"Gathered From Coincidence: The British Folk-Pop Sound Of 1965-66" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – featuring Donovan, The Searchers, Marc Bolan, The Hollies, Peter and Gordon, Chad and Jeremy, The Kytes, Tony Jackson, The Chosen Few, Beverley, Folk Blues Incorporated, Barbara Ruskin, The Kinks, Manfred Mann, Davey Graham, Mick Softley, Murray Head, Heinz and more (June 2018 UK Grapefruit Records 3CD 78-Track Mini Clamshell Box Set – Simon Murphy Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Jingle Jangle Morning..."

In the chock-a-block 44-page booklet that accompanies this superb little theme trek through our jingle jangle mornings of old - there's an advert for the Rickenbacker Guitar as endorsed by John Lennon (The Beatle Backer they cleverly tell us) above a photo of The Uglys making grimace-faces and sticking out their tongues at the camera – a shot that mimics their band name and a promo session they undoubtedly had a hoot doing. Only in one of these Grapefruit Records 3CD Box Sets do you get such detail - and bluntly - images we old farts haven't generally seen before.

Three discs with seventy-nine tracks (last song on Disc 3, Track 27, is hidden and not documented on the box or in the booklet) and all of it compiled by good men and true with faded Donovan tattoos on their willies, radioactive hair on their chests and passports to non-extradition countries – JOHN REED and Grapefruit's own DAVID WELLS. Fans of the humble 45 will also notice that almost every entry here is a 7" single from years that are largely underrepresented (many rare B-sides seeing the digital light of day for the first time) - so they too will be looking at "Gathered From Coincidence..." with a lusty eye.

It’s not all plain sailing however. 1965 and 1966 were about innovators – Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Stones, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Love, Buffalo Springfield and especially Bob Dylan. The problem with this set is that so many copyists slipped quickly into their wake and at times, "Gathered From Coincidence: The British Folk-Pop Sound Of 1965-66" feels like a collection of those that followed – those that jumped on a bandwagon – even slagged it off at times because it might get them some chart action. Some of this music is great, but there is fair whack of it that feels derivative and you can so hear why much of it was forgotten and makes for an uncomfortable listen now.

Still, there is a sunset mountain of info to wade through, wind to catch, mornings to call and times that had the sheer audacity to be changin' - so let's have at it...

UK released 29 June 2018 – "Gathered From Coincidence: The British Folk-Pop Sound Of 1965-66" on Grapefruit Records CRSEGBOX043 (Barcode 5013929184305) is a 3CD 79-Track Mini Clamshell Box Set of Remasters that plays out as follows (note: the box has 26 tracks listed on each disc, so a visual total of 78, but Disc 3 has a hidden Track 27, hence 79-tracks in total):

CD1 "In The Jingle Jangle Morning" (66:18 minutes):

1. Take Me For What I'm Worth - THE SEARCHERS (November 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15992, A-side)

2. Morning's Calling - PETER and GORDON (September 1966 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 8003, B-side of "Lady Godiva")

3. Come And Stay With Me - MARIANNE FAITHFULL (February 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F 12075, A-side)

4. Follow Me - THE TONY JACKSON GROUP (September 1966 UK 7" single on CBS 202297, A-side)

5. It's Your Turn To Cry - TERRY KENNEDY and JOHN CARTER (June 1966 UK 7" single on Piccadilly 7N 35324, B-side of "Doesn't Anybody Make Short Movies Any More)

6. Rejected - THE FENMEN (August 1966 UK 7" single on CBS 202236, A-side)

7. I Love Her Still - THE POETS (July 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F 12195, B-side of "I Am So Blue")

8. Frosted Panes - THE KYTES (September 1966 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 17179, A-side)

9. Golden Lights - TWINKLE (February 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F 12076, A-side)

10. I Won't Be Round You Anymore - THE CHOSEN FEW (30 July 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15905, A-side)

11. Absolutely Sweet Marie - THE FACTOTUMS (November 1966 UK 7" single on Piccadilly 7N 35355, B-side of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love")

12. Hey Woman - KENNY BERNARD (December 1966 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 17233, A-side)

13. Hey Mama You've Been On My Mind - THE CARAVELLES (January 1967 UK 7" single on Polydor BM 56137, A-side)

14. Don't Go Away - THE ZOMBIES (November 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F 12296, B-side of "Is This The Dream")

