Second
Time Around
Various
artists
The British Invasion, 1963-1967 (Hip-O)
There's some amazing music on this 54-song, three-CD collection. Each tune was at least a minor hit in its day, but most aren't heard much, because the British Invasion tends to be reduced to the Beatles and the Stones; it's nice to see some other bands getting their due. The British Invasion, 1963-1967 showcases the sound that surged across the Atlantic, blew U.S. artists off the pop charts, and permanently changed the face of rock and roll. In its day this music was different from the hit-factory pop being created stateside. As far-flung as the collection is stylistically, this was music played and often written by the bands themselves (even then, Yankee corporate interests were undercutting creativity and initiative) – and it shows.
There are a few exceptions – the schlocky ballads by Engelbert Humperdinck ("Release Me") and the Bachelors ("Diana"), for example, and the folky "Georgy Girl" by the Seekers. But even the slightest of the others – Freddie and the Dreamers' "I'm Telling You Now" probably takes the prize (the group performed it on The Ed Sullivan Show while executing quasi dance moves that resembled jumping jack calisthenics) – was clearly the product of young musicians doing things their way. In many cases the results were little short of spectacular: songs like the Searchers' "Needles and Pins," the Zombies' "She's Not There," and Los Bravos' "Black Is Black" didn't sound like anything that came before them. The Who – represented by "Can't Explain" and "I Can See for Miles" – used drums, played by the incredible Keith Moon, as their only lead instrument. Stevie Winwood was only 16 when he wrote and sang "Gimme Some Lovin' " with the Spencer Davis Group and barely in his 20s when he formed Traffic, whose psychedelic-tinged "Paper Sun" is included. And then there's Lulu's "To Sir with Love" – not rock and roll by a long shot and the theme song to one of the most embarrassing, ill-conceived films ever made, but which is nevertheless a great piece of pop music. I'd go get the collection without looking back, but I already have it; if you don't, you should. (J.H. Tompkins)
