"...Dig The New
Breed..."
The nine titles in this
'Decca Originals' CD Series (listed below) are each worth an essay alone - 'On
The Scene' compilations pitched as I recall at less than a fiver and in some
cases a mere four quid - representing amazing value for money in any man's
language (then and now).
Originally released in late
1998 and early 1999 in the UK, each generously proportioned genre-themed CD
gives unsuspecting punters a 25-track access to ultra-rare music that would
cost a Euro Sceptic's bar tab to acquire the originals on 60ts vinyl. Each is
aimed at the discerning collector for sure, but there is also a clever
commercialism at work here – the ludicrously well-informed compiler JOHN REED
having lined up the goodies to please the ear of the old hand and newbee alike.
These listens are fun and
brilliantly informative too – pointing the musical finger to the hybrid forms
of Rock to come in 1969 and 1970. Dig the New Breed indeed. Let's get freaky
with the dorky details...
UK released September 1998 -
"The Freakbeat Scene" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Deram 844 879-2 (Barcode
042284487924) is a 25-Track CD compilation of 'Decca Originals-On The Scene'
Remasters (all British released 7" singles) that plays out as follows
(64:09 minutes):
1. Please Please Me - THE
SCORE (November 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12527, A-side - Beatles
cover)
2. Come On Back - PAUL and
RITCHIE and THE CRYIN' SHAMES (September 1966 UK 7" single on Decca
F.12843, B-side of "September In The Rain")
3. Anymore Than I Do - THE
ATTACK (March 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F.12578, B-side of "Hi-Ho
Silver Lining")
4. One Third - THE MAJORITY
(July 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12453, B-side of
"Simplified")
5. One Fine Day - SHEL
NAYLOR (March 1964 UK 7" single on Decca F.11856, A-side)
6. Unto Us - THE NEW BREED
(November 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F.12295, B-side of "Friends And
Lovers Forever")
7. Grounded - THE SYN (June
1967 UK 7" single on Deram DM 130, B-side of "Created By Clive")
8. Father's Name Is Dad -
THE FIRE (March 1968 UK 7" single on Decca F.12753, A-side)
9. Understanding - SMALL
FACES (August 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12470, B-side of "All Or
Nothing")
10. No Good Without You Baby
- THE BIRDS (October 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F.12257, A-side)
11. The Third Degree - MARC
BOLAN (June 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12413, A-side)
12. I'm Not Your Stepping
Stone - THE FLIES (December 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12533, A-side)
13. Hey GYP (Dig The
Slowness) - KEITH SHIELDS (February 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F.12572,
A-side)
14. I'm Leaving - THE MARK
FOUR (August 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F.12204, B-side of "Hurt Me
If You Will")
15. Sorry She's Mine - JIMMY
WINSTON And His REFLECTIONS (June 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12410,
A-side)
16. Wooden Spoon - THE POETS
(February 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F.12569, A-side)
17. Help Me Please - THE
OUTER LIMITS (April 1967 UK 7" single on Deram DM 125, B-side of
"Just One More Chance")
18. I Am Nearly There -
DENIS COULDRY (February 1968 UK 7" single on Decca F.12734, B-side of
"James And The Basement")
19. I Can Take It - THE BLUE
STARS (December 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F.12030, B-side of "Please
Be A Little Kind")
20. Poor Little Heartbreaker
- TIMEBOX (March 1969 UK 7" single on Deram DM 246, B-side of "Baked
Jam Roll In Your Eye")
21. Run And Hide - THE FAIRYTALE
(August 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F.12644, B-side of "Guess I Was
Dreaming")
22. Tax Man - LOOSE ENDS
(August 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12476, A-side)
23. Thanks A Lot - THE
SEA-DERS (March 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F.22576, A-side)