15. Now The Sun Has Gone - THE BEATMEN (March 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15792, A-side)

16. Think About The Times - THE TIMES (January 1966 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 7804, A-side)

17. Penny Arcade - MICHAEL LESLIE (August 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15908, A-side)

18. Beyond The Risin' Sun - MARC BOLAN (November 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F 12288, B-side of "The Wizard")

19. Till You Say You'll Be Mine - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (May 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F 12396, A-side)

20. Go Away - THE MIRAGE featuring GRAHAM NASH (not originally issued Demo version, recorded circa September 1965)

21. It's All Leading Up To Saturday Night - THE KNACK (PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED, Recorded July 1966)

22. You've Cooled - FIVE STEPS BEYOND (not originally issued, recorded August 1966)

23. There's Just No Pleasing You - THE EPICS (April 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15829, A-side)

24. Splendor In The Grass - GULLIVER'S PEOPLE (April 1966 UK 7" single on Parlophone R 5435, A-side)

25. Mr. Smith - THE FORESTERS (December 1966 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 8086, A-side)

26. It's All Over Now Baby Blue - THE COPS 'N ROBBERS (August 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15928, A-side)

Track 21 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED  

CD2 "Too Many Protest Singers, Not Enough Protest Songs" (71:40 minutes):

1. Like A Rolling Stone - THE OTHER SIDE (March 1966 Swedish 7" single on Karussell KFF 664, A-side)

2. Well, How Does It Feel? - BARBARA RUSKIN (October 1965 UK 7" single on Piccadilly 7N 35274, A-side)

3. Lovers Of The World Unite - DAVID and JONATHAN (June 1966 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 7950, A-side)

4. Catch The Wind - DONOVAN (March 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15801, A-side)

5. Age Of Corruption - ALAN KLEIN (November 1965 UK 7" single on Parlophone R 5370, A-side)

6. Blessed - GUY DARRELL (June 1966 UK 7" single on CBS 202082, B-side of "I've Been Hurt")

7. That Man's Got No Luck - GARY BENSON (January 1966 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 17032, A-side)

8. It's Good News Week - HEDGEHOPPERS ANONYMOUS (September 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F 12241, A-side)

9. The Bells - DAVE HELLING (December 1965 UK 7" single on Planet PLF 101, B-side of "Christine")

10. Very Last Day - THE HOLLIES (from their September 1965 UK debut LP "The Hollies" on Parlophone PMC 1261 in Mono)

11. Sometime Never Day - BILL FAY (not originally issued, recorded circa mid-1966)

12. Don't You Cry Over Me - THE SLADE BROTHERS (October 1965 UK 7" single on Piccadilly 7N 15966, A-side)

13. When The Ship Comes In - FOLK BLUES INCORPORATED (August 1966 UK 7" single on Eyemark EMS 1006, A-side)

14. Wake Up My Mind - THE UGLY'S (May 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15858, A-side)

15. Please Don't Switch Off The Moon Mr. Spaceman - NICHOLAS HAMMOND (March 1966 UK 7" single on Piccadilly 7N 35302, A-side)

16. The Protest Singer - MICHA (October 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15982, A-side)

17. Square Peg - THE FOUR PENNIES (June 1966 UK 7" single on Philips BF 1491, B-side of "Keep The Freeway Open")

18. Gotta Make Their Future Bright - FIRST GEAR (January 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15763, B-side of "The 'In' Crowd")

19. The Bells Of Rhymney - MURRAY HEAD (November 1965 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 7771, A-side)

20. Don't Talk To Me Of Protest - JONATHAN KING (November 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F 12286, B-side of "Where The Sun Has Never Shone")

21. Dejection - FIVE'S COMPANY (not originally issued Demo version, recorded December 1965)

22. That's Not My Kind Of Love - MICK SOFTLEY with THE SUMMER SUNS (December 1966 UK 7" single on CBS 202469, B-side of "Am I The Red One")

23. Don't Sing No Sad Songs For Me – THE SORROWS (from their November 1965 UK LP "Take A Heart" on Piccadilly NPL 38023 in Mono)

24. Rattle Of A Toy - TOMMY YATES (November 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15980, A-side)

25. Talkin' Denmark Street - JOHN CASSIDIE (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED, recorded late 1965)

26. The Times They Are A-Changin' - THE IAN CAMPBELL FOLK GROUP (March 1965 UK 7" single on Transatlantic TRA SP 5, A-side)

