SINGLES
THE
BEATLES-Hello Goodbye/ I Am The Walrus (Parlophone) #1
BEE GEES-World/ Sir Geoffrey Saved The World (Polydor) #9
BONZO DOG DOO-DAH BAND-Equestrian Statue/ The Intro And The Outro
(Liberty)
THE BUNCH-Looking Glass Alice/ Spare A Shilling (CBS)
PETER COOK AND DUDLEY MOORE-Bedazzled/ Love Me (Decca)
THE CYMBALINE-Matrimonial Fears/ You Will Never Love Me (Philips)
DAVE DAVIES-Susannahs Still Alive/ Funny Face (Pye) #20
ELMER GANTRYS VELVET OPERA-Flames/ Salisbury Plain
(Direction)
THE FACTOTUMS-Cloudy/ Easy Said Easy Done (Pye)
CHRIS FARLOWE-Handbags And Gladrags/ Everybody Makes A Mistake
(Immediate) #33
FELIUS ANDROMEDA-Meditations/ Cheadle Heath Delusions (Decca)
FLOWERPOT MEN-Walk In The Sky/ Am I Losing You (Deram)
GRANNYS INTENTIONS-The Story Of David/ Sandys On The
Phone Again (Deram)
MARMALADE-Man In A Shop/ Cry (CBS)
MINDBENDERS-Schoolgirl/ Coming Back (Fontana)
MOODY BLUES-Nights In White Satin/ Cities (Deram) #19
THE NICE-Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack/ Azrael (Angel Of Death)
(Immediate)
NITE PEOPLE-Summertime Blues/ In The Springtime (Fontana)
ORANGE BICYCLE-Lauras Garden/ Lavender Girl (Columbia)
PINK FLOYD-Apples And Oranges/ Paintbox (Columbia)
PRETTY THINGS-Defecting Grey/ Mr Evasion (Columbia)
THE ROKES-Hold My Hand/ Regency Sue (RCA)
SEARCHERS-Secondhand Dealer/ Crazy Dreams (Pye)
SKIP BIFFERTY-Happy Land/ Reason To Live (RCA)
THE SMOKE-It Could Be Wonderful/ Have Some More Tea (Island)
THE SOCIETIE-The Bird Has Flown/ Breaking Down (Deram)
THE TICKLE-Subway/ Good Evening (Regal Zonophone)
TUESDAYS CHILDREN-Babys Gone/ Guess Im Losing
You (Pye)
UNIVERSALS-Green Veined Orchid/ While The Cats Away (Page
One)
VIOLENT THIMBLE-Gentle People Parts 1 And 2 (Polydor)
KEITH WEST-Sam/ Thimble Full Of Puzzles (Parlophone) #38
ZOMBIES-Care Of Cell 44/ Maybe After Hes Gone (CBS)
ALBUMS
BLOSSOM
TOES-We Are Ever So Clean (Marmalade)
CREAM-Disraeli Gears (Reaction) #5
HAPHASH AND THE COLOURED COAT-Featuring The Human Host And The
Heavy Metal Kids (Minit)
KALEIDOSCOPE-Tangerine Dream (Fontana)
MOODY BLUES-Days Of Future Passed (Deram) #27
PROCUL HARUM-Procul Harum (Regal Zonophone)
TEN YEARS AFTER-Ten Years After (Deram)
HAPPENING!
The
BBC refuses to screen The Beatle’s promo film for their “Hello
Goodbye” single as it contravenes MU rules over miming.
Pink
Floyd embark on a disastrous American trip. Syd Barrett is in very poor
shape which, combined with the late arrival of work permits, causes the
cancellation of several concerts. The group make two TV appearances-“The
Pat Boone Show” (5th), on which Barrett remains motionless throughout the
entire proceedings, and “American Bandstand” (6th), where Syd glares
blankly into the camera during mimed performances of “See Emily Play”
and “Apples and Oranges”.
Guitarist
Phil Sawyer leaves The Spencer Davis Group. He’s replaced by Ray Fenwick.
The
Small Faces cancel their scheduled Irish tour when Steve Marriott collapses
due to ‘nervous fatigue’. The whole group are ordered to take a two week
holiday.
The
Rolling Stones announce the imminent release of their new album, to be
titled “Her Satanic Majesty Requests And Requires”. The track details
include a song titled “The Lady, The Lillies And The Lake”.
