Some rock critics describe Early Rock ‘n Roll as Pre-Beatles and Post-Beatles. But, back in 1963, the British Invasion started with a number of groups that dominated the radio airwaves. Gerry & The Pacemakers, Freddie & The Dreamers, Peter & Gordon, Chad & Jeremy, The Seekers and many more groups rode on the coat-tails of The Beatles to success in America.
I’m especially fond of The Spencer Davis Group. When I hear “Gimme Some Lovin'” I just have to get up and dance!
Sadly, this compilation CD doesn’t include my favorite British Group, The Rolling Stones. No Who either. But listening to this CD took me back to the Sixties and the new music from overseas. Are you a fan of the British Invasion? Do you have a favorite singer or group? GRADE: B+
TRACKLIST:
| 1 | Gerry & The Pacemakers– | Ferry Cross The Mersey |
| 2 | Freddie & The Dreamers– | I’m Telling You Now |
| 3 | Peter & Gordon– | A World Without Love |
| 4 | The Seekers– | Georgy Girl |
| 5 | The Swinging Blue Jeans– | The Hippy Hippy Shake |
| 6 | Gerry & The Pacemakers– | Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying |
| 7 | Manfred Mann– | Do Wah Diddy Diddy |
| 8 | Peter & Gordon– | Woman |
| 9 | The Spencer Davis Group– | Gimme Some Lovin’ |
| 10 | The Seekers– | I’ll Never Find Another You |
| 11 | Freddie & The Dreamers– | Do The Freddie |
| 12 | Gerry & The Pacemakers– | I’ll Be There |
| 13 | The Hollies– | Look Through Any Window |
| 14 | Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas– | Bad To Me |
| 15 | Peter & Gordon– | I Go To Pieces |
| 16 | The Fortunes– | Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again |
| 17 | The Spencer Davis Group– | I’m A Man |
| 18 | The Seekers– | A World Of Our Own |
| 19 | The Fourmost– | A Little Loving |
| 20 | Manfred Mann– | If You Gotta Go, Go Now |
Yes—I like almost every one of these songs…and I love “I’ll Never Find Another You” which I always think of as a great “first dance at a wedding” song.
Deb, I think it was the Smothers Brothers who performed “I’ll Never Find Another Ewe” on their TV program.
There was a time when I wished the British Invasion would go on forever. Too many favorites to list here, but I have always been fond of Peter & Gordon and The Seekers. Like you, I miss the Stones and the Who…and where are he Kinks?
Jerry, The Kinks are probably doing something kinky…
Or cost more than the less-sustained bands’ singles…
I know them all – except The Fourmost – and like them too. I agree on The Seekers. I can still remember going to see Georgy Girl in the movies in 1967 (it was released in 1966), then four years later on our first trip to London, we re-enacted her boat ride on the Thames from the Houses of Parliament to the Tower of London.
I was listening to the early Kinks stuff last year, and remember thinking that they were actually ahead of their time.
Speaking of the Spencer Davis Group, we’re seeing Steve Winwood open for John Fogerty in September.
Jeff, I’m a huge Steve Winwood fan! Todd Mason is a big Kinks fan, too!
Very true…and there’s no lack of talent gathered here. Along with the cited missing bands, The Zombies, The Animals, Fairport Convention and such US fellow-travelers as the Byrds are among my favorites, not least due to the jazz influences they were open to. Freddy and the Dreamers were always more a joke than anything else, but even two songs from them wouldn’t spoil my enjoyment of this assembly. (My father was amused by my citation of the Kinks, Animals and Zombies as among the great ’60s bands he’d probably let slip from memory if he hadn’t missed altogether, given that the band names seemed like self-insults as gathered thus to him.)
Todd, I’m trying to track down BRITISH POP earlier volumes. So far, no luck. But I’m sure The Zombies, The Animals, Fairport Convention would be on those CDs.
Also, are you making a case for ’63 as the Real beginning of the British Invasion, as opposed to the usually-cited ’64? Due to the WWDC “breaking” of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in the US and the other Early Stirrings? The Springfields by themselves (though they weren’t, really) Should’ve brought us an invasion in ’62 on the heels of their version of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles” by ’62, but didn’t quite…sounded Too American, no doubt!
Todd, the Big British Wave happened in 1964 but the beginnings of the British Invasion happened in 1963.
