Ray Columbus & The Invaders - Greatest Numbers

Bass – Billy Kristian, Puni Soloman

Drums – Jimmy Hill 

Guitar – Dave Russell, Wally Scott 

Producer – Eldred Stebbing, John Hawkins

Vocals, Percussion, Producer – Ray Columbus

One of the best New Zealand groups of the '60s, and the first to successfully react to the changes wrought by the British Invasion. Starting out as a fairly accomplished outfit in the mold of Cliff Richard & the Shadows, though rawer, the group hit the top of the charts in both New Zealand and Australia with "She's a Mod" in 1964. A cover of an obscure British beat single by the equally obscure Senators, it took obvious inspiration from "She Loves You" with its "yeah-yeah" chorus, but it was a strong harmony rocker that was one of the biggest singles of the '60s in Australia. Although their biggest hit was quite Beatlesque, most of the group's repertoire (much of it self-penned) was in a decidedly more pronounced R&B direction. The Invaders would have most likely ground ashore had they actually made a determined effort to invade the U.S. or U.K. markets, but they were a decent outfit that stood way above most other Kiwi acts in 1964. The group managed a few more New Zealand hits, but couldn't crack Australia in as big a way again before splitting in 1966. Ray Columbus actually tried to crack the States as a solo artist for a year or two, recording the collectable psychedelic "Kick Me" single with a California group, the Art Collection.

http://www.sergent.com.au/music/columbusinv.html
http://www.sergent.com.au/music/columbusinv.html
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/video/shes-a-mod
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Columbus_%26_the_Invaders
http://www.discogs.com/artist/532145-Ray-Columbus-The-Invaders

 01. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Once Upon A Time 

 02. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - The Cruel Sea 

 03. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Shakin' All Over 

 04. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - James Bond Theme 

 05. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Poison Ivy 

 06. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Willie & The Hand Jive 

 07. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Yes Indeed 

 08. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Jimmy Jumps 

 09. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - On My Mind 

 10. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Money Lover 

 11. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - So In Love 

 12. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - I Saw Her Standing There 

 13. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Cat's Eyes 

 14. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - I Wanna Be Your Man 

 15. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Oh My Baby 

 16. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - She's Back Again 

 17. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Orbie Lee 

 18. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Mad At Me 

 19. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - I Feel Bad 

 20. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - 90A Nashville Drive 

 21. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - I'm Finding Out 

 22. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Now You Shake 

 23. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Yo Yo 

 24. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - She's Gone 

 25. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - C'mon & Swim 

 26. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - We Can't Go Wrong 

 27. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Till We Kissed 

 28. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - She's A Mod 

 29. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Made You 

 30. Ray Columbus And The Invaders - Remember (Walking In The Sand) 

With 30 songs, this is about twice as long as the only other Columbus anthology that has been at all available to international consumers (Epic's 1981 vinyl collection Anthology). Being twice as long, however, does not necessarily mean twice as good. The songs here that were not included on Anthology are largely run-of-the-mill, whether they're shopworn covers like "Shakin' All Over" and "Poison Ivy," Shadows-type instrumentals, or less familiar tunes. As it contains 12 of the 16 songs on Anthology, and as none of the other 18 tracks are as good as the best of the Anthology cuts, you're not missing much if you just stick with the 1981 compilation (which is admittedly much harder to find than it was in the 1980s). As another strike against this package, there are no liner notes or songwriting credits, though it does have a discography.

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