Robin
Gibb of The Bee Gees has a lucky escape when the train on which he is
travelling crashes at Hither Green in South East London (5th). Forty-nine
people are killed but Gibb emerges from an overturned carriage suffering
shock. A fortnight later the group play a special show in aid of the
disaster fund followed by a concert at the Saville Theatre (19th), supported
by The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and The Flowerpot Men.
Traffic
Jam (formerly The Spectres) change their name again, this time to The Status
Quo, following the addition of rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt. They are
signed to the Pye label.
Ian
Matthews, ex-Pyramid vocalist, joins Fairport Convention as they expand
their line-up to a sextet.
The Syn bassist Chris Squire forms Mabel Greer’s Toyshop with flat-mate Clive Bailey on guitar and vocals. Syn guitarist Peter Banks also joins MGT and though their initial intention is to run both groups concurrently, by Feb ’68 The Syn have fallen by the wayside. Keyboardist Andrew Pryce Jackman becomes an engineer/producer while vocalist Steve Nardelli quits the music business until The Syn reform over 30 years later!
Kent
group Good Thing Brigade change their name to Jason Crest and sign to
Philips Records.
The
Rokes, a British group who have become a huge attraction in Italy, are
signed by NEMS Enterprises and return to the UK on a promotional visit for
their RCA single.
Keith West quits the “Teenage Opera” project after the epic “Sam” single is relatively unsuccessful.
New
BBC show “Twice a Fortnight” features Simon Dupree & the Big Sound
(4th) and the Moody Blues (18th), The Scaffold (25th)
BBC1
TV “Dee Time”-Scaffold (4th) Troggs (18th), Tremeloes (25th)
BBC1
TV “Crackerjack”-The Tremeloes (3rd), Flowerpot Men (17th)
ATV
“Morecombe & Wise Show”-Hollies (12th)
ATV
“Good Evening”-The Herd (25th)
Granada ITV "Max Bygraves' New Faces"- Amen Corner, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (7th)
German
TV “Beat Club”-Bee Gees, Flowerpot Men, Sharon Tandy (25th)
BBC
SESSIONS-Brian Auger & Julie Driscoll (6th, WS R&B-19th, Top Gear),
Jeff Beck Group (5th, Top Gear), Bonzo Dog Band (12th, TopGear),
Alan Bown
(11th, Saturday Club), The Bunch (25th, Saturday Club),
Eric Burdon &
The Animals (26th, Happening Sunday), Bystanders (11th, Pete’s People),
The Creation (4th, Saturday Club), Episode Six (4th, Pete’s People),
Family (26th, Top Gear), Flowerpot Men (4th, Pete’s
People-8th, David Symonds-17th, Joe Loss
Show-18th, Pete’s People), The Gun (12th, Top Gear),
Jimi Hendrix (13th,
WS R&B), The Herd (26th, Top Gear-30th, Pop North),
Hollies (4th,
Saturday Club), Honeybus (19th, Top Gear-20th, David Symonds),
Ice (18th,
Pete Murray’s People), Idle Race (12th, Top Gear),
Kinks (5th, Happening
Sunday-11th, Saturday Club), Simon Dupree & The Big Sound (4th, Saturday
Club), Timebox (6th, Monday, Monday), Tomorrow (12th, Top Gear),
Tremeloes
(4th, Pete’s People-6th, Late Night Extra-12th, Happening Sunday-18th,
Saturday Club), Troggs (2nd, Pop North-13th, Monday, Monday-19th, Happening
Sunday), Tyrannosaurus Rex (5th, Top Gear), Zombies (27th, Monday, Monday)
The Tremeloes--Dee Time
WATCHING!
One
of the most legendary pop ‘Package Tours’ opens at The Royal Albert Hall
(14th Nov - 5th Dec), with Jimi Hendrix headlining a bill that includes The
Move, Pink Floyd, Amen Corner, The Nice, The Outer Limits and Eire Apparent.