24. Pink Dawn - THE HUMAN
INSTINCT (February 1968 UK 7" single on Deram DM 177, B-side of
"Renaissance Fair")
25. You Better Get A Better
Hold On - THE BEATSTALKERS (March 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12352,
B-side of "Left Right Left")
NOTES:
Track 1 - Beatles cover -
the B-side of "Please Please Me" is on "The Mod Scene" CD
compilation
Track 2 - Paul and Ritchie
are Paul Crane and Ritchie Routhledge
Track 8 - Members of The
Fire would later play with Paul Brett's Sage and The Strawbs
Track 10 - Ron Wood of The
Birds would later join Faces and The Rolling Stones
Track 11 - Marc Bolan would
later form Tyrannosaurus Rex with Mickey Finn, which became T.Rex
Track 12 - A Monkees cover
version
Track 13 - A Donovan cover -
Keith Shields was one of The Wildcats, Marty Wilde's backing group
Track 14 - The Mark Four
A-side "Hurt Me If You Will" is on 'The Beat Scene' CD compilation
Track 15 - Jimmy Winston was
the Organist in Small Faces - the B-side "It's Not What You Do" in on
'The Mod Scene' compilation
Track 22 - Beatles cover
The pleasingly nice-looking 12-page
colour booklet has JOHN REED extend an informed paragraph to each artist – the
Israeli Sea-Ders and New Zealand's Human Instinct - while West London's Birds
spawned Ron Wood who would of course join Rodders and Ronnie Lane in the Faces
and then hop on board The Stones in 1976. There are no mastering credits, but
it does state on the see-through spine 'digitally remastered from the original
master tapes' for all of these sets and I’ve found that to be uniformly true.
Take the 'waters of my mind' of Denis Couldry's brilliant "I Am Nearly
There" – wickedly good audio whether he's smooching or rocking out (he
does both in great tune). The attacking guitar in The Blue Stars "I Can
Take It" is the same, clear and in yer face.
Freakbeat fans love their
hidden nuggets - which is why you will notice that a huge 14 of these tracks
are flips - the band or artist in question able to whig out a tad and get away
from the schmaltz that would invariably be given pride of commercial place on
the A-side. The Beatles get two clever re-workings – their 1963 debut
"Please Please Me" by The Score and Loose Ends giving it some
Revolver with their stab at George Harrison’s withering "Taxman". And
how unsurprising is it to hear T. Rex's Marc Bolan (even then) have that
sprinkle of magic dust on him with his fabulous groover "The Third
Degree".
"...Their closing in on me..." moan
The New Breed on their fantastic chugger "Unto Us" as cops and
sheriffs chase down our heroes. Barnstormers come in the shape of supernatural
intellect with Fire giving us "Father's Name Is Dad" while the wild
fuzzed-up guitar gives The Flies an aggressive edge as they take on that angry
Monkees hit "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone". But my fave-rave has to be
"Poor Little Heartbreaker" by Timebox - a sexy guitar-jangle akin to
The Byrds have a melodic dancing moment. Dig the New Breed...Dig In and
Enjoy...
Titles in Deram's 'Decca
Originals/On The Scene' UK CD Series
1. The Beat Scene (released
December 1998 on Deram 844 799-2 - Barcode 042284479929)
2. The Blues Scene (released
February 1999 on Deram 844 801-2 - Barcode 042284480123)
3. The Freakbeat Scene
(released September 1998 on Deram 844 879-2 – Barcode 042284487924)
4. The Girls Scene (released
February 1999 on Deram 844 897-2 - Barcode 042284489720)
5. The Mod Scene (released
September 1998 on Deram 844 549-2 - Barcode 042284454926)
6. The Northern Soul Scene
(released December 1998 on Deram 844 805-2 - Barcode 042284480529)
7. The Psychedelic Scene
(released September 1998 on Deram 844 797-2 - Barcode 042284479721)
8. The R&B Scene
(released September 1998 on Deram 844 798-2 - Barcode 042284479820)
9. The Rock 'n' Roll Scene
(released March 1999 on Deram 844 892-2 - Barcode 042284489225)
Please note that some of
these titles were reissued August 2007 on the budget label 'Spectrum'
