DONOVAN IN CONCERT (1967-11-17)

Original released on CD EMI / 0946351400020 (EU 2006)

DONOVAN ~ ANTHOLOGY 3

DONOVAN ~ ANTHOLOGY 2

MARIANNE's "My Songs of the Sixties"

Once upon a time there was a sweet loving girl called Marianne... No woman from the 1960s lost her youth as thoroughly as Marianne Faithfull. And by youth, I mean her innocence, not her looks. Long after that decade ended, she wrote in a song, "Where did it go to ... my youth?" She answered herself only last year with lyrics that begin, «I drink and I take drugs/I love sex and move around a lot». And no citizen of the '60s drank, took drugs and had sex with Faithfull's public abandon. This Rato Records's collection (shared once more 'cause of many requests), in three parts, reunites 75 great songs that Marianne recorded during the sixties, before her personal life went into decline, and her career went into a tailspin.

OST: "CASINO ROYALE"

Original released on LP Colgems COSO-5005

(US, 1967)

Burt Bacharach appropriately comes up with a rambunctious soundtrack for the 1967 James Bond spoof, "Casino Royale". Things get underway with Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass' performance of the fast-paced main title, which features the usual Bacharach mix of pop phrasing and complex arrangements; this theme is subsequently augmented with a lush string arrangement and marching band rhythms on "Sir James' Trip to Find Mata" and turns into a mod rock jam during "Flying Saucer First Stop Berlin." Bacharach excelled at these kinds of musical cut-ups, but thankfully he used liberal doses of humor and melody to keep the proceedings from turning too rarefied or messy.

At times, the humor even turns to camp, as it does with the manic hodgepodge of circus themes, gypsy music, and lounge grind on "Home James, Don't Spare the Horses.". Being a parody to the James Bond films, with Peter Sellers playing the role of double agent 007, it was truly one of the genuine kitsch movies that emerged in the 60s: so bad, weird and inchoerent that it quickly turned into a cult-movie. How such a film got a magnificent music score like this? I really don't know, but I still consider this soundtrack one of the very best ever! Burt Bacharach's music, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass playing the main title and Dusty Springfield's sweet interpretation of "The Look of Love" are indeed too much for one James Bond!

SHOCKING BLUE's Debut Album

Original released on LP Polydor 236173

(NETHERLANDS 1967, November 27)

This is a sort of transition album between The Motions and Shocking Blue (pré Mariska Veres). I hear rock 'n' roll, beat & even progressive rock influences. Although not so radical and groundbreaking as The Motions on their 1st album and certainly not as catchy and full of hit-potential like the later Shocking Blue LPs (hence the addition of Mariska), the songs on this record are quite diverse, sounding really warm & deep. An interesting late sixties album with at times rather straight forward tunes but with that typical atmosphere that I can not shake off after listening... (in RateYourMusic)

San Remo En Español - Vol II

Original released on LP Belter 22.072

(ESPAÑA, 1967)

San Remo En Español - Vol I

Original released on LP Belter 22.071

(ESPAÑA, 1967)

MARVIN & TAMMI United

Original released on LP Tamla Motown TML 11062

(UK 1967, August 29)

THE BEE GEES 1ST

Original released on LP ATCO 33-223 (mono)

(US 1967, August 9)

The debut international long-player by the Bee Gees may shock anyone who only remembers them for their mid- to late-'70s disco mega-hits, or their quirky early-'70s romantic balladry. Up until 1966, they'd shown a penchant for melodic songs and rich, high harmonies, in the process becoming Australia's answer to the Everly Brothers. When the Bee Gees arrived in London late in 1966, however, they proved quick studies in absorbing and assimilating the progressive pop and rock sounds around them. In one fell swoop, they became competitors with the likes of veteran rock bands such as the Hollies and the Tremeloes, and this long-player, "Bee Gees' 1st", is more of a rock album than the group usually got credit for generating. Parts of it do sound very much like the Beatles circa "Revolver", but there was far more to their sound than that. The three hits off of "Bee Gees' 1st", "To Love Somebody," "New York Mining Disaster 1941," and "Holiday," were gorgeous but relatively somber, thus giving "Bee Gees' 1st" a melancholy cast, but much of the rest is relatively upbeat psychedelic pop. 