Nice
guitarist Davy O’List has to step in for Syd Barrett when the Pink Floyd
leader misses several dates owing to ‘personal problems’. Full date
list-- Royal Albert Hall (14th), Winter Gardens, Bournemouth (15th), City
Hall, Sheffield (17th), Empire Theatre, Liverpool (18th), Coventry Theatre,
Coventry 19th), Guildhall, Portsmouth (22nd), Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
(23rd), Colston Hall, Bristol (24th), Opera House, Blackpool (25th), Palace
Theatre, Manchester (26th), Whitla Hall, Belfast (27th), Central Hall,
Chatham (Dec 1st), Dome, Brighton (2nd), Theatre Royal, Nottingham (3rd),
City Hall, Newcastle (4th), Green’s Playhouse, Glasgow (5th)
Also
on tour together are The Who, Traffic, The Herd, Marmalade and The Tremeloes
(28th Oct-10th Nov). At one of the opening shows (Coventry), The Who’s act
is curtailed after just three songs because the concert has over-run its
time schedule owing to equipment failures. Pete Townsend responds by trying
to bury the Tour manager under a pile of amplifiers. Full date list-- City
Hall, Sheffield (28th Oct), Coventry Theatre, Coventry (29th Oct), City
Hall, Newcastle (30th Oct), Empire, Liverpool (1stNov), Granada Theatre,
Kingston (3rd), Granada, Walthamstow (4th), Theatre Royal, Nottingham (5th),
Birmingham Town Hall (6th), Granada, Kettering (8th), Granada, Maidstone
(9th), Adelphi, Slough (10th)
Royal
Festival Hall-Al Stewart plus 35-piece orchestra, beat group and Go-Go
dancer! (3rd)
Saville
Theatre-Alan Price Set, David McWilliams etc (5th), The Nice, David McWilliams, The Span, Ten Years After, Granny’s
Intentions (12th), Bee Gees, Flowerpot Men, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Tony
Rivers & The Castaways (19th)
Marquee-Syn
(2nd, 16th), The Quik (2nd), Ten Years After (3rd, 10th, 17th), The Wilde
Flowers (3rd), Neat Change (4th, 11th, 18th, 25th), Open Mind (4th, 13th),
The Nice (6th, 13th, 27th), Herbal Mixture (6th, 25th), The Herd (7th), Nite
People (7th, 23rd), Tages (9th), Tuesday’s Children (9th), Traffic (14th),
Remo Four (14th, 28th), Sensory Armada (18th, 27th), Cream (28th), Marmalade
(30th), Iveys (30th)
Scotch
of St James-The Anglians (1st-3rd), Mud (4th), The Web (6th-8th), West Coast
Consortium (10th, 11th), Timebox (13th-16th), Bystanders (28th-30th)
Blaises-
Mike Stuart Span (4th), Majority (6th), Ferris Wheel (7th), Ten
Years After (8th)
Middle
Earth-Family, Herbal Mixture (3rd), The Knack, Picadilly Line, The Third Ear
(4th), Jeff Dexter's Light & Sound Show with "New Groups"
(7th, 15th, 29th), Soft Machine, Zeus, Sensory Armada (10th), Dantalian’s
Chariot, Amalgam, Mabel Greer’s Toyshop (11th), Fairport Convention
(17th), Denny Laine's Electric String Band (18th), Pretty Things, Eyes Of
Blue, Tyrannosaurus Rex (24th), Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, Nervous System
(25th)
Pink
Flamingo-Legay (15th), Paper Blitz Tissue (8th, 27th)
Upper
Cut-Simon Dupree & The Big Sound (5th), Breakthru (12th), One In A Million (19th)
Whisky
A’Go Go-Scots Of St James (5th), The Shiralee (7th), Geranium Pond (9th)
Aberdeen, unconfirmed venue- Troggs (9th)
Romano’s,
Belfast-Cream (2nd)
Belfast, Starlight Ballroom- Troggs (3rd)
Bexley,
Black Prince-Dantalian’s Chariot (12th)
Birmingham, Erdington Carlton Club- Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (10th)
Birmingham
Flowerpot-Troggs (11th), Flowerpot Men (18th)
Birmingham Ringway Club- Penny Peep Show (4th)
Rhodes
Centre, Bishop’s Stortford-Geranium Pond (6th), Dr Marigold’s
Prescription (13th)
Starlight
Room, Boston-Traffic, Ferris Wheel (25th)
Bradford University- The Gods (3rd)
Bridlington
Spa-Troggs (4th)
Sussex
University, Brighton-Jimi Hendrix Experience, Ten Years After (11th)
Bal
Tabarin, Bromley-Cream (1st)
Cambridge Union Chamber- Incredible String Band (19th)
Top
Rank, Cardiff-Troggs (13th), Traffic (27th)
Castleford
Corinthian-Troggs (1st)
Chelmsford Corn Exchange- Spectrum (4th), John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (18th)
Lanchester
College, Coventry-Jeff Beck Group (18th)
