Review by Mark Deming
Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond has assembled compilation CDs for his Psychic Circle label devoted to seemingly every hip and happening genre in pop music of the 1960s -- psychedelic, freakbeat, garage rock, blue-eyed soul, R&B, folk-rock, the list goes on. So having gone through all the cool stuff, Saloman has chosen to bravely dip his toes into something not all that hip -- namely male vocal pop singles from the U.K.. File Under: Male Vocal contains 20 rare sides that seem to reflect the British equivalent of the Brill Building scene in the United States; most of this is pop/rock clearly created on an assembly line, but it's a great assembly line, featuring strong, soulful singers belting out well-crafted tunes with expert backing delivered by tight, talented session bands. Unlike many of the Psychic Circle collections, File Under: Male Vocal is a bit short on artists who would go on to bigger or more recognizable things; most of these singles were recorded by journeyman vocalists who cut these as part of respectable but little recognized careers, and some of them are still performing today. But if the names aren't familiar, the work is still worthwhile; Greg Hunter delivers a fine cover of "Five O'Clock World," Danny Street digs into more obscure territory with a version of "Can I Go" by Roger Nichols & the Small Circle of Friends, Christian Ward hits the depth of romantic self pity with "The Face of Empty Me" (you're forgiven for thinking it sounds like "the face of MTV"), Dominic Grant fills the dancefloor with the uptempo "Don't Stop Girl," Dave Walton delivers a superbly moody performance on "Tell Me a Lie" (ditto for Graham Bell's "How Do You Say I Don't Love You Anymore"), and "Move On" is a great dance number from the memorably pseudonymed Dorian Gray. As with the lion's share of Psychic Circle's releases, the remastering from rare vinyl is good and the liner notes entertainingly pass along what's known about the artists included here; this collection isn't likely to be on the top of anyone's want list, but if you're interested in some of the more obscure products of the British Beat era, you'll find some fun and rewarding rarities on this disc.
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Nick Saloman :
"After enjoying countless compilation albums of psych, beat, garage, girl groups, instrumentals, soul, exotica etc, it struck me that I'd hardly ever seen any comps which concentrated on that most popular of sixties phenomena, the British male vocalist. I was thinking of great tracks and performances that could not really be considered beat, soul or psych, but at the same time conjured a similar sort of mental image. Solid, classy songs performed by great singers which readily evoke the sense of excitement and freshness prevalent in that decade. What I was trying to assemble for this album was a selection of quality male vocal, with a kind of pop/beat feel. The kind of thing you might have heard in any London discotheque alongside the beat groups, the Stateside Soulsounds, the groovy girls and burgeoning psych riffs. Nothing too MOR or fey, just cool guys doing what they did best. I reckon it's a long overdue examination of a hitherto overlooked genre. It doesn't really need a label, but if you want to give it one, just file under: male vocal."
File Under: Male Vocal - The Golden Age of the Beat Balladeer (2009)
01. Mickey Clarke - Help Me
02. Jason Cord - I've Got My Eyes On You
03. Gerry de Ville - You Never Tell Me
04. Dominic Grant - Don't Stop Girl
05. Nicholas Hammond - I Can't Stop Myself
06. Christian Ward - The Face Of Empty Me
07. Graham Bell - (How Do You Say) I Don't Love
08. Jerry Page - Empty My Heart
09. Dane Hunter - Too Late
10. Brian Keith - When The First Tear Shows
11. Keith Powell - Song Of The Moon
12. Don Adams - That Feeling Is Gone
13. Neil Landon - I Still Love You
14. Greg Hunter - Five O'Clock World
15. Dave Walton - Tell Me A Lie
16. Danny Street - Can I Go
17. Dorian Gray - Move On
18. Rudy Bennett - I'm So Proud
19. Ronnie Jones - Put Your Tears Away
20. James Royal - Call My Name
Thank you
ReplyDeleteAs the young girl used to say "I'll give it a listen". Thanks
ReplyDeleteThank you Dimitrich.
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