Also, is $12 too much (probably not including postage) for a copy of V. 3? https://treasurycollection.com/products/british-pop-volume-3 …with ringers Los Bravos and “Black is Black” (a mostly Spanish band with a German singer).
This vendor is selling them 1-5 at similar prices,and then 7 as part of a C-Note-plus multi-dosk package. Ah, well, gives hope for finding a more economical set (wonder if a V. 6 was issued).
I note I forgot to cite the Yardbirds, and that the later V. 5 includes the deserved “She’s Not There” from the Zombies and “let’s skip over all their better songs and put out ‘Tell Her No’ as the follow-up…”
https://treasurycollection.com/products/my-music-best-of-the-60s-7-cd-set?_pos=5&_sid=236b39b5a&_ss=r
BRITISH POP anthologies as cited:
Volume 1
1. It’s Not Unusual – Tom Jones
2. I Only Want To Be With You – Dusty Springfield
3. The Game Of Love – Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
4. The Mighty Quinn – Manfred Mann
5. Wild Thing – Troggs
6. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away – The Silkie
7. A Well-Respected Man – The Kinks
8. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me – Dusty Springfield
9. Baby, Now That I Found You – The Foundations
10. Catch The Wind – Donovan
11. Don’t Throw Your Love Away – The Searchers
12. Here Comes My Baby – The Tremelos
13. Love Potion #9 – The Searchers
14. Pictures Of Matchstick Men – Status Quo
15. Silver Threads And Golden Needles – The Springfields
16. When You Walk In The Room – The Searchers
17. You Really Got Me – The Kinks
18. Ain’t She Sweet – The Beatles W/Tony Sheridan
19. Here Comes The Night – Lulu
20. Nights In White Satin – The Moody Blues
Volume 2
1. All Day And All Of The Night – The Kinks
2. Love Is All Around – The Troggs
3. The Look Of Love – Dusty Springfield
4. Delilah – Tom Jones
5. Telstar – The Tornados
6. The First Cut Is The Deepest – Cat Stevens
7. You’ve Got Your Troubles – The Fortunes
8. My Boy Lollipop – Millie Small
9. The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore) – The Walker Brothers
10. Wishin’ And Hopin’ – Dusty Springfield
11. With These Hands – Tome Jones
12. I Believe – The Bachelors
13. With A Girl Like You – The Troggs
14. Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations
15. Needle And Pins – The Searchers
16. Silence Is Golden – The Tremeloes
17. Tired Of Waiting For You – The Kinks
18. Yeh Yeh – Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames
19. What’s New Pussycat – Tom Jones
20. Make It Easy On Yourself – The Walker Brothers
Volume 3
1. Petula Clark – Downtown
2. The Hollies – Carrie-Anne
3. Donovan – Sunshine Superman
4. Lulu – To Sir With Love
5. The Guess Who – Laughing
6. Chad & Jeremy – I Don’t Wanna Lose My Baby
7. The Hollies – He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
8. Donovan – Mellow Yellow
9. Los Bravos – Black Is Black
10. The Guess Who – These Eyes
11. The Hollies – The Air That I Breath
12. Argent – Hold Your Head Up
13. Chad & Jeremy – Distant Shores
14. Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
15. The Guess Who – No Time
16. Donovan – Atlantis
17. The Hollies – Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)
18. Lulu – Best Of Both Worlds
Notable that V. 4 is the most expensive disc by itself from this vendor.
Volume 5
1. Sandie Shaw – (There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me
2. Chad & Jeremy – A Summer Song
3. The Yardbirds – For Your Love
4. The Zombies – She’s Not There
5. Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade Of Pale
6. The Guess Who – Shakin’ All Over
7. Chad & Jeremy – Willow Weep For Me
8. The Yardbirds – I’m A Man
9. Jonathan King – Everyone’s Gone To The Moon
10. Unit 2 + 4 – Concrete & Clay
11. Sandie Shaw – Girl Don’t Come
12. The Zombies – Tell Her No
13. Chad & Jeremy – Yesterday’s Gone
14. Procol Harum – Conquistador
15. The Yardbirds – Heart Full Of Soul
V. 6 not cited/offered here (unless I missed it)
British Pop, Volume 7
1. House Of The Rising Sun – The Animals
2. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – The Animals
3. Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat – Herman’s hermits
4. Silhouettes – Herman’s Hermits
5. As Tears Go By – Maryanne faithful
6. Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter – Herman’s Hermits
7. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place – The Animals
8. Listen People – Herman’s Hermits
9. There’s A Kind Of Hush – Herman’s Hermits
10. It’s My Life – The Animals
Todd, thanks for this lineup. I’ll check these out. But I bought BRITISH POP, Volume 4 for a dime so I’m reluctant to spend Big Bucks on the rest of the series.