Cranford Art College- The Gods (17th)
Dunfermline Kinema- The Californians (26th)
Dunstable,
California Ballroom-Human Instinct (3rd), Symbols (11th), Moody
Blues (18th)
Egham, Shoreditch College- The Gods (25th)
Exeter
University-Jeff Beck Group (4th)
Garston Carnival Ball- The Gods (11th)
Greenford
Starlite-Marmalade, Legay (12th)
Kingsway
Starlight Room-Troggs (21st)
Leicester
Nite Owl-Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity (11th)
Leicester
University-Kaleidoscope (25th)
Lewisham
Concert Hall-Bee Gees (17th-charity show in aid of the Hither Green train
disaster fund)
Leyton
Baths-Troggs (18th)
London,
Central Polytechnic-Tangerine Peel (25th)
London School of Economics- Alan Bown (18th)
London Soho Les Cousins- Beverley (17th), Roy Harper, Al Stewart (18th)
London,
West Polytechnic-Dantalian’s Chariot (11th)
Lossiemouth, unknown venue- Troggs (7th)
Lowton Rotary Ball- The Gods (23rd)
Maidenhead
Pearce Hall-The Kinks (25th)
Manchester
Belle Vue-Troggs (26th)
Manchester Free Trade Hall- Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Al Stewart, Incredible String Band (11th)
Union
Club, Manchester-Jimi Hendrix Experience (8th)
Pavilion,
Matlock-Jeff Beck Group (11th)
Central
Pier, Morecombe-Cream (24th)
Nairn, unconfirmed venue- Troggs (8th)
Imperial
Ballroom, Nelson-Flowerpot Men (4th), The Who (11th), Troggs (25th)
Club
A Go-Go, Newcastle- Jeff Beck Group (16th), Cream (23rd)
University
of East Anglia, Norwich-Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera (16th)
Beachcomber Club, Nottingham-Jeff Beck Group (10th), Remo Four (11th)
Nottingham Britannia Rowing Club- Action (8th)
Nottingham Tech College- Denny Laine & The Electric String Band (17th), The Gods (24th)
Paignton Town Hall- The Gods (10th)
Palais
des Sports, Paris-“Love-In” (17th-18th) Soft Machine, Cat Stevens,
Dantalian’s Chariot, Tomorrow, Spencer Davis Group
Poole
College-Jeff Beck Group (3rd)
Portland RN Base- The Gods (2nd)
Portsmouth Oasis- Action (13th)
Reading Bullmershe- The Gods (18th)
Reading
University-Kaleidoscope (18th)
Retford
Majestic-Troggs, Ivy League, Bystanders (17th)
City
Hall, Salisbury- Bee Gees (23rd), Jeff Beck Group (30th)
Southampton Pier Ballroom- The Gods (15th)
Southampton
University-Spencer Davis Group (26th)
Southport
Floral Hall-Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (18th)
Southsea Town Hall- The Gods (12th)
Stanfield College- The Gods (22nd)
Stevenage
Locarno-Bee Gees (1st), DDDBM&T (8th), Flowerpot Men (15th)
Stokley S&S Club- The Gods (20th)
Stowe Youth Club- The Gods (27th)
Silver
Blades Ice Rink, Streatham-Cream (6th)
Stretton Youth Camp- The Gods (6th)
Swindon, McIlroy's- The Gods (9th)
Tidworth, Officer's Mess Ball- The Gods (16th)
Tottenham
Royal Ballroom-The Move (3rd), Amen Corner (10th), Flower Pot Men (17th),
Tremeloes (24th)
Uxbridge, Burton's- Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (4th)
Walton-on-Thames Playhouse- Floribunda Rose (18th)
Weymouth Steering Wheel Club- The Gods (1st)
Willesden,
Earwig’s Club-Information (23rd)
Woolwich Polytechnic- The Gods (4th)
York
Tinned Chicken Club-The Move (1st)
REVIEWS
Bee Gees
World: Another big 'un. It's another hauntingly simple tune and registers quickly--maybe because it immediately reminds you of something else (could it be "Secret Love"?) It's encased in a gorgeous backing of shimmering strings, but this time, between each of the stanzas, there's a contrasting instrumental passage of twangs and other raucous sounds. The combined effect is quite stunning! It's melodic, delightfully harmonised and incredibly well produced. I can't get the tune out of my mind!
World: This tremendous new Bee Gees single will soar up the charts. With rolling, swaying piano, a hard screeching guitar plus waterfalls of harps and that buzzing, electrifying string sound they have come up with a truly beautiful, stunning sound. Soulful and powerful lyrically and musicianly it's good to know that, at last, the Bee Gees have arrived to give us all.