Track 25 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

CD3 "Gather Round, All You Clowns" (70:50 minutes):

1. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away - THE SILKIE (September 1965 UK 7" single on Fontana TF 603, A-side)

2. Wait Till The Summer Comes Along - THE KINKS (from the September 1965 "Kwyet Kinks" UK 4-Track EP on Pye NEP 24221, Track 1 on Side 1)

3. Don't Make Promises (You Can't Keep) - PETER NELSON (April 1966 UK 7" single on Piccadilly 7N 35314, A-side)

4. Cheryl's Going Home - ADAM FAITH (October 1966 UK 7" single on Parlophone R 5516, A-side)

5. If You Gotta Go, Go Now - MANFRED MANN (September 1965 UK 7" single on HMV POP 1466, A-side)

6. I'm Looking Through You - DAVEY GRAHAM (from the July 1966 UK LP "Midnight Man" on Decca LK 4780 in Mono)

7. Night Comes Down - JON-MARK (February 1965 UK 7" single on Brunswick 05929, B-side of "Baby I Got A Long Way To Go")

8. Early Morning Rain - THE SETTLERS (May 1966 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 17104, A-side)

9. Sadness Hides The Sun - GRETA ANN (June 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15856, A-side)

10. Thank You Boy - DANA GILLESPIE (October 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15962, A-side)

11. Love Minus Zero No Limit - THE COMPROMISE (March 1966 UK 7" single on CBS 202050, B-side of "You Will Think Of Me")

12. Day Must Come - JUSTIN HAYWARD of The Moody Blues (December 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 17014, B-side of "London Is Behind Me")

13. The Clown In The Alley - MEIC STEVENS (not originally issued, recorded September 1965)

14. I'm On Your Side - THE FRUGAL SOUND (June 1966 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 17129, B-side of "Just Outside The Door")

15. London Town - THE PRETTY THINGS (from the August 1965 "Rainin' In My Heart" UK EP Four-Track single on Fontana TE 17442, Track 2 on Side 1)

16. Picking Up The Sunshine (aka "Bert's Blues") - BEVERLEY [later became Beverley Martyn, John Martyn's wife] (not originally issued, recorded March 1966)

17. Corrina Corrina - THE NIGHTSHIFT (May 1965 UK 7" single on Piccadilly 7N 35243, A-side)

18. Listen People - SARAH JANE (May 1966 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 17114, A-side - written by Graham Gouldman of 10cc)

19. Four Strong Winds - CHAD and JEREMY (from the January 1965 US LP "Sing For You" on World Artists WAM 2005 in Mono)

20. So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) - THE GREENBEATS (April 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15843, A-side)

21. Don't Think Twice It's Alright - HEINZ with THE WILD BOYS (30 April 1965 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 7559, A-side)

22. Today Is The Highway - THE RAMBLERS TWO (November 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15989, A-side)

23. Love Is Strange - THE OVERLANDERS (from the December 1966 UK LP "Go With The Overlanders And The Settlers" (shared with The Settlers) on Pye NPL 18163 in Mono)

24. Subterranean Homesick Blues - CHAS McDEVITT and SHIRLEY DOUGLAS (from the August 1965 UK LP "Sixteen Big Folk Hits" on Columbia 33SX 1738 in Mono)

25. Mary Anne - THE SHADOWS (February 1965 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 7476, A-side)

26. The Carnival Is Over - THE SEEKERS (October 1965 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 7711, A-side)

BONUS TRACK (unannounced, undocumented):

27. Crossroads – TONY HATCH SOUND (September 1966 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 17169, A-side, Theme Music to the Famous British TV show)

There are two catalogue number errors in the otherwise exemplary booklet - The Caravelles single on Disc One is listed as Polydor BM 13657 when it's BM 56137 and the Dave Helling B-side on Disc Two is listed as Planet PLF 001 when its PLF 101. Outside of that you page-after-page of fabulous cover art, promo photos, trade adverts, concert posters, flyers and even Beat instrumental magazine covers. Every single song is embellished with the kind of in-depth info that can only come from research that borders on mental instability - or worse - people in the music business who gives a damn. It's a properly informative and entertaining read and fantastic to look at. The individually crafted card sleeves have rear artwork that's made to look like a British flip-back LP sleeve of the mid 60ts and feature The Searchers pictured on Disc 1, Donovan on Disc 2 with Chad & Jeremy on Disc 3 (well done ANDY MORTEN).