"In My Own Time" may echo elements of the Beatles' "Dr. Robert" and "Taxman," but it's difficult to dislike a song with such delicious rhythm guitars and a great beat, coupled with the trio's soaring harmonies; "Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You" was close in spirit to the Moody Blues of this era, opening with a Gregorian chant backed by a Mellotron, before breaking into a strangely spaced-out, psychedelic main song body. Robin Gibb's lead vocals veered toward the melodramatic and poignant, and the orchestra did dress up some of the songs a little sweetly, yet overall the group presented themselves as a proficient rock ensemble who'd filled their debut album with a full set of solid, refreshingly original songs. In 2006, as part of the shift of the group's back catalog to Reprise Records, "Bee Gees' 1st" was reissued in remastered form, with seriously improved sound and expanded to two CDs with a brace of chronologically-related outtakes - comprising some of the most fascinating material of their history. (Bruce Eder in AllMusic)

TOM JONES: "The First Years" (1965-1967)

Sir Thomas Jones Woodward is a Welsh singer known by his stage name Tom Jones. He was born in 1940, June 7, at 57 Kingsland Terrace, Treforest, Pontypridd, in Glamorgan, South Wales and became one of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the mid-1960s. Since then, he has sung many forms of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, soul music and gospel – and sold over 100 million records. Jones has had thirty-six Top 40 hits in the United Kingdom and nineteen in the United States. He began singing at an early age, at family gatherings, weddings and in his school choir. Jones did not like school or sports, but gained confidence through his singing talent. At 12 he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Many years later he said: «I spent two years in bed recovering. It was the worst time of my life.» During convalescence he could do little else but listen to music and draw.

Jones's bluesy singing style developed out of the sound of American soul music. His early influences included blues and R&B singers Little Richard, Solomon Burke, Jackie Wilson and Brook Benton, as well as Elvis Presley. In March 1957 Jones married his high school girlfriend, Linda Trenchard when they were expecting a child together, both aged 16. The couple's son, Mark, was born in the month following their wedding. To support his young family Jones took a job working in a glove factory and was later employed in construction. Jones's voice has been described as a "full-throated, robust baritone". He became the frontman in 1963 for Tommy Scott and the Senators, a Welsh beat group. They soon gained a local following and reputation in South Wales. 

The group recorded several solo tracks in 1964 with producer Joe Meek, who took them to various labels, but they had little success. Later that year, Decca producer Peter Sullivan saw Tommy Scott and the Senators performing in a club and directed them to manager Phil Solomon, but the partnership was short-lived. The group continued to play gigs at dance halls and working men's clubs in South Wales. One night at the Top Hat in Cwmtillery, Wales, Jones was spotted by Gordon Mills, a London-based manager who also originally hailed from South Wales. Mills became Jones's manager and took the young singer to London, and also renamed him Tom Jones, to exploit the popularity of the Academy Award winning 1963 film.

Eventually, Mills got Jones a recording contract with Decca. His first single, "Chills and Fever", was released in late 1964. It did not chart, but the follow-up, "It's Not Unusual", became an international hit after offshore pirate radio station Radio Caroline promoted it. The following year was the most prominent of Jones's career, making him one of the most popular vocalists of the British Invasion. In early 1965, "It's Not Unusual" reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom and the top ten in the United States. During 1965, Mills secured a number of film themes for Jones to record, including the themes for the film “What's New Pussycat?” (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David) and for the James Bond film “Thunderball”. Jones was also awarded the Grammy Award for Best New Artist for 1966. In Hollywood, he met Elvis Presley for the first time who he recalls singing his song as he walked towards him on set.

In 1966, Jones's popularity began to slip somewhat, causing Mills to reshape the singer's image into that of a crooner. Jones also began to sing material that appealed to a wider audience, such as the big country hit "Green, Green Grass of Home". The strategy worked, and Jones returned to the top of the charts in the UK and began hitting the Top 40 again in the US. For the remainder of the decade, he scored a string of hits on both sides of the Atlantic, including "I'll Never Fall in Love Again", "I'm Coming Home", and "Delilah" which all reached No. 2 in the UK chart.

Melody Maker Awards, 1966 - With Paul McCartney, Dusty Springfield and Ringo Starr

Jones performed in Las Vegas for the first time at the Flamingo, in 1967. His performances and style of dress became part of his stage act, and increasingly featured his open, half-unbuttoned shirts and tight trousers. He soon chose to record less, instead concentrating on his lucrative club performances. His shows at Caesars Palace were a knicker-hurling frenzy of sexually charged adulation and good-time entertainment. Women started throwing hotel room keys onto the stage. Jones and his idol Elvis Presley met in 1965 at the Paramount film stage, when Elvis was filming Paradise, Hawaiian Style. They became good friends, spending more and more time together in Las Vegas and duetting until the early hours at Presley's private Las Vegas suite. The friendship endured until Presley's death in 1977.

This double CD set collects the very best of Tom Jones’s songs, released in his first years of fame and success, between 1964 and 1967.