Blossom Toes
We Are Ever So Clean (LP): Produced by Giorgio Gomelsky, this is a restless, somewhat distorted set of beat tunes, done with a lot of "holding back" in the sound department, though I liked their Telegram Tuesday, What On Earth and Mister Watchmaker. Wistful on the whole, and sometimes a bit dull, nevertheless this Cheshire quartet has the right sound to succeed.
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore
Bedazzled : The title song from Pete and Dud's new film, but scarcely a showcase for the duo. It's a sparkling toe tapper, with a bustling orchestration and the vocal handled by a girl group.
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
Flames: A subtle blend of blues, soul and pop make this new British group a very commercial proposition. It's a fiery, dynamic sound with a driving beat. Perfect for discotheques.
Factotums
Cloudy: A bouncy, foot-tapping rhythm blends effectively with the wistful lyric of this ballad. Soloed with echo chanting, which creates a strangely haunting quality. Delicate accompaniment, including cellos.
Felius Andromeda
Meditations: Opens with monk-like chanting, then breaks into mid-tempo. Enigmatic Procol-type lyric soloed by the leader, and dominated by an impressive cathedral-like organ. It was, in fact, recorded in a church. The resultant sound is rich and awe-inspiring.
Flowerpot Men
A Walk In The Sky: No doubt about it--the Flowerpot Men simulate America's West Coast Sound more accurately than any other British group. The complicated counter-harmonies and falsettos on this disc might almost be mistaken for the Beach Boys. To add to the illusion, there's a sudden break in tempo halfway through, which makes it sound like a completely different record! It's melodic, exceptionally well produced and performed, and extremely commercial. Should do very well.
Kaleidoscope
Tangerine Dream (album) : This is it! Kaleidoscope have presented us with a masterpiece for their first LP. Their fantastic single Flight From Ashiya didn't make it, but Tangerine Dream will set that to rights-quality like this just can't go unnoticed. Every track would make a better single than ninety per cent of the top thirty. The words that come come to mind are all played out-words like creative, fabulous (in the true sense), dream-weaving, moving, poetry. The group have made their own completely original scene, with the name Kaleidoscope providing the key to it all. The sounds on this record are shifting colours for a moment into a beautiful stained glass pattern, then shifting again into a fresh and still more beautiful pattern. All wonderous stuff-and certainly not too far out for mere mortals. It is important music-as singer Peter Daltrey says on the lovely sleeve notes, the collective subject of their songs is simple-the life and people. What more could anybody want?
Marmalade
Man In A Shop: The title character has a beautiful dummy in his window, which compels all the wishful-thinking girls to cluster around gaping at its luscious attire--then it's replaced by another dummy which doesn't have the same magic. The Marmalade make a very good job of this medium-pacer, aided by an imaginative backing.
Moody Blues
Days Of Future Passed: Here is a new type group LP, with Peter Knight conducting the London Festival Orchestra behind the Moody Blues, and the whole LP covers a day, from dawn until night, on seven tracks. It's quiet and arresting, with strong, bluesy undertones, and varied vocal and instrumental sound patterns. Recorded by the Deramic Sound System.
Nights In White Satin: Their first on Dram. It's a sombre and somewhat melancholy disc, with the minor-key heightening the doleful effect. The soul-searching lyric is soloed by the leader, whose vocal is framed in a magnificently scored semi-classical arrangement.
The Nice
The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack: Pat Arnold's backing group with a deep-thinking number, framed in a startling backing of organ, celeste, clavioline, strings, walloping beat and incredible tempo changes. Who is Emerlist Davjack? Well, he (she or it) wrote it--and it's good!
The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack: To believe or not to believe this was once PP Arnold's backing group before a monstrous cosmic explosion hurled them onto another path, leading up tinkling, spiralling staircases where they found a together, unified kind of propulsion which put energy into their thoughts, soul into their sound, and their space was nice. This is The Nice, they are, and they wrote it, and played it, and produced it, and they produce enough heavenly energy for four groups, let alone for four people. But that's where the mysterious Emerlist Davjack comes in with his eternal youth and his chartbusting music.
Orange Bicycle
Lauras Garden: During the rehearsal for this number, everything went wrong for the group - they didn't know they were on Candid Camera at the time! But the finished product is fine - a colourful rhythmic ballad, with ear catching harmonies and fugal influences.
Pink Floyd
Apples And Oranges: The most psychedelic single that the Pink Floyd have yet come up with. The vocal rises in octaves as it progresses, until it's roaring into the heights, and behind there's a perpetual growling, shuddering noise, coupled with a reverberating organ resonance. It takes several spins before you get to grips with it, and then you realise that a great deal of thought has gone into it. Although much of the track is way-out, there's a catchy and repetitive chorus which should prove a reliable sales gimmick.