Also, might be diminishing returns was setting in for this series and its label…I note the trend in later discs have decreasing numbers of songs
Todd, they may have been running out of money to acquire the songs…
I’ll jump out of this rabbit hole by noting that the Guess Who are Empire ringers as well…being Canadian. And that a pree-GW version of the band recorded “Just Like Romeo and Julet” some years before their biggest hit, the self-righteously jingo-misogynist “American Woman”…
No, sorry, bleary morning eyes had me misread the Guess Who WIKI entry…the early GW took an early form of their band name from the US “Just Like Romeo and Juliet” band, the Reflections.
Todd, I’m a big fan of “Just Like Romeo and Juliet” by the Reflections!
They were running out of money, or they didn’t think sales were likely to make them enough profit. Notable also how that last disc is all Animals and Herman’s Hermits except for the famous Marianne Faithful Stones cover. Buying rights in bulk, probably for a discount.
Hence my asking…definitely a jump from a dime to a ten-spot plus!
Todd, I rarely pay more than a dollar for compilation discs. I can find many of them for a quarter or 50 cents.
Indeed, barely got rolling in ’63, with the excitement about WWDC “breaking” and encouraging other stations to play their first Beatles singles. But you’re still bucking the Default Trend!
Todd, I’m just trying to be Historically Accurate with my 1963 date.
Steve W has ben my favourite musician (singer, guitarist, organ player, composer …) for so many years.
I’ve been to many of his concerts in Germany, Britain, Florida and also followed him on a tour thru Texas many years ago.
The last concert was a performance with Eric Clapton in Munich in 2013, open air on the Kings’s Square – fond memories!
But of course I also enjoyed many of th others, though I didn’t have a chance to go to concerts as a student in the 60s.
Those were the days!
Wolf, I have a video of that Linwood/Clapton concert (and the soundtrack). Just great!
Bluesbreakers and Cream not to be sneezed at. I did need to remind myself of the Manfred Mann song, vs. the early/Denny Laine Moody Blues song (the only actually good version of the MBs).
Great tracks. I have a few favourites that aren’t on the CD–HERE IT COMES AGAIN and YOU’VE GOT YOUR TROUBLES by the Fortunes, NEEDLES AND PINS by the Searchers, WALK AWAY by Matt Munro, the Kinks to be sure–but they’re easy to find elsewhere.
Fred, what is NOT easy to find are BRITISH POP, Volumes 1-3. But, I’m still searching…
A real sense of love for Liverpool in “Ferry”, enough to forgive any lack of “true” tock about it.
Or true rock. Plenty of tock.
I might’ve missed the Fortunes thus far…thanks for the pointer.
Ah…”You’ve Got Your Troubles” is familiar, among the Fortunes’ songs.
And their version of “Seasons in the Sun” is certainly less annoying than the Terry Jacks cover that was the big US hit.
Todd, anything is better than Terry Jacks!
This starts out with one of my favorites. The pause between “Ferry” and “cross” works so well, and I also love the pronunciation of “Merzy.” Such a joy to listen to.
I always thought we’d get to Liverpool and take the ferry, but we never did.
Jeff, I think Patrick’s been to Liverpool. He and Katie and their friend Amber are going to London (Paris and Barcelona) in April to celebrate Katie’s Birthday.
Jeff, same here. Love “Ferry Cross the Mersey” with its sound and orchestration. That song brings back a lot of Good Memories.
I like them all! The British/English invasion was a defining moment in rock history, even if it did bump some good US bands off the charts! I saw the Fortunes and Peter and Gordon at a Christmas show with a bunch of other acts in 1965!
Bob, once again I marvel at all the groups and performers you’ve seen!!
So much good stuff here.
The soundtrack to my childhood.
Beth, these songs were in the soundtrack of my teen years, too! So many great British group songs from that era!