Tuesday, October 12, 2021

VA - RGM Rarities Vol.2 (The Beat Group Era)


This is the 2nd (and final) set of 'RGM Rarities' releases by Diamonds Recordings, with the first being aimed towards the Rock 'n' Roll that Joe Meek recorded and this release focuses on the Beat scene, but there's much more than that really.

With so many Joe Meek compilations being released onto CD now, what makes this one different and one to get? Well, despite it being 20 years since its release on CD there's still many tracks that haven't made it on Joe Meek CDs. The sound quality is good too, and it's good to see a dedicated compilation of the lesser-known recordings instead of releasing the same hits on compilation after compilation. Let's face it, when you get a Joe Meek compilation and arguably the most famous names on the CD are Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers or The Checkmates then you know you're in for a treat of rare Meek magic!

Although categorised as 'Beat', there's also a little bit of Mod, Freakbeat and a slight feel of Psychedelic recordings with this compilation, some of which are similar (and overlap) on the other Joe Meek CD 'You're Holding Me Down' which looks at the Freakbeat of Joe Meek. Similarly, the first volume of Rock 'n' Roll also stretches out to a new novelty recordings, as well as Pop and the Rock 'n' Roll you'd be expecting.

Despite there being lesser-known artists on here, there are some illustrated fold-out sleeve notes included with rare pictures and informative details about the groups on here. The tracks are already listed on the Amazon website and therefore won't be duplicated on this review.

Personally, the better recordings on here are 'You're Holding Me Down' by The Buzz and decent versions of 'Kansas City' by Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers and 'Bring It To Jerome' by David John & The Mood. The most interesting I think is the very rare 'Every Little Once In A While' by The Shakeouts, with the sleeve notes also indicating the rarity of the one-off Joe Meek single and having limited knowledge of the group, and also good to see a few cuts of Jason Eddie who was Billy Fury's brother. 
~ RockabillyKid


01. David John & The Mood - I Love To See You Strut 
02. The Buzz - You're Holding Me Down 
03. The Hotrods - I Don't Love You No More 
04. The Four Matadors - A Man's Gotta Stand Tall 
05. The Shakeouts - Every Little Once In A While 
06. The Millionaires - Wishing Well 
07. Bobby Cristo & The Rebels - I've Got You Out Of My Mind 
08. The Impac - Too Far Out 
09. Freddie Starr & The Midnighters - Who Told You 
10. Jason Eddie & The Centremen - Whatcha Gonna Do Baby 
11. Benny Parker And The Dynamics - Boys And Girls 
12. The Beat Boys - That's My Plan 
13. David John & The Mood - Bring It To Jerome 
14. The Checkmates - Sticks And Stones 
15. Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers - Kansas City 
16. Shade Joey & The Night Owls - Bluebirds Over The Mountain 
17. Freddie Starr & The Midnighters - It's Shaking Time 
18. The Charles Kingsley Creation - Summer Without Sun 
19. Jason Eddie & The Centremen - Come On Baby 
20. The Beat Boys - Third Time Lucky 
21. Peter Chris & The Outcasts - The Right Girl For Me 
22. David John & The Mood - Diggin' For Gold 
23. The Charles Kingsley Creation - Still In Love With You 
24. Jason Eddie & The Centremen - True To You 
25. The Buzz - I Gotta Buzz 
26. David John & The Mood - She's Fine 
27. The Hotrods - Ain't Coming Back No More 
28. Jason Eddie & The Centremen - Singing The Blues 








 

3 comments:

RULES :
1. ANONYMOUS REQUESTS WITHOUT ANSWER ! If you take the time to write a message, take a few seconds to sign it with your name, please.
2. If you think that the post was made in violation of your copyright, just report it in the comments and we will delete the material.
3. You can report of about dead links, but please don't make more than one - two repost request per week.