking through the Squire Archive revealed that I already had a number of the songs on this compilation. I thought it was time I acquired the rest so I could reproduce the tape for myself.
It would take a few years to buy everything as this was as time before the internet and Spotify. Eventually I was be able to recreate this compilation for myself and when I look at it, my musical preferences are here for all to see. Great songs, written by great songwriters and sounding as fresh as they did when they were first released. I first reproduced it on a tape, but found that the songs did not fit onto the tape I had bought that was the same length as the original. It was then that I released that some of the songs had been edited down. It just meant I needed to buy a longer tape. I have recreated on CD and mp3 and no doubt this compilation will follow me to the grave.
I am sure that if this was released today, someone would say that the title was not an accurate reflection of the artists contained within as not all of them were British. Manfred Mann and Jimi Hendrix spring to mind, but all of the bands themselves were formed in the UK. It’s still a great compilation and I still give it a spin every so often. Enjoy.
Side 1
- Gimmie Some Lovin – The Spencer Davis Group
- My Brother Jake – Free
- Get It On – T. Rex
- With A Little Help From My Friends – Joe Cocker
- Down The Dustpipe – Status Quo
- 54321 – Manfred Mann
- Stay With Me – The Faces
- Here I Go Again – The Hollies
- All Day & All Of The Night – The Kinks
- Hush – Deep Purple
Side 2
- Substitute – The Who
- Fire – The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
- A White Shade Of Pale – Procol Harum
- Sunshine Of Your Love – Cream
- Hey Joe – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Crocodile Rock – Elton John
- Resurrection Shuffle – Ashton, Gardner & Dyke
- Blackberry Way – The Move
- Layla (Single Edit) – Derek & The Dominos
- Something In The Air – Thunderclap Newman
The cover is based on the one that came with the tape. A K-Tel classic from a by gone age.