As you can imagine, the largely Mono Audio is a wildly varied affair - swaying between glorious and just ok - but always better than expected - with the SIMON MURPHY Remasters impressing more times than not. To the pop folks...

With "Bringing It All Back Home" and "Highway 61 Revisited" in 1965 and the mighty double-album "Blonde On Blonde" in the spring of 1966 - the long shadow of Bob Dylan's titanic influence is everywhere. Cops 'N Robbers did "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" - The Other Side interpreted "Like A Rolling Stones" - Folk Blues Incorporated attacked "When The Ship Comes In" and Manfred Mann had a lash at "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" to name but a few. And even if it wasn't a Zim-cover (The Nightshift dug deep and covered Dylan's "Corrina Corrina") - Bob's style and political leanings are so inherent in the catch-that-trend musings of Barbara Ruskin, Guy Darrell, Heinz and so many others. The Sorrows went one further and slyly slagged him off in their "Don't Sing No Sad Songs For Me" - not that I think the Bobster was listening somehow.

That other huge sound (always unfairly overlooked too) is the chiming guitar-jangle of America's The Byrds and the melodious beauty so often found in England's own Donovan and his best work (his own "Catch The Wind" s on Disc 2 while John Martyn's future wife Beverley has a go at "Picking Up The Sunshine" on Disc 3). Even the Beatles, who's more easy-to-interpret tunes like "I'm Looking Through You" and "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" got a swinging Acoustic makeover by the likes of Davey Graham and The Silkie. Covers of American Folkies too include Gordon Lightfoot (The Settlers on Disc 3), Tim Hardin (Peter Nelson on Disc 3), Pete Seeger (Murray Head on Disc 2), Peter, Paul & Mary (The Hollies on Disc 2), Jackie DeShannon (Gulliver's People on Disc 2), Ian Tyson (Chad & Jeremy on Disc 3) and even Mickey & Sylvia (The Overlanders on Disc 3) - all get a feature here.

Highlights and discoveries for me include ex Searchers Lead Singer and Bassist Tony Jackson and his excellent "Follow Me", the unbelievably pretty John Carter B-side "It's Your Turn To Cry" while pastoral-string lovers will dig The Kytes doing "Frosted Panes". The Kenny Bernard song "Hey Woman" will be instantly recognised as he claimed Chas Chandler nicked it for Hendrix who would of course change the word woman to Joe and do a note-for-note copy. The Times and Michael Leslie channel their inner Monkees and Herman’s Hermits for "Think About The Times" and "Penny Arcade". I wasn’t expecting much from The Mirage demo with Graham Nash clearly singing and strumming but it’s a pleasant discovery and I dig the Eric Burdon and The Animals raw vibe to "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" by The Cops ‘N Robbers (lyrics from the song give this box set its name).

Cook and Greenway supplied the irrepressibly chirp "Lovers Of The World Unite" for David & Jonathan (great audio) but it's trounced by a song of genuine beauty – Donovan doing his (try and) "Catch The Wind". Alan Klein speaks some staggeringly uncomfortable truths about deliberately recorded records you hope will be banned from the airwaves, infamy gained through obscure lyrics and politico-themes directed at the youth in his brilliant and Alien-acidic "Age Of Corruption" – as vicious a song as you've ever heard about singers and the music business. Countering that is "It's Good News Week", a genuinely heartfelt and sincere appraisal of a screwed-up world - while future Judas Iscariot vocalist ("Jesus Christ Superstar") Murray Head worries about vandals and social dropouts in Cardiff. Unable to resist parodying the real deal - John Cassidie is practically aping every Dylan nuance is his fab guitar/harmonica commentary on all things Bob - "Talkin' Denmark Street" And on it goes...to a hidden track on Disc 3, Tony Hatch and His Orchestra doing the theme music to the famous British TV show "Crossroads" (UK hotels do Folk and Protest as well you know).

For sure not everything here is going to make folks dance for joy and the argument that lots of it is derivative and hence not of value is a valid one (hence the three stars).

But you have to hand it to Grapefruit Records – they know how to dig deep and show us a corner of music and its staggering canopy we’d forgotten about and should shelter under again. And ain't that best, baby blue...