Apples and Oranges: A heavily electronic number swinging in tinkling, whirring electricity. The Floyd's music is always vibrant, energy-laden stuff but this particular number is pretty hard to get hold of, and a number more like the flip, "Paint Box" with its hollow "Day In The Like" feel is a more interesting and hard-hitting "commercial"-even- thing. A good record, with some exciting sounds but I think it'll go over a few people's heads, and will certainly freak-out Jimmy Young, 'cos he's too old.
Pretty Things
Defecting Grey: A label switch coincides with a change of style and image. Unabashed r-and-b is abandoned in favour of "free form" in this mixture of oom-pah waltz-time, frenzied Hendrix-like blues, and strange psychedelic noises--with a chorus of razzamatazz to round it off! Not a disc you can dance to because of the constantly changing tempo--but certainly a disc with a difference!
Skip Bifferty
Happy Land: This switches back and forth between a meditative ballad and a storming up-tempo bouncer. It's vital and alive, with a bustling backing, but I wish it was all beaty without the slow lapses.
The Smoke
It Could Be Wonderful: This is a forceful number in which the pounding beat doesn't detract from the strong melodic content. It's very well arranged and performed, and if Tony Blackburn and his mates latch on to it--well, it must stand a chance.
The Societie
Bird Has Flown: A new group on Deram is always an exciting prospect and The Societie maintain the label's reputation for pop progression and quality. Produced by Hollie Allan Clarke, this medium-pacer is noteworthy for the group's sensational harmonic blend, recorded most effectively on deep echo. Can't say I was over-impressed with the material, but it's worth hearing for the performance.
Bird Has Flown: A big clanking sound, with some beautiful distant yet predominant piano and a high, hard vocal sound. Lyric line is hard to follow in the big sound but the number works to a powerful and penetrating finale. A nice first one but the material will have to be more striking to put the Societie into the charts.
The Tickle
Subway (Smokey Pokey World): Here's a disc that makes you sit up and take notice. A startling collection of sounds, both instrumental and vocal, plus an intriguing lyric. A progressive and well produced adventure in pop.
Keith West
Sam: Another saga of village life, in which a story-in-song is dressed up in majestic symphonic style--and again taken from the Teenage Opera. It's as massive a production as Keith's first hit, with 80-piece orchestra, blaring brass, sweeping strings, kiddie's choir and even train noises. For this is the story of an engine driver--and, for good measure, there's a touch of Christmas in the lyric, and a solo from a seven year-old girl. A shattering five-minute-plus production that's every bit as good as the first one, and has even more fireworks to offer. Unfortunately, it doesn't have such a catchy chorus as Grocer Jack, but clearly it's another triumph.
Sam: Another great song from Keith, and Mark Wirtz has excelled himself this time on the production work which is quite out of this world. Into another tale of Grocer Jack land goes Keith, singing of Sam the train driver, whose only love is for his engine. One day though, poor Sam goes into the village office and hears that his railway line is losing money and he'll have to be made redundant--so Sam runs away, train and all and steams off over the horizon. Using an 85-piece orchestra, a Brownies choir, sleigh bells and balalaikas, this is certainly one of the largest and most astonishing sound journeys that any single record has embarked upon. It's a unique and spine-chilling experience produced by the beautifully interwoven orchestral sound and one can only mutter on hearing such a moving record, the name of Sam's train: "Glory."
Sam: A deep lungful of cool fresh air from the Teenage Opera again must put Keith on the right track for another smash hit. A magnificently, carefully and majestically executed pop single, over 5 minutes long, vividly painting another beautiful fantasy picture of Grocer Jack land. An all-enveloping , radiating kaleidoscope of changing mood music, built with Mark Wirtz's flowing, flying 80 piece orchestra is certainly a stimulating and inspired creation. Look thoughtfully into this tale of engine driver Sam and his steam machine for many jewels can be discovered embedded in the landscape as it hurtles by.
The Zombies
Care Of Cell 44: In this song, we have to imagine that the singer's girlfriend is in prison, and that he is writing her a letter explaining what wonderful times they will have together when she gets out! Despite the depressing nature of the subject, and it's questionable taste, it's extremely well treated. Sincerely rendered by composer Rod Argent, enhanced by colourful Beach Boy-type harmonies, with a mid-tempo beat, clavioline and a delicious string scoring.
"Armani?, Versace? Who, me?!?!"